For the personal weight of politics — news anxiety, hopelessness, and family divided by disagreement. Not a debate forum.
This category isn’t for arguing about policy. There is no shortage of places to do that, and they don’t tend to help anyone.
It’s for the effect politics has on people: the anxiety, the exhaustion, the relationships strained past the point of comfort, and the difficulty of staying informed without being flattened by it.
What people talk about here
A news cycle that leaves you unable to settle. Feeling hopeless about things you can’t influence. Family gatherings that have become unbearable, and relatives you’ve stopped speaking to. Whether to cut someone off over their views, or how to stay in contact when you have. Guilt about looking away, and guilt about caring more than the people around you. Activism burnout. World events that are personal rather than abstract because they’re happening where your family lives.
Related categories
- Climate Change — eco-anxiety and climate grief
- Stress — overwhelm generally
- Social Media — doom-scrolling and algorithmic feeds
Support beyond the forum
- Beyond Blue — free 24/7 mental health support. Call 1300 22 4636.
- Lifeline — 24/7 crisis support and suicide prevention counselling. Call 13 11 14.
- healthdirect — Australian Government mental health directory.
Posting rules for this category
This one has firm boundaries, because without them it becomes a different kind of space entirely:
- No campaigning, no persuading, and no debating another member’s position.
- No party-political advocacy or election material.
- Don’t respond to someone’s distress by arguing with their politics. They’ve come here to say how they feel, not to be corrected.
- Nothing that attacks a group of people — this is covered by our community guidelines and enforced strictly here.
If a thread turns into an argument, it’ll be closed. That isn’t censorship of anyone’s views; it’s keeping one category fit for its purpose.
How to use this category
Say how it’s affecting you. Ask how other people cope. Assume the person you’re replying to may not vote the way you do, and reply to the feeling rather than the politics.