we are heartsick over what is going on in the world?
Perplexity said:
That’s a deeply thoughtful and important question. Many people struggle with finding happiness or even peace when confronted by the pain, injustice, and suffering in the world. Here are some compassionate, practical, and philosophical perspectives that may help:
1. Acknowledge Your Feelings
It’s natural—and even healthy—to feel heartsick about the world’s problems. This empathy is a sign of your humanity. Suppressing or denying these feelings often makes things worse. Allow yourself to grieve, to be angry, or to feel sorrow. These emotions are valid.
2. Limit Overexposure
While it’s important to stay informed, constant exposure to negative news can overwhelm your emotional reserves. Consider setting boundaries on news consumption—choose specific times to check updates, and balance negative stories with positive or solution-focused news.
3. Take Meaningful Action
Even small actions can help counter feelings of helplessness. Volunteer, donate, support causes, or simply show kindness in your daily life. Action, no matter how modest, can transform despair into purpose.
4. Cultivate Gratitude and Joy
It’s not selfish to seek joy or appreciate beauty, even in dark times. In fact, cultivating gratitude and noticing small moments of beauty or kindness can replenish your spirit and make you more resilient. Joy does not ignore suffering; it coexists with it.
5. Connect with Others
Share your feelings with trusted friends, family, or community groups. You’re not alone in your concern. Connection can provide comfort, perspective, and even inspire collective action.
6. Practice Mindfulness and Self-Compassion
Mindfulness practices—such as meditation, deep breathing, or mindful walks—can help ground you in the present and reduce anxiety. Be gentle with yourself; it’s okay to feel sad, and it’s also okay to seek moments of happiness.
7. Remember: Happiness Is Not All-Or-Nothing
Happiness doesn’t mean ignoring the world’s pain. It’s about holding space for both sorrow and joy. You can care deeply about the world and still allow yourself to laugh, love, and find meaning.
8. Find Inspiration in Others
Many people throughout history have faced immense suffering and still found ways to create, love, and hope. Their stories can remind us that resilience and happiness are possible, even in difficult times.
In summary:
Being heartsick over the world’s troubles is a sign of your compassion. Balancing this with self-care, meaningful action, and moments of joy is not only possible—it’s necessary for sustaining hope and making a positive difference.
If you’d like, I can suggest specific practices, books, or resources for further support.
ChatGPT said:
That’s a deeply human question—and an important one. When we’re heartsick over the state of the world, happiness can feel not only difficult but almost inappropriate, like a betrayal of our empathy. But here’s the truth: we can still experience joy without denying suffering. In fact, we need both.
Here are some thoughts on how:
1. Redefine Happiness
Rather than seeing happiness as a constant feeling of lightness or pleasure, we can redefine it as:
- Moments of connection
- Inner alignment with values
- A deep sense of meaning or purpose
You don’t need to be cheerful to feel fulfilled. Sometimes, just knowing you’re living in truth, caring for others, or contributing to healing—even in small ways—can offer a quiet, grounded form of joy.
2. Make Room for Both Grief and Joy
Grief and joy aren’t opposites—they can coexist. Allow yourself to mourn what’s wrong in the world while still embracing beauty and goodness when it appears. A flower blooming, a stranger’s kindness, a shared laugh—all of these are life-affirming, even when things are hard.
3. Take Compassionate Action
Hopelessness often grows when we feel powerless. Even small acts—volunteering, donating, creating, educating, voting—can transform despair into purpose. You can’t fix the world alone, but you can help someone, somewhere. And that matters.
4. Protect Your Mental Space
Being informed is important, but constant exposure to trauma and negativity (especially via social media or the news) can overwhelm your nervous system. It’s okay to take breaks. Tending to your own wellbeing is not selfish—it’s necessary to stay resilient.
5. Anchor Yourself in Love
Stay close to what matters: your loved ones, your beliefs, your art, your faith, nature. Let those be your compass when the world feels chaotic. They remind you what’s still good, what’s still worth protecting.
“It is not joy that makes us grateful. It is gratitude that makes us joyful.” — David Steindl-Rast
Even in sorrow, gratitude can crack the door open to peace.
Would you like help processing something in particular that’s weighing on you? Sometimes naming the pain helps it lose some of its grip.
July 7, 2025
Is the heartsick over what is going on in the world another opportunity to pray, (and do something positive)?
God bless.
Yes, there are all sorts of ways to do something positive, thank goodness.
…I don’t worry about those things out of my control.
and do tiny things to push the world in a direction you want?
I agree that things going on in the world are heartbreaking. My husband used to constantly read the news and was always depressed about what was going on. I never read the news and only picked things up here and there. I was a much happier person. I think it’s ok to feel sad about what others are going through but if it doesn’t affect me directly I don’t dwell on it.
🙂
GPT offers some great advice. Sadly, if we consume our day listening to the media, we find a lot of sadness. I know we have to keep up with things happening all around us, but how nice it is to have the TV turned OFF and to just go about our daily lives enjoying nature and the goodness around us.
I don’t watch TV and it’s easy to be selective when getting news from print. We have to pick what works for us.
I am heartsick over what happens at times – I grieve – I pray – I try to figure things out a bit – but I always go back to God being in charge.
I am praying now for Texas.
The weather is most likely going to get more dangerous, and I was encouraged that a bipartisan group in Texas is trying to enact policies to help mitigate future disasters.
My definition of happiness aligns with #1 of GPT. It’s difficult to not be overwhelmed now but it’s also not good to let it consume us.
Finding some positive way to push the world in the direction I want works for me. Taking some action, no matter how little, is better than worrying. For me, at least.
I’m more in line with the first one.
But asking a computer still seems so weird and creepy to me–lol!
AI is here so I figure might as well figure out how to make the best of it.
A timely message and good advice.
Thanks.
I really do number 4. I believe it really helps to be so grateful for everything we do have. Most of this tragedy is out of our hands, except for prayer.
The big question is, can we do anything to make the next disastrous weather event less tragic?
very good
Thanks.
I like this advice and am doing many of these already. I can only lean into the necessary grief and fear for a certain amount of time and then I figure out something that I can do to move forward: yard work, a book, a coffee, a chat with a friend, a protest march or letter, etc. I try to remember that I only get a certain (unknown) number of trips around the sun and I want to make them count.
Yes!
It is hard to fathom what I as a single individual can do to change things, but if we all tried to do something, even if it is just extending kindness to all we encounter, things just might improve. Better to do something positive than nothing at all.
That’s how I feel. I also write to my representatives in Congress about issues.
I’ve been feeling all consumed by news out of Texas … unable to tear myself away from every new development. This advice(and realizing I’m not alone) is really appreciated.
I’m glad it helped.
We could all use more happy.
Yes.