I heard about the bills that would make it a life sentence if you were found to be illegal and how they want to repeal birthright citizenship for native Americans. This seems to target POCs, that coupled with the bill to give billions of dollars towards private prison companies is making me feel like they will try to enslave people in work camps for life, am I right? Am I overthinking it.

Even though Trump has a history of dehumanizing people with disabilities, to my knowledge, he had not previously explicitly made rolling back disability rights part of his platform, until DEI suddenly became DEIA. How far is this likely to go?

I occupy enough other privileged identities that I could potentially get a two-year visa to the UK while seeing how things evolve (and potentially have some visa options to other countries as well). The potential pathway to permanent residency is not as clear, but does not seem fully closed off. However, I do have some understanding of how difficult immigrating is, even without a disability, and would really rather not unless the US is going to become straight up openly hostile to the disabled. I want to believe that cultural shifts won’t go that far, but I never thought we’d be where we’re at now either.

I’m trying not to doomscroll, and I’m trying to be objective. For context i have OCD and a history of mental illness that makes me… not fully delusional, but i get caught up in thought spirals that so far have always been proven wrong. Thoughts like ‘if i tell my husband x, he’s going to beat me up and/or leave me’ or ‘I’m currently rotting inside and dying of liver and/or heart failure and I can’t go to the doctor or they’ll just confirm it.’

I’m lucid enough I guess that I’ve still had those hard convos and gone to the doctor and I’m in good health. I can recognize when I’m spiraling and have tools to keep things in perspective.

I just finished a year-ish of EMDR therapy and got my existential dread under control. Months of no spirals, no crazy thoughts, and I’ve been able to shrug off or work through my triggers.

But idk if that’s possible wrt the environment, and especially not w this administration. I heard months ago that if things continue as they are, we have only 26 years before total collapse. I’ll be about 57. It’ll probably happen faster if current regulations are loosened. It’s not fair. I’m doing mostly okay, but the horrors persist. I feel like a character in a cosmic horror story, like I’m facing some incomprehensible evil and I’m so small and so human. It’s only snowed like twice this year, never more than like two inches.

Like half of the posters here, I’m scared for the future of the U.S. I’m not even a legal adult yet and I feel like I won’t even get to be one with the state of our world right now. Everywhere I looks someone is saying that we should be terrified because our president is going to become a dictator and yada yada. And I get it, but I don’t want to live with anxiety everyday like I am now. I can barely enjoy my day to day life because I keep feeling like the world is going to end.

What are some things I can do as a minor to 1) maintain my sanity but also 2) help my community? I can’t protest or anything like that, so that’s off the table. If anyone knows what I can do please let me know! I just plan on hanging on here and the second I can leave I will. That is if I’m able too.

I'm getting scared about the prices of groceries and my family really likes eggs. I want to get back into gardening, but I'm thinking of getting a coop and some chickens.

Should I be worried about bird flu?

I’m schizoaffective (bipolar and schizophrenia combined). I’m fine and not manic or psychotic when I’m on my meds.

The nazis targeted the mentally ill. Trump is going after everyone. RFK says he wants to ween people off antidepressants and send them to wellness farms. How worried should I be about being persecuted?

If I can’t go to in person events, & can’t make phone calls, is there anything at all that I can do?

I’m not aware of the complexities of resistance & stuff but would want to help the left/local community/jews/LGBT+/immigrants/etc

alas I am too mentally ill to leave my house… :(

I know that just surviving or whatever is part of it and I am trying to work on fixing my agrophobia but unfortunately it is largely caused by being trans and not being allowed to transition, which doesn’t look like it’ll get easier to do anytime soon given current events <__<;

*btw yes I am going to do my own research but when I look up ways to help most of it is things that you can only do outside your house so... :p

My symptoms started by having alot of acid reflux daily it was really bad all day but i didnt worry that much about it and after some months i felt bloated in my upper abdomen, went to a doctor and told me to take esomeprazole as i had excessive acid in my stomach, i felt better for a month than i ate a big chocolate bar and acid reflux came back again, started esomeprazole again, acid reflux felt better instantly and this time food started getting stuck in my esophagus but after a while and alot of discomfort and having the feeling of the need to burp but couldn't, i burp and some small pieces of food come back up to my mouth especially if i drink to flush it down, i burp some of the drink back up with pieces of food, started eating healthier and small portions but more frequently and finished esomeprazole and some discomfort in my upper abdomen started too especially when i put pressure on upper abdomen, (i have some pain under right shoulder blade when i take deep breaths too , but im not sure if this is muscular ) now im on omeprazole, have no acid reflux but still experiencing the food getting stuck, now im not sure if the food is getting stuck or coming back up from my stomach, because i dont get the instant feeling that food is stuck but after a while i feel like its stuck and i drink and still i burp some of it back up with the food i just ate earlier. Even if i sleep after i eat , when i wake up i still burp the food back up especially when i drink. I burp almost all the time everyday and sometimes have globus sensation but im not sure if this is the food :(. Made a blood test ,stool test , urine test, and upper abdominal ultrasound, they said that everything came normal for now and that they didnt see anything weird, but now next Thursday i have an upper endoscopy and i really worried they will tell me its cancer. My mind is spinning with fear , what you guys think anyone with the same feelings as me? And you guys think its cancer :( really scared im 23 years old.

