You’ve felt it. That low-level hum of anxiety when you check your bank account or scroll through your feed and realize everything feels slightly broken. People keep saying it's all going to pot, and honestly, it’s hard to argue with them lately. It’s not just one thing. It’s the price of eggs, the fact that your streaming services all cost five dollars more than they did last year, and that nagging feeling that the social fabric is fraying at the edges.
We’re living in a weird era.
Historically, this phrase—going to pot—has some pretty grim origins. Some folks think it’s about literal cooking pots, as in, something is being chopped up and boiled because it’s no longer useful for anything else. Others point to the "potter's field," where those who couldn't afford a proper burial ended up. Either way, the vibe is the same: something that used to be whole is now falling apart.
The Economic Squeeze: Why Your Wallet Feels the Weight
Let’s talk about the actual math of why people feel like things are crumbling. Inflation isn't just a buzzword; it’s a thief. According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Consumer Price Index has seen swings that make the average household budget look like a work of fiction. When you combine that with the "vibecession"—a term coined by economic educator Kyla Scanlon—you get a massive disconnect. The "numbers" might say the economy is growing, but the person buying a $14 sandwich doesn't feel like they're winning.
It’s exhausting.
You try to save. You cut back on the "treat culture" that everyone on TikTok talks about. But then your car insurance goes up by 20% for no apparent reason. This isn't just bad luck; it’s a systemic tightening. Real wages, when adjusted for the actual cost of living in metro areas, haven't kept pace with the sheer skyrocketing cost of housing. When the basic foundation of shelter becomes a luxury, that’s usually when people start saying the whole system is going to pot.
The housing market is a mess. It’s a mess for buyers, it’s a mess for renters, and it’s even a mess for people who already own but can’t afford to move because they’re "locked in" to a 3% mortgage rate they can never leave. It’s a golden cage.
The Digital Burnout and the Death of "Third Places"
Technology was supposed to make us more connected. That was the pitch, right? Instead, we’re lonelier than ever. The Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy, has literally issued an advisory on the epidemic of loneliness and isolation. We’ve traded the "third place"—the coffee shop where people actually talked, the bowling alley, the community center—for digital avatars.
Everything is monetized now.
You can’t just "exist" in public anymore without being expected to buy something. This shift has a profound effect on our mental health. When you spend four hours a day looking at a glass rectangle that shows you a curated, filtered version of everyone else’s life, your own reality starts to look pretty bleak. It’s a feedback loop of inadequacy.
We’ve lost the ability to be bored. Boredom used to be where creativity happened. Now, every spare second is filled with an algorithmic feed designed to keep us outraged or envious. It’s no wonder people feel like society is going to pot; we’ve replaced community with consumption.
The Quality Fade: Why Nothing Lasts Anymore
Have you noticed that your clothes develop holes after three washes? Or that your dishwasher, which cost a small fortune, has a motherboard that fries itself in four years? This is "enshittification"—a term popularized by writer Cory Doctorow. Originally used to describe how tech platforms decay, it’s now basically the blueprint for every industry.
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- Fast Fashion: Brands like Shein and Temu have normalized disposable clothing.
- Planned Obsolescence: Apple and Samsung have both faced criticism (and lawsuits) over slowing down older phones.
- Subscription Fatigue: You don't own your software, your movies, or even your heated seats in some car models. You rent them.
When you don’t own anything, you don’t have a stake in the future. It’s a temporary existence. That lack of permanence contributes to the feeling that we’re just sliding down a hill toward a chaotic bottom.
Mental Health and the "End of the World" Fatigue
Doomscrolling is a sport now. We are the first generation of humans who receive a push notification every time something terrible happens anywhere on the planet. Our brains aren't wired for this. Evolutionarily, we’re supposed to care about the tribe and the immediate threats in our valley. Now, we’re carrying the weight of global conflicts, climate anxiety, and political instability in our pockets 24/7.
It creates a state of chronic cortisol elevation.
When you're constantly in "fight or flight" mode because of the news cycle, your perspective narrows. You stop seeing the good stuff. You miss the fact that global poverty has actually dropped significantly over the last few decades or that medical breakthroughs are happening at a record pace. But those things don't get "clicks." Fear gets clicks.
The phrase it's all going to pot becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you expect the world to be a dumpster fire, you’ll only see the flames.
Is There a Way Out of the Doom?
It sounds cheesy, but the antidote to the feeling that things are going to pot is radical localism. You can’t fix the global economy. You can’t stop the algorithm from being annoying. You can, however, go talk to your neighbor.
- Lower your digital ceiling. Delete the apps that make you angry. If a news site doesn't offer solutions, only outrage, stop visiting it. Your brain will thank you.
- Invest in "Buy It For Life" (BIFL). Stop the cycle of buying cheap junk that breaks. Check out communities like r/buyitforlife to find tools, clothes, and appliances that actually last. It’s a small way to protest the "going to pot" trend of manufacturing.
- Find a non-digital hobby. Woodworking, gardening, hiking—anything where the "output" isn't a post on social media. Doing something with your hands anchors you in reality.
- Practice "Aggressive Optimism." This isn't about ignoring problems. It’s about acknowledging that humans are incredibly good at solving messes once they get fed up enough.
The world has felt like it was going to pot before. In the 1970s, with stagflation and the energy crisis, people were convinced the party was over. In the 1940s, well, things were objectively much worse. We have a tendency to view the past through rose-colored glasses and the present through a magnifying glass over a burn pile.
Tangible Steps to Protect Your Peace
If you're feeling overwhelmed by the state of things, start by auditing your environment. Look at your immediate surroundings. Is your home a place of rest or just another place where you scroll?
Stop engaging with "rage bait." The internet is designed to make you think everyone is fighting. In reality, most people are just trying to get through their Tuesday. When you step away from the screen, the "going to pot" narrative loses its power. It’s still there, sure—the prices are still high and the climate is still changing—but it’s not the only story.
Focus on what you can control.
Fix your sleep. Drink more water. Call a friend instead of texting them. These are small, almost annoying suggestions, but they are the literal building blocks of resilience. When the world feels like it's falling apart, the best thing you can do is keep your own corner of it held together with intention.
Moving Forward Without the Dread
Everything isn't going to be perfect. It might even get weirder before it gets better. But the idea that it's all going to pot assumes a level of hopelessness that history doesn't support. We are a resilient, annoying, stubborn species. We fix things. We adapt.
The next time you feel that wave of "everything is ruined," take a breath. Look at the trees. Look at the people in your life who actually matter. The "pot" might be boiling, but you don't have to jump in.
To actually reclaim your sense of agency, start by doing one thing today that has zero "productive" value but makes you feel more human. Go for a walk without your phone. Read a physical book. Plant something in the dirt. These aren't just hobbies; they are acts of rebellion against a world that feels like it’s losing its mind.
The narrative of decline is loud because it’s profitable. Your peace of mind isn't profitable for anyone but you, so you have to guard it fiercely.
Actionable Next Steps:
- Audit Your Feed: Unfollow at least five accounts today that leave you feeling anxious or cynical about the future. Replace them with accounts focused on local community or skill-building.
- The 24-Hour News Fast: Try one full day every week without checking any news headlines. Notice how your baseline anxiety levels shift when you aren't being bombarded with global crises.
- Touch Grass (Literally): Spend 20 minutes outside without a podcast or music. Reconnecting with the physical world is the fastest way to realize that while the "news" might be going to pot, the earth is still turning.
- Build a Resilience Fund: If financial stress is the primary driver of your "going to pot" feeling, focus on a small, $500 emergency fund. Having even a tiny buffer changes your psychological relationship with the economy.