How are you staying sane in 2020? (Now with bonus 2021 sanity!) (Is it 2022 already?)

[Smoove_B]

I don't know if any of these links are helpful, but I provide:

SAMHSA
Map: Selected Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC)
How Right Now

Maybe not helpful, and you didn't ask, but right now I'd be focusing on what's inside your four walls - you and your family. All the other stuff sucks, but until you can get your support systems (internal, familial) back online there's now realistic way to process the outside world right now. I'd consider myself (generally) mentally healthy and I've been on tilt since March.

I wish I could offer something specific and useful. I've been remote D&Ding since July and have found it to be a real nice change of pace. It doesn't quite fill the gap of playing games in person, but it's been mentally helpful. Maybe something like that could be organized here or is an option for you (I'm not sure if you're totally out of touch with RL friends or just the ones you game with).

[Jaymann]

I doubt they'll become standard in rural Indiana until well after they are old news in more... modern places.

Don't be so sure, it's insurance companies driving that bus, so expect your rural quacks to still hop aboard.

I certainly hope not. I have a very hard time talking to people in person. Doing it remotely is very, very unpleasant for me. As in 'panic attack inducing' levels of uncomfortable. If I have to call the cable company it takes me a week of putting it off to gather the willpower to do it, and I'm likely going to be shaking afterward.

I generally dread that kind of shite too, but I find if I get a cup of joe, crank up a video to watch while I'm waiting, put the phone on speaker and bite the bullet I can get through it. I remind myself they are just people doing their job, try to be patient and joke around with them if appropriate. I am generally relieved when it's over, but think, that wasn't so bad.

[Blackhawk]

After 20 years on disability, plus as the parent of one autistic kid and another kid with ADHD, I've become pretty familiar with the options around here and have done business with at least eight or ten. The options around here generally fall into three categories: children only, high-priced boutique (which don't take medicare), and one group that handles those of lesser means. Of those, only one is available locally (the last of the three.) I've worked with at least five or six different therapists there, as they have a lot of turnover (qualified people don't end up in a town of 4,000, or they don't stay long.)

As to the phone thing, that's been beat to death by multiple therapists, and all sorts of coping mechanisms have been tried. After decades of working on it, I've yet to gain any insight at all as to why phones are so horrible for me compared to in-person conversations.

This isn't something new for me. I'm on disability for a good reason (or I'd have ditched this lifestyle a long, long time ago.) I'm just venting that's its gotten bad enough that I'm seeing the need to start seeing somebody again for the first time since 2014 (I stopped after I developed cancer and couldn't speak for months, and never felt a pressing need to go back until now.)

[Punisher]

After 20 years on disability, plus as the parent of one autistic kid and another kid with ADHD, I've become pretty familiar with the options around here and have done business with at least eight or ten. The options around here generally fall into three categories: children only, high-priced boutique (which don't take medicare), and one group that handles those of lesser means. Of those, only one is available locally (the last of the three.) I've worked with at least five or six different therapists there, as they have a lot of turnover (qualified people don't end up in a town of 4,000, or they don't stay long.)

As to the phone thing, that's been beat to death by multiple therapists, and all sorts of coping mechanisms have been tried. After decades of working on it, I've yet to gain any insight at all as to why phones are so horrible for me compared to in-person conversations.

This isn't something new for me. I'm on disability for a good reason (or I'd have ditched this lifestyle a long, long time ago.) I'm just venting that's its gotten bad enough that I'm seeing the need to start seeing somebody again for the first time since 2014 (I stopped after I developed cancer and couldn't speak for months, and never felt a pressing need to go back until now.)

Not sure if it will help, but maybe see if you qualify for a home health aid or some sort of assistant to help you through some of the things you have trouble with such as dealing with phone calls. (They obviously cant do your telemed therapy for you). Not even sure if you'd qualify. The only reason I even thought of it is that my wife is a home health aide part time. She was doing it full time at one point and she told me (without details) that one of her patients couldn't use the phone and she spent a lot of time just dealing with phone stuff like bills, repairs, appointments, etc..

[Blackhawk]

That's not necessary. I've arranged things so that it is rare that I need to make a call, only when something changes or goes out of whack. And if it is something that I don't need to make the call personally, Michelle usually handles it.

Besides, I don't want to avoid all of the normal activities that bother me. It's a slippery slope I once slid down years ago.

