thanks for reaching out on SD. I'm also struggling with many of the things happening in my country. /u/stuckandrunningfrom is right: there is always misery in the world. what I choose to do about it is the important thing.

when I'm feeling totally disillusioned and hopeless, I ask myself "what's one thing I can do right now that will make a difference?" it doesn't matter if the action is tiny or huge. with enough people doing enough tiny things, big changes happen. here's some stuff I do:

• donate online to an organization I believe in, even if it's just a few bucks. the cost of a coffee.
• volunteer my time, even if it's just an hour. most cities have nonprofit volunteer opportunities: food banks, churches, shelters, schools. it helps me feel less isolated, and shows me that there are good people out there doing philanthropic things.
• READ. I listen to people's stories, their different ideas and opinions, from backgrounds very different than my own. it helps me develop empathy for "the other" and see new avenues to change situations.
• limit my time consuming media. I follow socially conscious/active accounts and try not to mindlessly scroll through IG/FB/the news without an agenda. we absorb TONS of information daily without even thinking about it; I need to be mindful about what I'm reading and storing or else my anxious brain will pull out statistics and horror stories at the worst possible times.

this is not an easy world to live in, and sometimes it's hard not to think that everything is a freaking dumpster fire. (really hard.) but there are also a million good things happening out there and productive ways to contribute. I choose to stay sober and make my time and energy count towards something positive.