Obergefell vs. Hodges is potentially on the chopping block. Roe vs. Wade was overturned and never reinstaated and now there's a national abortion ban bill introduced to the House. I want to get married to my current partner and our relationship is visibly interracial. We've gotten stares before although thankfully we've never experienced anything overtly racist while we're out together. We've been together five years and have been talking about getting married this year. If we were to get married and something were to happen with marriage laws how would it affect us and our friends? Many of our friends are also in interracial relationships or marriages.

I've got nowhere else left to go. Bouncing between despair and numbness/fuck-it-all to be honest.

I am trans, not on HRT, have no college education and am not in a financial situation where I can move out of the country or to a blue state. what can I do to stay safe and informed given the current political situation in the US?

I went to Mexico in high school, that was the last time I left the country. Last time I was on a plane was 2017 so it’s been a minute! My husband has only been on planes to go sky diving, he’s never flown commercially for a vacation or anything.

We are traveling to Belize this week for our honeymoon and I’m very anxious about going through security and the timing of everything. We are flying from Boston with layovers in Atlanta going to and from Belize and I read that on the return flight we’ll have to go through customs in Atlanta as that’s where we’re re-entering the US? And that we have to get our checked luggage, re-check it and then go through security again? If anyone would be willing to breakdown how this all works for me I’d really appreciate it! Thank you!

I was trying to go to this website that let's you bypass the paywall of articles, but I accidentally typed the web address in wrong. My browser gave me one of those security pop ups that come up when a page is redirecting you. It tried to stop me but since it sometimes does that for safe websites, I just clicked Proceed.

Once the web address changed, I knew something was wrong. The page started loading and it said something about Macafee Security or something, but I was already trying to close the window at this point.

I did the Google play protect scan thing, but I'm still kinda freaked out. I know these scam websites can download things onto your device without your permission or let people gain access to your device. What else can I do to protect my phone?

as i’m sure a lot of people are scared too right now, i am part of a marginalized group along with most of my immediate community. things are scarier than ever and get even worse every day. would moving to somewhere like WA or CA be any safer for someone who isn’t a cis straight white dude?

I am 25, transgender and a dual US-Canadian citizen. My life is in america and I have only ever lived here. Is now a good time to leave or should I try to wait it out? I recently applied to several grad school programs and a prestigious (federally funded) academic program (I am shortlisted for this.) I can only imagine I will be denied this opportunity because of the accident of my own birth. So much for meritocracy. I can't imagine living my life as a second class citizen here until I'm 29. I didn't choose to be trans-- nobody does. I don't want to deal with the humiliation and torment and fear. I know it's cowardly. I am very frightened, too, I think, because my grandparents were holocaust survivors and my father was a refugee. I guess 'leaving before it's too late' is a value instilled in me since I was young (lol.) I don't know if I am just being hysterical or not.

I'll try to keep it short. I have an old laptop I've used since 2012. It's been off and discharged since 2019, and sitting in a drawer. Suddenly I've been thinking about it, I don't have to worry about the battery after all these years, right? I'll admit this is giving me real bad anxiety lately.

A part of me is telling myself it's fine as it's been sitting there for years already at this point, but it's better to be safe and sure.

And another thing, I do want to recycle this thing soon. I heard Staples does recycling for e-waste and such. Would it be so simple as just bringing in this old laptop and telling them I want to recycle it?

Additional note: this laptop is pretty busted up, right hinge broke a long time ago, and it doesn't hold a charge either when I used it years ago. I literally just want to finally get rid of this thing.

Hi, so I'm really in an exercise mood at the moment and I don't want to waste the momentum, but I really am unsure about public workouts/exercise.

I like to walk but I also want to start running, biking, and swimming more often. Is there anything unspoken I need to keep in mind?

What the hell do I wear? Do I need to buy new workout clothes?

It feels really silly but this is a big mental wall that I really want to get past.

Thanks!

Hi, I live in the USA and I think the next four years are going to be rough. But I want to know what I can do to help in the meantime. Aside from going out to protest which I do not think I can do because of my anxiety and I'd have no one to go with so we can stick together. What are some other things I can do such as writing letters or volunteering?

i'm especially thinking of monuments to remember marginalized people, the quilt project to remember victims of the AIDS epidemic, etc. there are many such monuments. what will happen to these things? im afraid of them being defunded, forced to close, or destroyed.