[purge]

So where I live we're back to lockdown.

So this is a shred of my sanity:


Sent from my SM-N975W using Tapatalk

[Kraken]

I'm not sure that I'm staying sane anymore. I feel like I'm quietly, slowly, invisibly losing my mind. It wasn't so bad over the summer, when we could safely go out from time to time. I'm feeling especially isolated and bored since that got shut down in October.

This made me feel a little better: Having trouble focusing? You're not alone. Multiple simultaneous crises are making it impossible to concentrate.

Is anyone else having trouble … oh, sorry, just a minute, I need to doom-scroll through Twitter and flip over to CNN and study the 14th Amendment and watch the Arnold Schwarzenegger video and read 27 news alerts and e-mail a divorced friend about the ex-wife who contacted the FBI to rat out her Capitol-storming former husband … and what was I saying? Oh yeah, is anyone else having trouble … Ivanka and Jared weren’t letting the Secret Service use any of their half-dozen bathrooms??? ... focusing ... far-right groups are making plans for assaults?

An informal poll taken by the Globe, conducted after the mob attacked the Capitol but before the QAnon congresswoman vowed to impeach Joe Biden, found that the only thing people can concentrate on right now is their inability to concentrate. We’re the United States of ADD.
...
What’s wrong with us? True, things are so bad right now that the nine circles of 2020 look like simpler times. But even so, why can’t we keep filing reports and Zooming and meeting deadlines?

“The human brain was not built to process this much information constantly for this long,” said Barbara Kamholz, an associate professor of psychiatry at the Boston University School of Medicine.

Kamholz says the surprising thing is not that people aren’t functioning well. It’s that despite the fact that we’re dealing with multiple major crises, many people don’t fully grasp the impact that external events are having on their mood states and ability to focus.

“That results in this additional layer of self-doubt,” she said.

There’s also shame. Most people suffering from BRAIN FOG-21 think they’re the only ones stricken. But they are not alone.
...
"A pandemic, climate crisis, and insurrection on top of systemic inequity and racism are not conducive to mental concentration,” he tweeted.

In a phone call, Small used a slightly exaggerated example to highlight the challenge of staying focused. “Imagine you’re tapping away at your computer, doing your work, and you look out the window and see someone being chased by a mob, and you say, ‘OK, I’m going to get back to work now.’

“We’re not seeing a mob out the window,” he said, “but we do see it online.”

Anim Aweh, a licensed independent clinical social worker in Brighton, says anxiety is the reason people can’t focus. It’s fueled by major ongoing stressors — the pandemic and racial injustice — and the violence that erupted on Jan. 6 and is threatening to escalate, she said.
...
Welcome to … CDC warns the new virus variant could fuel huge spikes in COVID cases; unemployment claims rise sharply … 2021.

Anxiety, yes. Lots of anxiety. I'm going to Zoom with my real-life friends on Thursday night; that will help. I wish I could just get back into gaming and stop obsessing about events, but when I'm not working I can't do anything except stream TV and read the internet.

[hitbyambulance]

I'm not sure that I'm staying sane anymore. I feel like I'm quietly, slowly, invisibly losing my mind. It wasn't so bad over the summer, when we could safely go out from time to time. I'm feeling especially isolated and bored since that got shut down in October.

This made me feel a little better: Having trouble focusing? You're not alone. Multiple simultaneous crises are making it impossible to concentrate.

Is anyone else having trouble … oh, sorry, just a minute, I need to doom-scroll through Twitter and flip over to CNN and study the 14th Amendment and watch the Arnold Schwarzenegger video and read 27 news alerts and e-mail a divorced friend about the ex-wife who contacted the FBI to rat out her Capitol-storming former husband … and what was I saying? Oh yeah, is anyone else having trouble … Ivanka and Jared weren’t letting the Secret Service use any of their half-dozen bathrooms??? ... focusing ... far-right groups are making plans for assaults?

An informal poll taken by the Globe, conducted after the mob attacked the Capitol but before the QAnon congresswoman vowed to impeach Joe Biden, found that the only thing people can concentrate on right now is their inability to concentrate. We’re the United States of ADD.
...
What’s wrong with us? True, things are so bad right now that the nine circles of 2020 look like simpler times. But even so, why can’t we keep filing reports and Zooming and meeting deadlines?

