Who’s feeling overwhelmed?

Going to the supermarket and petrol station was already stressful. Now interest rates have gone up, with another increase predicted, and Christmas is coming.

The cost of insurance is already horrendous. Now the El Niño is looming, making what should be carefree summer holidays an exercise in risk management for many Australians.

The tech bros already had too much power. Now AI is threatening our jobs, and potentially our very existence, while the information ecosystem is rife with AI slop that’s manipulating us into hating one another.

The wealth gap is yawning, and so is the anger over it, especially among younger generations. Rightly.

People are getting mugged in public or find intruders in their home, and migrants who work their guts out to underpin our economy in everything from transport to childcare and beyond are unfairly getting the blame.

The geopolitical environment is terrifying. The domestic political environment is uninspiring and as a result is leaning Trumpian.

And, if ever there was an emoji for failure, state governments can’t even fix the potholes. Hands up who’s blown a tyre? (Hello Victorians.)

Arguably, all of this is manifesting in the escalating mental health issues, gambling harm, resulting domestic violence and the broader........

© The Guardian