Oversensitivity to the world

[SaltyLemons]

Gosh I'm so teary all the time about life - the horrors of the world, the beautiful horrors of loving people and the idea they might be hurt or die. I'm sure having young children and elderly parents is at the root of this, but it's also the state of the world in terms of war, instability etc Am I alone in feeling this depressing heaviness? It might just be life once you hit middle age but I do think we live in unprecedented times. Help!

I think it's a feeling of waiting for disaster, what a way to live!

Bless you, you're just appropriately sensitive, but our brains are not designed for the complex world we live in or the 24 hour news cycle.
Good things and bad things have always happened in the world long before you and I were around and will for long after we are gone. Our poorly equipped brains only focus on the threat and the negative. So to balance that out, you have to keep life simple, focus on you and yours, switch the news off, fill your life with simple pleasures, with sleep and exercise and yoga and meditation, with whatever makes you happy.

Bless you, what a kind and loving response

I agree with the previous poster, so much anxiety is because there is constant access to information and horrible stories from all around the world. Overstimulation is not good for us.

You say we live in 'unprecedented times', but I disagree - there has always been war, disaster, human cruelty. For most of human history, life was brutal for most people. We now have access to healthcare, and education and experiences our ancestors could only dream of.

That's not to say you can't care about things that go on, but I think there can be a sense of helplessness knowing there is not much you can do about them.

Maybe it would be good for you to take a break from the news or social media, and look at the positive things in your life or the things you can control.

I agree,very good advice. It's easy to extrapolate everything from macro to micro and see danger and loss everywhere . At the same time it's: a truth of life, so I guess I need to figure out how to balance fears about losing my loved ones with the reality of now. It's hard though! I feel like the sword of Damocles is hanging over my head, to quote an excellent musical