Anyone else filled with anxiety over all this?

[iemanja]

Last edited Tue Jan 28, 2025, 07:59 AM - Edit history (1)

All these cuts and freezes are dizzying. I'm feeling very anxious, in part because my own job is affected. Obviously, many other people are under attack. He's waging war on the American people.

[LisaL]

1. Of course.

It's even worse than I imagined, and I didn't expect anything good.

[MiniMe]

2. Only those who aren't billionaires n/t

[FirstLight]

3. It hasn't hit my school aid yet..

But that doesn't mean that I'm not fucked for next year. I still have to file my FAFSA...
But at this rate, I wonder if anything is going to be the same by Summer. It honestly feels like the whole world is going to crash within the next 3 months or sooner 😞

[Bettie]

9. My son's GF is getting ready to go to grad school

she's afraid that she won't be able to get loans or grants at all. IF that's the case, she can't continue her education.

She's really worried about it and I don't blame her.

[rubbersole]

37. Steven Miller wants her to just concentrate on breeding.

On the breeding farm.

[AZJonnie]

40. JD Vance as well

let's not forget

[allegorical oracle]

46. That was the Lebensborn (Spring of Life) program in Germany. To wit:

"Himmler was determined to breed out, within a hundred years, the dark German types...by mating them exclusively with blonde women."

Lebensborn was an SS maternity program designed to provide adopted "racially suitable" children to childless SS families.
--Source: Hitler, by John Toland, pg. 764.

[Greg_In_SF]

41. Why wouldn't she

be able to get a student loan for post graduate studies?

[iemanja]

19. I hope it doesn't

so you can continue your education.

[happybird]

32. I did my taxes yesterday and was excited because I thought

I’d be able to get a Pell Grant. I was turned down last year. It’s weird to be excited about making even less money, and looking at how my income has dwindled over the past two years… but finally being able to go back to school was a light at the end of this awful tunnel I’ve been stuck in. It was hope, and a whole lot more that I won’t go into here. Kinda numb right now. Don’t even know what to think or to feel. Very anxious and angry and sad and it keeps shifting.

[iemanja]

58. Pell Grants aren't affected

Last edited Tue Jan 28, 2025, 09:34 PM - Edit history (1)

I just found out.
https://www.democraticunderground.com/100219957064#post2

[FirstLight]

59. Good to know!

I literally got a call from somebody in financial aid which was a mind blower because usually they're so automated with the big university. But a real person called me to reassure me that things were on track and as far as they know they're kind of in the dark about student loans but it should all flow as it's supposed to. Next year's going to be a big question mark though

[wcmagumba]

4. Yup, If I lose my only source of income I'll be in my car...late 60s with health issues.

I do understand they want to scare us but I'm doing some mindfulness meditation to counter that impulse...

Added: "Don't let the bastards grind you down" From "The Handmaid's Tale"...
'

[bdamomma]

5. Let's wage

war on him. General strike should be considered.

They will take more and more from us if we do not stand up.

We need to take lessons from countries who were in the same situation.

[neverforget]

18. I'm all for a General Strike when the time comes.

We need to stand up and be counted. If that means withholding our labor, then so be it. Our democracy is on the line.

[Trust_Reality]

24. In the mean time...

This was posted recently on DU. I'm sure it is ok to bring it back. I found it useful.

From sociologist Jennifer Walter about what is happening in this country right now and what to do about it:

"As a sociologist, I need to tell you:

Your overwhelm is the goal.

1/ The flood of 200+ executive orders in Trump's first days exemplifies Naomi Klein's "shock doctrine" - using chaos and crisis to push through radical changes while people are too disoriented to effectively resist. This isn't just politics as usual - it's a strategic exploitation of cognitive limits.

2/ Media theorist McLuhan predicted this: When humans face information overload, they become passive and disengaged. The rapid-fire executive orders create a cognitive bottleneck, making it nearly impossible for citizens and media to thoroughly analyze any single policy.

3/ Agenda-setting theory explains the strategy: When multiple major policies compete for attention simultaneously, it fragments public discourse. Traditional media can't keep up with the pace, leading to superficial coverage.

The result? Weakened democratic oversight and reduced public engagement.

What now?

1/ Set boundaries: Pick 2-3 key issues you deeply care about and focus your attention there. You can't track everything - that's by design. Impact comes from sustained focus, not scattered awareness.

2/ Use aggregators & experts: Find trusted analysts who do the heavy lifting of synthesis. Look for those explaining patterns, not just events.

3/ Remember: Feeling overwhelmed is the point. When you recognize this, you regain some power. Take breaks. Process. This is a marathon.

4/ Practice going slow: Wait 48hrs before reacting to new policies. The urgent clouds the important. Initial reporting often misses context.

