What an awful world right now, how do you all keep positive ?

[RajaGemini]

The main thing being the pandemic, then 3 terrorist attacks in France in the past week in which people have been beheaded, more and more people diagnosed with cancer (in the media, Sarah Harding, Lisa from So Solid Crew, Tracey Emin to name a few)
House deposits rising, people's futures looking bleak.

🍫🍷🧀

I’m making resin Letters. And made some sensory kits to sell. I’ve spent shit loads on it, and I know I won’t sell any. I don’t know what the hell i’m doing. But it’s something ‘crafty’ to do.

Work. I'm NHS. The hospital is FULL of Coronavirus, but weirdly by doing all the overtime God sends and keeping myself busy to the point of exhaustion, my mind manages to stay distracted from the trauma of it all most of the time. The virus is horrible. I've never heard a cough like it. We lost another elderly patient this morning. Please protect yourselves and your loved ones from it.

Mumsnet. Coming on here and having a virtual involvement in other folk's issues helps me deal with my own. You help keep me sane(ish).

Reading and listening to books, mainly biographies and self help.

Pinterest. It's like scrap booking, which I always loved as a kid. You don't have to think about it, it's a simple distraction.

Phone calls. Mum, Sons, Friends etc.

Walking. My Brother has been battling a clinical depression since the beginning of lockdown, brought on by the end of a 30 odd yr relationship. I moved in with him to help him through it. We have walked (and talked) for miles and miles. It helps. I feel sad typing this, this is what happens when you stop to think.

Sending love and big hugs to everyone xxx

@Helenluvsrob, what a gorgeous boy!
OP, like many other posters I just concentrate on my own little world, I’m depressed enough already and this is the only way that stops me going over the edge.

Fortunately I work a lot from home at the moment and I really enjoy my work. I am also learning Russian and do a night a week with an online course - it's so difficult I find it really absorbing which is great. I limit how much news I watch tbh.

I'm not in France. I don't have covid and hope to avoid it by sensible care. I'm not afraid of cancer because I've already had it several times and survived all of them, so did lovely DH.
Books music films games walks food ,wine, yoga, lovely home, great kids and GC's. It's a charmed life here in Bazookabubble and we know just how lucky we are.

[quote rc22]@pinkearedcow Same here. Just DH and I and we've never really bothered with Halloween but we're having pumpkins, candles, takeaway,spooky films and trick or treat type sweets on Saturday night. Hoping it'll feel a bit like a special occasion and cheer us up![/quote]
We're in Wales so it is the closest thing we are going to get to a night out for a while!

Have a spoooooktacular time!

Playing Unlock! games with DH. Like an escape room, but sitting on your own sofa

I can only persuade him to do one occasionally, but I find them completely absorbing and it’s an hour when nothing else enters my head.

Praying as I am a Christian
Staying away from the news as much as I can helps reduce anxiety.
Going on walks, cooking, exercising and dancing with the family
Remembering God has us all if we just have faith through our saviour Jesus Christ (John 3:16).
Trying not to do dwell too much on the negativity around us

As well as the wine and gin, I have a very dark sense of humour which enables me to find something amusing in most things. And DP is very witty.

Laughter might not be the best medicine, but it's a damn good one.

I think I just focus on the kids, work and the good news surrounding vaccines.

@DragonWillow sending my best wishes that you get good news for your biopsy 🤞🏻 x

I just plough my love into my kids and my job. I do a very rewarding job that helps people. That, combined with teaching my children to grow up to be adults who can make the world a slightly better place, helps me stay positive and feel like I can contribute something to this shit show. Otherwise I would just feel like I am burying my head in the sand, which for me doesn't work, although I know it does for many. We all have our own ways of coping.

Music. I have Absolute radio on in the background all day and love listening to Bush and Richie’s home time show. The music is great, often stirs up fab memories. There’s a lot of banter (without much pandemic talk) often find myself laughing along as I’m pottering in the kitchen late afternoon.

Exercise and fresh air. We’re on half term this week and the weather’s been awful so haven’t been out much but during term time our school run is through a park. Love being amongst the trees and seeing the regular dog walkers, it’s great seeing life going on as normal as possible. I also try to swim once a week, I’ve been losing weight since early July and it been good to have something on.

Now starting to think of Christmas, I’ve accepted it’ll probably be just the four of us so if they do relax the restrictions then it’ll be a bonus although we’re not sure what we’ll do yet. At the moment we’re looking over M&S, Sainsbury’s and Tesco’s food to order and salivating over what we can order. (Bang goes my weight loss) And my guilty pleasure at the moment are Christmas food magazines. The BBC Good Food on arrived yesterday, will spend the next few days looking through it.

I’ve never been one for shopping but did used to love a midweek whizz around Tesco or Sainsbury’s. That’s gone for the moment, I hate it and try to book deliveries as much as possible. I’ve also started buying flowers once a week to brighten things up.

This will be over with one day but in the meantime I just to keep as normal as possible.

I’m retired so have lots of time. Every day that the weather’s tolerable I get my hiking boots on and just go out. Sometimes local, sometimes I’ll drive to the coast, to the estuary or nearby woodlands and walk for a good few miles....on my own. DH is obsessed with the news and especially the US election and has it on the radio or TV all the time 😳.

Being outside and away from all the misery is the only thing that’s keeping me sane through the world today.

I've challenged myself to finally lose all my excess weight and get fit. I can control that, I can set myself goals, see improvements and feel happy with myself.

I can't control COVID, or terrorists, or insane orange president, or insane clown like prime ministers.

I've lost 36lb and made it to week 5 of c25K, I've made a brilliant spreadsheet that tracks my weight and achievements, I look at that when I need encouragement or the monthly photos I take that show me I'm making progress.

1lb till I'm not obese, 34 lb till I'm a healthy weight.

Hahah, the insane orange president post made me laugh well done on your weight loss !!

I'm just easily distracted and pleased by small things.

And if I do stop and think about the state of the world, I make sure to put it in a long term context, and remember Socrates thought the world was going to shit back in his day.

Cut down on reading the news and amount of time spent on social media. Getting outside every day for a walk or run. Trying to remember it won't last forever. Taking it a day at a time.

This. Just concentrate on your own world and try not to worry about what is happening elsewhere. There have always been terrible things happening in the world, but in earlier times we weren't bombarded with it as we are now, however we do have a choice about how much we are exposed to via SM and the news etc.

Going for long walks or to national trust places when the weather is nice, its good to get out for some fresh air. We go out occasionally for coffee and it's nice just to do something normal like that. Facetime my family, love having a long natter with my DM. I have a toddler so I am pretty preoccupied playing and cuddling her all day. I stopped watching/ reading the news as found it only concentrates on the negatives. There is still alot of good in the world so I focus on that.

No news, no Facebook, block the C

crochet
music, especially Bach
yoga with Adriene
eating properly
doing voluntary work that I enjoy and think is actively of use
being as social as possible

very limited news

Compartmentalising. It is the only way. Deal with what is in front of you and find pleasures in small things - a dog walk in the autumn leaves, a joke, the children playing nicely together, an evening by the fire, a nice glass of wine...