“The human brain was not built to process this much information constantly for this long,” said Barbara Kamholz, an associate professor of psychiatry at the Boston University School of Medicine.

Kamholz says the surprising thing is not that people aren’t functioning well. It’s that despite the fact that we’re dealing with multiple major crises, many people don’t fully grasp the impact that external events are having on their mood states and ability to focus.

“That results in this additional layer of self-doubt,” she said.

There’s also shame. Most people suffering from BRAIN FOG-21 think they’re the only ones stricken. But they are not alone.
...
"A pandemic, climate crisis, and insurrection on top of systemic inequity and racism are not conducive to mental concentration,” he tweeted.

In a phone call, Small used a slightly exaggerated example to highlight the challenge of staying focused. “Imagine you’re tapping away at your computer, doing your work, and you look out the window and see someone being chased by a mob, and you say, ‘OK, I’m going to get back to work now.’

“We’re not seeing a mob out the window,” he said, “but we do see it online.”

Anim Aweh, a licensed independent clinical social worker in Brighton, says anxiety is the reason people can’t focus. It’s fueled by major ongoing stressors — the pandemic and racial injustice — and the violence that erupted on Jan. 6 and is threatening to escalate, she said.
...
Welcome to … CDC warns the new virus variant could fuel huge spikes in COVID cases; unemployment claims rise sharply … 2021.

Anxiety, yes. Lots of anxiety. I'm going to Zoom with my real-life friends on Thursday night; that will help. I wish I could just get back into gaming and stop obsessing about events, but when I'm not working I can't do anything except stream TV and read the internet.

all well and good, but good luck trying to get much allowance from one's employer on one's inability to concentrate. there's just no real solution here.

[Kraken]

I'm not sure that I'm staying sane anymore. I feel like I'm quietly, slowly, invisibly losing my mind. It wasn't so bad over the summer, when we could safely go out from time to time. I'm feeling especially isolated and bored since that got shut down in October.

This made me feel a little better: Having trouble focusing? You're not alone. Multiple simultaneous crises are making it impossible to concentrate.

Is anyone else having trouble … oh, sorry, just a minute, I need to doom-scroll through Twitter and flip over to CNN and study the 14th Amendment and watch the Arnold Schwarzenegger video and read 27 news alerts and e-mail a divorced friend about the ex-wife who contacted the FBI to rat out her Capitol-storming former husband … and what was I saying? Oh yeah, is anyone else having trouble … Ivanka and Jared weren’t letting the Secret Service use any of their half-dozen bathrooms??? ... focusing ... far-right groups are making plans for assaults?

An informal poll taken by the Globe, conducted after the mob attacked the Capitol but before the QAnon congresswoman vowed to impeach Joe Biden, found that the only thing people can concentrate on right now is their inability to concentrate. We’re the United States of ADD.
...
What’s wrong with us? True, things are so bad right now that the nine circles of 2020 look like simpler times. But even so, why can’t we keep filing reports and Zooming and meeting deadlines?

“The human brain was not built to process this much information constantly for this long,” said Barbara Kamholz, an associate professor of psychiatry at the Boston University School of Medicine.

Kamholz says the surprising thing is not that people aren’t functioning well. It’s that despite the fact that we’re dealing with multiple major crises, many people don’t fully grasp the impact that external events are having on their mood states and ability to focus.

“That results in this additional layer of self-doubt,” she said.

There’s also shame. Most people suffering from BRAIN FOG-21 think they’re the only ones stricken. But they are not alone.
...
"A pandemic, climate crisis, and insurrection on top of systemic inequity and racism are not conducive to mental concentration,” he tweeted.

In a phone call, Small used a slightly exaggerated example to highlight the challenge of staying focused. “Imagine you’re tapping away at your computer, doing your work, and you look out the window and see someone being chased by a mob, and you say, ‘OK, I’m going to get back to work now.’

“We’re not seeing a mob out the window,” he said, “but we do see it online.”

Anim Aweh, a licensed independent clinical social worker in Brighton, says anxiety is the reason people can’t focus. It’s fueled by major ongoing stressors — the pandemic and racial injustice — and the violence that erupted on Jan. 6 and is threatening to escalate, she said.
...
Welcome to … CDC warns the new virus variant could fuel huge spikes in COVID cases; unemployment claims rise sharply … 2021.