5/ Build community: Share the cognitive load. Different people track different issues. Network intelligence beats individual overload.

Remember: They want you scattered. Your focus is resistance."

[LeftInTX]

43. And people like to say Rump has dementia....

I couldn't think of this plot.
This is how they do things in Iran.

[Sailingfish]

35. Spot on.

Probably the only thing that will move the needle. There's nothing that the Plutocrats fear more than the working class withholding their labor. No labor, no capital to keep filling their bloated coffers. Their gravy train stops. You need millions though to disrupt the points of production enough to have the desired effect. Not at all a painless fight back for the working class. Beyond that, the working class in the US is pretty atomized, divided, and lacking the class consciousness and solidarity to make it happen. But who knows. The more the gap between rich and poor widens, and the "middle class" is rendered obsolete, the more likely that kind of fight back comes into play. The most dangerous opposition to the ruling class is the opposition with nothing left to lose.

The top 10-20% on the economic pyramid in this country lives in a fantasy world of delusion that they are immune from economic depressions. 2008 was a glimpse into the fragility of that delusion in these times. When the next economic depression comes, and it will, because it's all unsustainable, those delusions of "prosperity for all" will quickly turn into the cold hard reality of abject poverty for all.

[Silent Type]

6. Can't say for sure, but for just about every cut that COULD happen, there are at least as many GOPers impacted

as Democrats.

Don’t think Congress will even get close to approving most of this, especially with midterms approaching. Again, good chance I’m wrong and who knows if we lose midterms?

If Congress does, then I’d see massive protests with a good number of Republicans involved too.

[iemanja]

7. But it's in effect now

at least temporarily.

[LisaL]

8. Yes, Trump isn't asking congress for their opinion.

NT

[Arazi]

10. It's a legit Constitutional crisis

He’s usurped Congress’s power of the purse.

I truly hope Dems are up to the moment

[Silent Type]

14. If checks don't go out, yes. The MFers shouldn't scare people. But I don't think anyone has missed benefits yet.

I get concern, believe me.

[multigraincracker]

11. This helped my anxiety.

Lost a few friends about 3 or 4 weeks ago, along with the current political situation. So, I looked up some CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) ways to calm it and here is what helped me.
I go a pencil and paper to list 5 things that have happened in my life that were wonderful. 2 or 3 things popped into my head and then I started to struggle with the other 2 or 3. Then they started to add up and in no time I had a dozen, then more.
As wrote them down I could feel a change. Then it started to get better and better. Pretty soon I was out of my funk. On the road to calm with less anxiety.
Pretty simple and it's working.

[happybird]

36. In NA we call that a gratitude list

Highly recommended.

[multigraincracker]

42. I do not have a higher power, so I've fond another method.

I have been a drinker. I did use drugs in the 80s. I was self medicating for a condition I was never diagnosed for, ADHD. Once I found that out and found ways to deal with it I never needed those drugs again. But I can see how this method could work in that program too.

[wendyb-NC]

12. Yes, indeed

I feel overwhelmed, and wondering what he'll do next.

[doc03]

13. I can't handle watching the news anymore. There is nothing but bad news and it looks like

there is nobody even attempting to stop it. We have lost the country for at least 2 years.

[iemanja]

15. Oh, I don't watch at all

But I'm still rattled from reading the articles. Yes, the country is in a very bad place.

[JI7]

31. I stopped watching most of it and it helps

watching too much isn't going to do anything other than make you misersble.

[Lulu KC]

16. There would be something wrong with us if we weren't

It's how we handle it that will matter.

[NoMoreRepugs]

17. The current situation for me is exasperated by our Democratic Parties almost total silence

as the SlobFather dismantles our Democracy more and more each DAY.

[orangecrush]

20. No because

I know what must be done.

Mobilization and direct action, as in the 60s.

[Baron2024]

21. Fear And Anxiety

Fear and anxiety are natural responses to this. But we must have courage. Courage is not the absence of fear but rather is the presence of hope, tenacity, and defiance despite the presence of fear. This is going to be difficult but we can fight this, we will fight this, and ultimately we shall prevail and defeat Trump and his MAGA criminals.

[aggiesal]

22. Like I've said, he's not trying to run the government, he's trying to ruin the government. n/t

[happybird]

38. I don't think it's that...

He’s just trying to line his pockets and feel like a big shot, feed his sad little ego.
Somehow, that even more sick. He doesn’t give a shit about the gov’t, either way.

[aggiesal]

39. Lining pockets is a given ...

But Project 2025 & Steve Bannon are telling you exactly what they want to do and that's to dismantle government.
Drain the swamp is their favorite phrase.
The grift is just the bonus.