My mom is in another state and will be flying back and we also have an international trip scheduled in a few months. I read some reassuring things that help but then I see more comments about people being afraid and canceling flights and I spiral again. Honestly the idea of not being able to travel because it’s not safe is scaring me more than the actual possibility of a crash. I know air travel is a luxury but it’s something really important to me that has given me the ability to look forward to stuff. So please tell me that I don’t need to be worried and I should ignore everyone who is leaving comments encouraging fear

I have an XBOX Series X that I bought secondhand off eBay, and it's still under warranty. It's started acting up a bit so I went online to begin the repair process and was given a prepaid UPS shipping label to print. My question is, do I have to pack the XBOX myself beforehand? Can I just bring it "naked" to UPS with the shipping label and they'll help me pick a box and bubble wrap?

I haven't been outside in over a month because it feels like I'm being watched. Heavily red town. I'm trans and disabled. I have pepper spray but idk how to use it. I'm terrified. I don't think I'll be able to go outside ever again

A post here was recommended to me by The Algorithm. Before scrolling through and reading how genuinely kind everyone here is, I hadn't realized how desperately I needed to see this side of humanity today. Thanks for being Good Humans. That's all.

My (22nb) government isn't approving any new passports or renewing passports for trans Americans. Not even with birth gender markers. What is the best way to get out of the country when things get worse? Is it just a waiting game for Canada or Mexico to open their borders?

While my education was shit, I can still see this is history repeating. We have a Nazi for president who is going to put 30,000 people on a lawless island that was a prison for terrorists. That held 680 people at its height.

It's progressing so fast, and I don't know how to get away from it.

In light of everything that’s happened this week in DC and now Philly, I dont love the idea of flying. I’m terrified of flying in general, but especially now. Is that rational, or would I be better off keeping my 50 minute flight as opposed to a 6+ hour drive?

I had a routine eye appointment last week. During the part where they shine a bright light in your eyes, they suddenly grabbed my right eyelid. It startled me and I pulled back a little and felt anxious. Then they grabbed the other eyelid. I had never experienced that before and I go for eye exams every year. I had seen this specific eye doctor several times before, too. There was no warning or explanation of what was happening. I went quiet from mild anxiety after that and didn’t ask why they did that. It wasn’t too bad but I get anxiety from being touched suddenly or having my eyes touched and have severe medical anxiety in situations other than the eye doctor. Can someone explain what they were doing? And was it unprofessional not to tell me what was going on?

To start I am Autistic, ADHD, Severe Anxiety, IQ of 69, Dyslexia, Diabetes and so much more stuff 💀

I live in the Midwest, USA.

I have caregivers which are my family members and on SSI/Medicaid/Medicare. (Without my caregivers I would need to be in assisted living facility)

To start, with everything going on in USA right now, I’m pretty freaking scared. Terrified. Unlike my friends, I can’t escape/immigrate to another country. (Plus that country wouldn’t want me anyway).

My family owns a small farm, which I’m planning to grow crops (I’m an ambulatory wheelchair user), but I feel like it’s not enough.

I mean, what can someone like me do? I’m already using my insulin sparingly, trying to not use my inhaler at all (I have severe asthma), I’m stocking up on non perishable foods and vacuuming sealing it up. I’m stocking up on firewood supplies.

When everything stops like SSI/Medicaid/Medicare (Like the leader of USA tried to do) what happens then?

I honestly feel hopeless in this situation because if I don’t have my medicines I’ll not survive, I can’t move anywhere cause I have caregivers.

Is there anything more that I can do?

okay first off i just want to say im really privileged, a minority of a minority living in a blue state of one of the richest countries in the world. but i'm also scared of what trump is gonna do. i'm a minor, and i'll be a minor for most of trump's presidency, so i cant do much (and logically, i shouldn't worry - my state is bluer than the ocean that sleeps beside her), but its scary to think that i might get put into an extermination camp for the crime of being just wanting to be a little bit different than the way i was born.

i dont want to be exterminated. i dont want canada to be invaded. i dont want the state to control social media. i'm especially scared of that last one. if the state controls socials, then i might not have any clue on the outside. for all i know, canada could be invaded next year and i'd have no idea. that's just something that's horrifying to think about, that the next four years (or even more...) would be full of terrible nazi war crimes but id know nothing about it, because my only connections outside of the us is through a filtered internet. and then one day, the army's gonna knock at my door, show my online footprint that im a bit of a transgender, and send me off to a death camp.

i know i shouldn't be scared. i love god and i hope he (and the church) can protect me from getting sent to a camp and dying. ghhhhhhh maybe its just because im reading about nazis at school. and im seeing some patterns between the jews and transgender people these days. but thats the PROBLEM right like if hitler can take years to remove jews' rights, while trump takes like, a week, then am i going to live to adulthood? to see the next old hag take the throne of america? i'm still closeted to my parents (they LOVEEEE jesus!! and they take the "dont harm yourself" stuff pretty seriously - and apparently surgery is a part of that.) and im really not feeling like coming out - i just dont want them to worry. but now im the one stuck worrying and scared for my life (saying this as i live in wealthy bay area suburbia - i think i'm actually going insane.)