Anxiety, yes. Lots of anxiety. I'm going to Zoom with my real-life friends on Thursday night; that will help. I wish I could just get back into gaming and stop obsessing about events, but when I'm not working I can't do anything except stream TV and read the internet.

all well and good, but good luck trying to get much allowance from one's employer on one's inability to concentrate. there's just no real solution here.

Work is the one thing that focuses my mind. It helps that I'm my own employer, so I can allow myself to work for an hour, doom-scroll for 15 minutes, work another hour, hit up OO, etc. If I didn't have work to focus on I would be completely adrift. It anchors me. I don't know how retired people (which describes most of my friends now) get through their days.

Also, this thread needs a "2021 edition" title change.

[Blackhawk]

Granted.

[The Meal]

We'd be going absolutely bonkers if we weren't getting together with friends multiple times a week to play online poker together.

(Also, see my signature, for your opportunity to do the same.)

[Blackhawk]

Hello, thread. It's me, Blackhawk. It's been a while.

You know, I've realized recently that 2020 was a cakewalk for me compared to 2021. 2020 was bad news. 2021 is bad action. 2020 was a pandemic we were trying, to some degree, to fight. 2021 is a pandemic we're actively trying not to fight. 2020 was a stressful election. 2021 has been the response to that election. 2020 was factions drawing battle lines. 2021 has been the first battles.

I've noticed lately that a lot of the people I've had to deal with on a formal level have been shitty lately. They've been ruder. They've been less professional. They've tried less. Those I've dealt with on a personal level have been snappy, rude, and angry. People have just been shitty.

All the lying. All the hatred. All of blatant manipulation of people or casual throwing away of human lives for temporary personal gain. I'm so sick of my irrelevance to the world being used as an excuse to brush me under the rug. I'm one citizen.
I'm one customer. I'm one client. And lately, more than ever, it's been getting shoved in my face just how much that doesn't matter - I'm disposable, and I'm easily replaced.

And I realized recently that it's making me a shitty person. I'm getting rude, snappy, and irritable. I'm acting like a dick. I'm arguing more than I ever have, and I can feel my rage rising every time. Instead of leaving things alone, I'm sinking my teeth in and venting my frustration. I've always been stubborn, but now I'm becoming an angry person, more likely to go on the offense or challenge people than at any time in my life, and less likely to let things pass. I hate it. It isn't me.

I don't think I've been 'relaxed' in months. My stress gauge hasn't been below yellow. And it is affecting me, and the people around me.

Gah. I need a reset. I just need to figure out how.

[Default]

As I have mentioned before, my ex thinks I have PTSD.
Starting to think she's right. Fortunately, upcoming foot surgery gives me some time off to drink beer with the cats.

[Drazzil]

Hello, thread. It's me, Blackhawk. It's been a while.

You know, I've realized recently that 2020 was a cakewalk for me compared to 2021. 2020 was bad news. 2021 is bad action. 2020 was a pandemic we were trying, to some degree, to fight. 2021 is a pandemic we're actively trying not to fight. 2020 was a stressful election. 2021 has been the response to that election. 2020 was factions drawing battle lines. 2021 has been the first battles.

I've noticed lately that a lot of the people I've had to deal with on a formal level have been shitty lately. They've been ruder. They've been less professional. They've tried less. Those I've dealt with on a personal level have been snappy, rude, and angry. People have just been shitty.

All the lying. All the hatred. All of blatant manipulation of people or casual throwing away of human lives for temporary personal gain. I'm so sick of my irrelevance to the world being used as an excuse to brush me under the rug. I'm one citizen.
I'm one customer. I'm one client. And lately, more than ever, it's been getting shoved in my face just how much that doesn't matter - I'm disposable, and I'm easily replaced.

And I realized recently that it's making me a shitty person. I'm getting rude, snappy, and irritable. I'm acting like a dick. I'm arguing more than I ever have, and I can feel my rage rising every time. Instead of leaving things alone, I'm sinking my teeth in and venting my frustration. I've always been stubborn, but now I'm becoming an angry person, more likely to go on the offense or challenge people than at any time in my life, and less likely to let things pass. I hate it. It isn't me.

I don't think I've been 'relaxed' in months. My stress gauge hasn't been below yellow. And it is affecting me, and the people around me.

Gah. I need a reset. I just need to figure out how.

+1 but add in an unsuccessful (so far) job search.

[Blackhawk]

Hello, thread. It's me, Blackhawk. It's been a while.