[Baron2024]

23. If He Wages War On Us

If he wages war on us, we will wage war on him.

[Jarqui]

25. As a parent, you hope to leave your children and grandchildren in a better position

than you were in when you started out.
In spite of efforts over the last six decades, I feel like we have failed them.

I'm not anxious for me. We got a pretty good shot at life.
I'm anxious for my children and grandchildren.
What kind of a mess have we left them?

Members of my family gave their lives fighting against the sort of thing that seems to be happening.
Here we are facing this bombastic felon fascist and I can even throw a punch because I can't find a good way to fight back. It seems surreal.

[Bread and Circuses]

26. I expected it would be fast

I know that he needs to have either collapsed or gained control of all federal agencies and departments, along with setting himself above any congressional or court authority.

He’s doing it. The project 2025 authors are steering the ship.

It’s going exceptionally smoothly! Faster than I thought. No real opposition.

I stated that the country will cease be a republic within 6 months.

I’m wrong, I think we may be six feet under by spring.

[niyad]

27. Not anxiety. . a deep, throbbing anger and loathing.

[mvd]

28. Super high! This isn't a President - he thinks he's a dictator

Mass resistance needed or we could lose our country fast.

[XanaDUer2]

50. Have you checked your Medicaid portal?

Lots of fear now among my friends on Medicaid

[whathehell]

29. Yes..I'm scared.

My husband and I are updating our passports, just in case.

[JI7]

30. No, but mostly because I'm not surprised by anything

and prepared myself to deal with things.

[Xipe Totec]

33. You have to have Yaitza! - Huevos! - Balls!

A Tecate promo that became a popular meme during the 2018 World Soccer Cup in Russia. Taking a popular Mexican expression "Hay que tener huevos!" (You got to have balls!) and translating it to Russian (Yaitza).

The message is to keep fighting no matter the outcome.

[elleng]

34. Up and down, Back and forth.

Last edited Tue Jan 28, 2025, 05:45 AM - Edit history (1)

If/when we find a good, strong response (similar to 'they are playing with the American people, and we must recognize it; here's an example . . .')

THIS: A key opposition focus for Democrats will be to talk about how the Trump-created oligarchy is taking over government. The rich will keep getting richer at the expense of the rest of us

[LeftInTX]

44. Last week, I felt like I was hit by Tsunami. I still kinda feel that way, but it's from all the "crazy stuff"

Little ole me, is just sitting here taking it all in.
I'm not gonna be deported.

There is a real possibility that anyone in our family could be "detained" by ICE. My husband is Latino and so are my kids etc etc etc...(Everyone is natural born, so we aren't at that kind of risk) But my married name is Latino.

I remember during Bush, when many Muslims were profiled and interrogated at airports. The majority were eventually allowed to enter the US. However, it is a big drain to be harassed. Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan was constantly detained when he entered the US because he shares the same name as a terrorist. It got to the point where he decided to not come to the US anymore.
https://variety.com/2016/film/asia/shah-rukh-khan-detained-by-u-s-immigration-again-1201836329/

I don't think US citizens will be deported, but I think many will be harassed by immigration.
Being harassed weighs you down and depletes you. It's like being arrested for jay walking or something...

I'm very sorry that this could affect your job.

I liked the post about about how to cope. I think your priority should be your job, but then if there isn't anything you can do about it, then what?

Does anyone feel like they've been hit by Tsunami?
It just keeps coming and coming...OK...I'll shut up.....If I talk about it, it seems to get worse.....

And this Gulf of America shit? Yuck..now when I look at the Gulf, I will think of Trump....Oh well, just another reason not to go....

[Meowmee]

45. Yes of course

Hugs to you and all. I have so much to do and to deal with. I have not been paying so much attention. Actually staying away from du for a while helped me a bit.

[iemanja]

47. Good advice

[Prairie Gates]

48. Anxious?

[iemanja]

49. Second time, actually.

[woodsprite]

51. I feel like we're in freefall into a dark bottomless pit. nt

[Bluethroughu]

52. Yes, a headache since Nov. 5th.

[northoftheborder]

55. A headache, anxiety, and now a queasy stomach.

I cannot watch the news but I do keep up with the disturbing developments online. Can’t bury my head in my pillow and have a need to know. —— BUT it’s making me sick. Members of my family will be directly affected.

[Bluethroughu]

56. I want to walk away but I can't because I'll miss another warning of what is coming

Down the pipe!
My heart is palpitating.

[claudette]

54. Yes at times

Then I start to hope that so many intelligent and influential Democrats will speak out and find a way to stop this orange insane mad man. They can’t just sit by and do nothing

[rasputin1952]

57. It is all designed to overwhelm us...

What is going on that is not being reported is probably going to be terrifying.