PSA: having a worst case scenario perspective is not realistic or scientific. A lot of what you read on /r/collapse is totally misinformed or out of context.
About two weeks ago, the article talking about the IHU variant 'with 46 mutations' was posted on /r/collapse. Check the comments. People predicting disaster. People saying that the variant is likely responsible for a surge in hospitalisations in France. People all but saying that it's the end of civilisation as we know it.
A few days later, they were proven wrong. The variant had barely spread outside of France and was readily outcompeted by Delta, let alone Omicron.
But nobody on /r/collapse acknowledged that, of course. They moved on to the next thing.
About a week ago, the article talking about the 'Deltacron' variant from Cyprus was posted on /r/collapse. People flooded in talking about how it was a disaster, about how exhausted they were, about how we were fucked. People pooh-poohed any suggestion that it was a lab error by saying that it was just governments and scientists downplaying the imminent collapse, and that people were buying into hopium.
A few days later, they were proven wrong. It was indeed a lab error. The Cypriot scientists pulled the samples from GISAID quietly.
But nobody on /r/collapse acknowledged that, of course. They moved on to the next thing.
Right now, they are on about the new cases of bird flu in China. You won't see them talking about how the virus hasn't evolved for human-to-human transmission. You won't see them talking about how all the cases were dispersed around the country. You won't see them talking about the fact that a scare like this happened every few months even pre-COVID. You'll see them predicting that this is finally it. It's the disaster that'll put us over the edge.
What you read on /r/collapse isn't the realistic perspective. Get that conditioning out of your head, is my tip. They are not awake to the impending disaster or pulled out of ignorance, despite what they'd like you to believe. The 'doomwakening' is not a real thing. It's a mental health consequence. People who are happy and hopeful are not hopium chuggers and innocent little souls.
Just because they assume the worst, doesn't mean they're right. Assuming the worst is most definitely not right and in fact is totally non-scientific in most cases. People there ignore any data to the contrary, just as toxic positivity users ignore any data to the contrary.
It is healthy and scientific to be prepared for the worst. It is not healthy and scientific to be expecting the worst, or to say that it's inevitable. When you read /r/collapse, treat it as a roleplaying sub, just like /r/UpliftingNews roleplays everything being totally OK. Don't let it consume your life.