You know, I've realized recently that 2020 was a cakewalk for me compared to 2021. 2020 was bad news. 2021 is bad action. 2020 was a pandemic we were trying, to some degree, to fight. 2021 is a pandemic we're actively trying not to fight. 2020 was a stressful election. 2021 has been the response to that election. 2020 was factions drawing battle lines. 2021 has been the first battles.

I've noticed lately that a lot of the people I've had to deal with on a formal level have been shitty lately. They've been ruder. They've been less professional. They've tried less. Those I've dealt with on a personal level have been snappy, rude, and angry. People have just been shitty.

All the lying. All the hatred. All of blatant manipulation of people or casual throwing away of human lives for temporary personal gain. I'm so sick of my irrelevance to the world being used as an excuse to brush me under the rug. I'm one citizen.
I'm one customer. I'm one client. And lately, more than ever, it's been getting shoved in my face just how much that doesn't matter - I'm disposable, and I'm easily replaced.

And I realized recently that it's making me a shitty person. I'm getting rude, snappy, and irritable. I'm acting like a dick. I'm arguing more than I ever have, and I can feel my rage rising every time. Instead of leaving things alone, I'm sinking my teeth in and venting my frustration. I've always been stubborn, but now I'm becoming an angry person, more likely to go on the offense or challenge people than at any time in my life, and less likely to let things pass. I hate it. It isn't me.

I don't think I've been 'relaxed' in months. My stress gauge hasn't been below yellow. And it is affecting me, and the people around me.

Gah. I need a reset. I just need to figure out how.

+1 but add in an unsuccessful (so far) job search.

Um, no. Not the same. I'm realizing that the stresses of the past two years plus the way other people are dealing with it are making me angry, recognizing that it's bad, and making an effort to not let it get out of hand.

You my be getting your stress from the same sources, but you're embracing the anger, using it to build hatred, and reveling in it by calling for violence.

[Jeff V]

Thing are really going to start hitting the fan now if I don't find a job ASAP. Unemployment officially ended yesterday. I need a real job, not those barely minimum wage slave jobs that are apparently in abundance with employers wondering why nobody wants to work for a pittance. I have a 3rd interview coming up Tuesday for a job that seems to be a pretty good match. It's a video interview...my wife is encouraging me to dye my hair to help conceal the fact I'm old AF. And it might actually help, but I've never been vain and that just doesn't sit well with me. This is with a growing company (the role is new) and the hiring manager described how the role is predicted to grow in the coming years.

The consequence of not finding something ASAP are profound. We would struggle paying the mortgage and bills until December, at which point I can withdraw from 401k without penalty, pay off most things so we could live within my wife's salary, and then be a Mr. Mom on the look out for WFH gigs I could do on my own schedule. This does not help with health insurance though...my wife's job has spectacularly shitty yet insanely expensive insurance plans available, we are currently on a plan that half the price, meant for transitional coverage (like bridging the gap when one job ends and a new job doesn't give benefits for 3 months). I haven't tried it yet on actual doctor or labs to see how that works out, but when I tried using the "prescription discount card," the pharmacist at CVS offered to throw it away for me.

[ImLawBoy]

I'm not staying sane in 2021. We're prepping for major back surgery for my oldest son at the end of October, which means getting into a new house where he can remain on one level for recuperation. We close in 10 days and have been working on selling the existing house. Accepted an offer on Saturday, signed contract yesterday, and now we're waiting on the inspection. It's an "as is" sale, so the inspection will basically give us a go/no-go on whether the sale goes through (i.e., this isn't a typical sale where they get a list of issues and ask for credits to take them into account). We've been very up front with disclosures so the buyer should know the major stuff and have taken it into account, but it's still stressful. Now we're trying to figure out how to pack up the house we've lived in for 16 years so that we can move out at the end of this month. It's not a situation that lends itself toward sanity.

[gbasden]

I'm not staying sane in 2021. We're prepping for major back surgery for my oldest son at the end of October, which means getting into a new house where he can remain on one level for recuperation. We close in 10 days and have been working on selling the existing house. Accepted an offer on Saturday, signed contract yesterday, and now we're waiting on the inspection. It's an "as is" sale, so the inspection will basically give us a go/no-go on whether the sale goes through (i.e., this isn't a typical sale where they get a list of issues and ask for credits to take them into account). We've been very up front with disclosures so the buyer should know the major stuff and have taken it into account, but it's still stressful. Now we're trying to figure out how to pack up the house we've lived in for 16 years so that we can move out at the end of this month. It's not a situation that lends itself toward sanity.

