Doomscrolling and Dread

I have found myself incredibly troubled, by the events of January 6th. Since that day, I’ve been looking at news online endlessly, checking at any available moment as to what might be happening in our country.

It’s not hyperbole to say that my stomach has been in knots since that day. I’m pretty sure it’s directly a result of the riots at the Capitol. I’ve been doom scrolling obsessively, and I don’t think that helps – even though I feel like it’s what’s needed.

I happened across a Twitter post from someone I follow, and it seems to capture the sentiment. Talking with Ian via email, I recognized we both seemed to be experiencing the same thing. And we were very much not alone.

To me, it feels like I’m waiting for something to happen. Or for something worse to happen. Invocation of the 25th Amendment, impeachment hearings, the announcement of arrests. I’m waiting for some vague, “worse” thing to happen – another act of violence, an act of foreign aggression while we are preoccupied with ourselves, some kind of terrorist event (domestic or otherwise).

I have a mind that’s prone to worry, and in this current space and time, it seems to flourish.

Liz made a good suggestion to me: limit my news consumption. Or at the very least, be a bit more intentional about when and how often I consume news.

It’s a tricky balance. To me, new information is what I feel like will help dispel this terrible feeling in my gut. But it’s also partly the cause of this terrible feeling.

It’s interesting to note that these feelings seem to mirror the same sensations I had, when the Coronavirus first emerged. Same sense of dread, same sense of foreboding.

[photo via dole777]

Related:
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Anxiety in the Time of Coronavirus

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