Too Young To Be Sad, But Can't Help It :(

reply to post by die_another_day

I can hardly have conversations with my peers anymore due to my knowledge of economics, politics, and other sciences.

Sure you can, there are other things in life besides those. Talk to them about things that you have in common and leave all the serious things for people more suited for it.

The enviroment isn't gone, it has problems but they can be fixed, all is not lost. Politics, the economy, etc, believe it or not it hasn't changed all that much. I was born in 61', I saw vietnam, civil rights movement, assasinations, riots, gas shortages, the Contra affair, watergate, and countless other things. When I was a kid there used to be pitch black smoke coming out of the smokestacks of factories, we had soot coming into our windows, we put an end to that kind of pollution entering our enviroment, we'll put an end to the rest.

I'm not saying that I don't get depressed because I do, you just have to figure out what helps you through it. For example I love the lake, when I go to the lake all of the negative things in life just seem to wash away, so I go there quite often. I take my grandkids (just like I did with my sons) and watch them play in the water, we collect shells make sand castles and the pure joy that they get out of a simple day at the lake helps me to relax, forget all the worries and put it all into perspective. A walk at the lake, or in the woods, or playing with my dog are all things that help me to destress and look at the lighter side for awhile.

We all need to look at the serious issues, but we also need to take time for the lighter side and experience the joys in life (they are there) and most of them are the simplest things. It's all about balance, you just have to figure out where yours is at.

Life has whatever meaning that you give to it. It will only be mundane if you so choose, and you will only be a tool of the rich if you allow yourself to be. Change only what you are capable of changing, what you can't change leave to those who can, and let the stress of worrying about it slip away.

Most of us here have learned that every once in awhile we all need a break from ATS, so when you get to feeling too stressed out just take a break. Surround yourself with things that make you happy and take a break from the problems of the world for awhile, it'll do you good.