How do you deal with the anger and frustration?

[backscatter712]

I'm going to hold off ranting about Bush, his cronies, their leading this country into a nosedive, and Congress' complete failure to even try to stop him

I'm talking about my reaction to it. Of course I'm angry. Every time I see the news, I see things getting worse and worse, and all attempts to end the war in Iraq, stop us from going to war in Iran, and hold Bushco accountable for the hundreds of documented crimes committed in his administration have failed. Congress isn't even trying to stand up to Bush - all they're giving us is lip service. On top of that, the economy is tanking. I don't know if the level of this economic collapse will be anything like the Great Depression, but I do know it's going to be really ugly.

It's anger from frustration. I campaigned for Democratic candidates, I voted, then I went on anti-war protests. I've wrote letters, I've sent repeated emails to my Congressional invertebrates, I've made phone calls to them. What results have we gotten? Nothing.

So yeah, I'm angry. And I'm frustrated. And it seems that there's absolutely nothing I can do that will pull our country out of this tailspin, or bring a stop to Bushco's wholesale rape of us. It's the worst, most poisonous kind of anger, that consumes me. I'm not sure what I can do with all this violent rage. I'm so damn angry I want to destroy things, and occasionally, I do. More often, I rant, I yell, I scare the bejessus out everyone around me. I may have to cut myself off from political stuff - it's eating me alive.

How do you deal with it? If we all get fed up, withdraw from the field, the assholes win by default, and we'll continue to see everything Americans have worked and fought and died for destroyed, just to make a few rich assholes richer. I don't want to give up the fight, but my emotions are destroying me right now.

How do you cope? How do you retain sanity in the face of so much insanity?

[driver8]

1. I just came back from a ten day vacation -- I didn't watch the news or log on to

the internets once. I feel better than I have in a long time.

Maybe you need to take a break from this place. We get a lot of info here at DU -- that's not always a good thing.

[noamnety]

2. You have to balance the global with the local

If you can get away, go work with a relief organization, so you can cut yourself off from the rest of the world and just be useful and see results. If you can't get away, find a local place where you can volunteer. Fight the policies, but help the people. It's a balancing act.

[Gregorian]

3. Creativity. Expression. Music.

I used to take really good bong hits. But I decided I wanted to start getting in good physical shape, so I stopped. Sadly, age has decided that no matter what I do, I'm not going to be what I was when I was 40.

Having said that, I ride my bike. I listen to music. And I hang around people who are fun.

Here is something silly I just did a few minutes ago. I went to youtube and searched for crazy cat videos. Then I photoshopped it into an animation I could post around to friends.

Oh, and here's some sound to go with it-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZ9HmkFQGc8

You see, Bush can't take that away from you. There is real power in something that cannot be stolen. I'll die with my memories of bike rides and good music.



By the way, if you think Bush and his gang are hard to take, don't even try to get to the bottom of global warming. You'll find it nearly impossible to break out of the anger and frustration. And don't ask why, because I'm not going into it. It's too threatening for people to look at. Just know that Bush is not the worst thing you might have to deal with.

[backscatter712]

4. Oops.

I meant to post this in the General Discussion forum, not the General Discussion: Politics forum.

Mods, if this needs to be moved, feel free to move this discussion. Sorry about this.

[roody]

5. Breathe. Go for a walk somewhere nice.

Walk the dog.

[madeline_con]

6. Political activism.

to do nothing is acquiescence! FIGHT!!!

[backscatter712]

7. Even when I actively fight, I feel like I'm being eaten alive.

I went to protests, I gave money to candidates, like I said, I phoned, emailed and wrote my elected officials. And it seems like I'm hitting a brick wall.

I hate politics. You'll see no other human endeavor where people can be so nasty and vicious to each other. It's convinced me that the only reason humans don't fling shit at each other like the other great apes is because we wear pants.

[sandnsea]

8. Maybe try this

and remember who said it and what he faced and fought...

http://www.thekingcenter.org/

[Mz Pip]

9. I have a

pretty busy life outside of the political realm. I do communtiy service, take classes, read a lot, go to exercise classes, take trips, work on my art and crafts projects.

Maybe it's because I'm old (ish) and have seen the country in turmoil before. All things pass. Eventually. I believe this war will end, Bush will be an unpleasant footnote in history, and our country will move out of this morass it's in. I have faith that the concepts that made this country great will eventually prevail. We've weathered crisis before and survived. We will again.

Mz Pip
:dem:

[snot]

10. I hope this doesn't sound too stupid, but . . .

I learned from my dayjob . . .

When things are really bad, it's difficult not to freak out. To panic, become enraged, whatever. Adrenaline and god knows what other chemicals are ready to pump.

What I learned the hard way was, in most situations, that stuff actively gets in the way of solving the problem.

We all need to vent. We're only human. I, at least, must do that.

But I do it on my own time.

I'm a girl, I hate sports, but I agree that when the going gets tough, the tough get going.

When things are about to blow up, the only thing that counts is getting the job done.

How do I retain sanity? Knowing that the future depends on at least some of us doing just that.

[midnight]

11. Make a batch of oatmeal and raisin cookies and have some

soy milk/milk. Remember in kindergarten-milk and cookie break from all the hard playing you were doing?

[AndyTiedye]

12. Lots and Lots of Dancing

Ride the Music