Yeah, it can get to me too. A lot of stressful stuff is happening in the world, and the alienness and outright cruelty of some of the attitudes that have actually begun to make it into mainstream social discourse have me shaking my head and feeling close to despair at times. That added to loneliness and/or isolation can be quite a rough mix.

I find it’s helpful to take breaks from the headlines, spend time focusing on things—and people—that make you happy and make you feel more comfortable. That doesn’t mean sticking your head in the sand or putting yourself in an echo chamber, or ceasing to challenge and broaden your mind; it simply means taking time-outs to recharge, for mental health. We are alive, and should enjoy that fortunate fact as much as possible, so constantly being stressed is only going to grind us down. Get to a better place mentally through little breaks and time spent in positive environments, around positive attitudes, and that will form a bulwark against all the cruelty and negativity and hate that abound in the world today. And help you, hopefully, to in turn spread more positivity. It’s not easy, but a bit at a time it can be done.