Wow wow wow 2026 is the worst!
It seems like everywhere I look people are being thrown hardballs directly into the face on an emotional level. You know I had a feeling 2026 was going to be a not great year but this is getting ridiculous. We got a brutal earthquake in Venezuela. Condolences to anyone on Hive who's been affected by it. There still seems to be war and genocide rampaging on the other side of the world. And then on top of everything a certain purple whale lost their son to a heart attack mere hours ago. Seriously though can we catch a break? Can we get like a second to breathe? It's all a bit out of control!
Of course I personally don't have too much to complain about other than the standard day to day trifles and number going down... but still. Seeing a lot of suffering in the world and around me is not a fun experience, even if it's not directly happening to me... yet. How do people deal with all this trauma being dished out by Lady Luck and the God of War? God only knows!
Time heals all wounds?
A statement I've certainly heard uttered many times but inevitably tends to fall flat in the heat of the moment. Surely separating oneself from a traumatic moment with the passage of time can dull the pain, but scars will almost certainly be lingering in the background. Can it really be that the only course of action is simply to take these things one day at a time while trying to avoid tripping and falling into a black hole of despair? The unrelenting existential weight of it all is soul crushing.
Support is not my strong suit!
When people are going through a rough time they often require emotional support from the peers around them. I must admit I find it difficult to be of any use in such scenarios. Sorry that happened to you friend, better luck next time! I don't know, it seems like any combination of words uttered would just come off as disingenuous or otherwise unhelpful when the topic itself is genuinely awful. Maybe that's just the cynicism talking; whispering its poison. Maybe it's a lack of empathy or a touch of the tism. Whatever it is it certainly isn't comfortable, but I guess that's kind of the point when dealing with these types of situations: there isn't some kind of fix-all magic-bullet that's going to make the problem go away. Nope, we just gotta deal the best we can. Nobody said life was easy.
So how should we cope with grief and other forms of loss?
Hm, I don't know. Very carefully? Surely it depends on the situation. Sometimes when a person perishes people like to say things like, "They've gone to a better place." That can work in some situations and backfire in others entirely. Surely there have been numerous books written on the topic, but does that advice actually work or do the bereft simply require a bit of distraction? I know not!
Honestly it's probably easier to make a list of what one shouldn't do when they're feeling down in the dumps. Drowning oneself in alcohol or otherwise addiction can't be a great idea... in the long term anyway. Short term maybe it takes the edge off, and that edge is a sharp one. Of course what good is a list when a person is overwhelmed with negative emotion? It really does all come down to community care, and community seems to be that one thing that is often lacking within modern society. We're all intimately connected by technology and ironically also increasingly alone. Weirdest combination when you think about it.
Healing trauma is never easy. And you CAN'T do it for someone else.
And if you try to help them out financially through bad times, 2026 is gonna wipe out your cryptos and your bank account.
With the -tisms… i can only suggest that you sincerely acknowledge their pain/discomfort. Tell them you know it sucks. And wish for them better. I know none of this really helps, and all of it can be taken the wrong way. But, just acknowledgement is one of the best things.
A lot of trauma isn't the action/situation, it is that people do not acknowledge that you were hurt.
Uncle Bob did (bad things) to my (no no area) and when your mother tells you to not make a fuss, or a big deal about it because it will destroy the family… that is when trauma happens, or the temporary trauma becomes permanent trauma.
July is going to be more… brutal? gut punching? Curved fast balls to the face?
After that, it will seem more like smooth sailing. Especially in comparison.
Make sure to stock up on food. Because there will be outages next month. Probably short term.
Support engagement with a delegation to topcomment:
50HP - 100HP - 250HP - 500HP - 750HP - 1000HP - 1500HP
I can only speak to my own personal loss, but, for me at least, when my dad passed a few years ago I valued the folks that were basically like 'hey this sucks and nothing I say will make it suck less' because there's nothing you can say. Maybe for some folks there is comfort in condolences and such, but there wasn't for me. It was nice to see that folks cared, but the hard fact is that it sucked and will continue to suck. Now I can just predict what parts of the year are going to suck the most.
Most of the time you don't need any fancy words or the typical "right thing to say" stuff; just being there for the ones who need it, the simple presence is all it takes. Crossing fingers for a better time for the world, humanity should be evolving instead of regressing!
do you think we are failing to cultivate these support structures because we've become too accustomed to outsourcing our well-being to online spaces, or is it that we've collectively lost the language required to be present for one another during genuine tragedy
I think the communities we've become a part of are so large that we stop caring because the human condition is much more tailored around tribes and smaller communities. It's very common to not even know or meet your next door neighbor in a big city. And if you look at how people drive a car in high population high traffic areas you can just see in real time that it makes everyone just a little bit insane.
As someone who has recently experienced several traumatic events, I can tell you that everyone experiences grief in their own way. The only support you can give is to be present and say that you are there if they need you; none of that "I understand you," "it's what God wanted," those are statements you make without knowing.
You are absolutely right. I have heard and witnessed quite a lot of bad news this year. Many innocent people have lost their lives due to wars in several countries. On top of that, many innocent lives were lost in the earthquake in Venezuela. Many have lost their loved ones; perhaps no one has the words to truly console them. I pray that everyone is able to overcome their grief very soon.
I'm the same as you. I am pretty horrible about knowing what to say when someone is spilling their guts to me. Even my wife when she calls me with some kind of drama or emergency. It's like I am emotionally deficient when I need to be, but then when some ASPCA commercial comes on I am bawling like a baby.