That has to be a crazy amount of stress piled on stress. I hope everything goes as smoothly as possible!

[Jaymann]

Writing, writing and more writing. So much so that I rarely play video games anymore. I have written 3 (!) books in a sci-fi/fantasy series since May of 2021. Preparing to publish book 1 on Amazon. Sanity is a pliable notion.

[Jaymon]

Writing, writing and more writing. So much so that I rarely play video games anymore. I have written 3 (!) books in a sci-fi/fantasy series since May of 2021. Preparing to publish book 1 on Amazon. Sanity is a pliable notion.

Keep us up to date. I love buying books. mm mm tasty tasty books.

[Jaymon]

The Mrs got an activity outside the house, which has really improved MY sanity tremendously. Both of us are losing weight and gaining muscle. We found a specific couple of friends to include in our bubble, so now we can have some playdates for both kids and adults. We still don't go anywhere except stores and doctors, (and the wife goes to a farm for volunteer work. We did take a risk and stay at a hotel for a couple of days. I cleverly managed to get the pool to ourselves for a couple hours.


I have increased the amount of time I spend gaming too much, so I'm starting to cut back, and we have started scheduling family time , because we all became sort of isolated.

I got some really strong ideas for short stories, so I am working on those, and signing up for some writing classes at remote learning from the local community college.

Also, I am trying to transfer to a different department at work, getting burned out here.

[Jaymann]

Writing, writing and more writing. So much so that I rarely play video games anymore. I have written 3 (!) books in a sci-fi/fantasy series since May of 2021. Preparing to publish book 1 on Amazon. Sanity is a pliable notion.

Keep us up to date. I love buying books. mm mm tasty tasty books.

Thanks! I will start a separate thread when it is available.

[ImLawBoy]

I'm not staying sane in 2021. We're prepping for major back surgery for my oldest son at the end of October, which means getting into a new house where he can remain on one level for recuperation. We close in 10 days and have been working on selling the existing house. Accepted an offer on Saturday, signed contract yesterday, and now we're waiting on the inspection. It's an "as is" sale, so the inspection will basically give us a go/no-go on whether the sale goes through (i.e., this isn't a typical sale where they get a list of issues and ask for credits to take them into account). We've been very up front with disclosures so the buyer should know the major stuff and have taken it into account, but it's still stressful. Now we're trying to figure out how to pack up the house we've lived in for 16 years so that we can move out at the end of this month. It's not a situation that lends itself toward sanity.

And 12 days after accepting the offer we have reached final agreement on the sale! Buyer didn't seem to get the idea of "as-is" so we ended up giving some credits, but not too bad. Tomorrow we close on the new house and the sale is scheduled to close on 10/15. Since the first mortgage payment on the new house will be due in November, that means I don't have to do the double mortgage payment thing!

[LordMortis]

Yay?

All my problems seem so small to everyone's by comparison and yet

I'm not staying sane in 2021.

Is me far too much of the time. My coping mechanisms are all coped out.

[Smoove_B]

Yay?

All my problems seem so small to everyone's by comparison and yet

I'm not staying sane in 2021.

Is me far too much of the time. My coping mechanisms are all coped out.

Somewhere, there's a karaoke bar where I can get some therapy, but yeah, I'm Sofa King tired.

And yes, I keep telling myself I have it better than so many people right now.

[Zarathud]

Congratulations on the sale. I understand all of the home improvement shows have created unrealistic expectations for buyers. Our “as is” sale had to include a concession to move the electrical box’s location. Given the age of our old place, their estimate was way too low, so we agreed into it before they increased it.

Seems like most of the Chicago crew have moved in the last 5 years. Being closer to an Octocon wasn’t a plan in my move but the wife joked about it.

[Drazzil]

Public masterbation. Although the real thrill is getting away with it unscathed/unarrested.

Edit for: Better not joke like this, people here might believe me.

I find the best way to stay sane for me at least, is to keep working on my life's goals. Reconnecting with work/a social life with friends. Taking long walks with my pants on and zipper up. Normal things.

[ImLawBoy]

Congratulations on the sale. I understand all of the home improvement shows have created unrealistic expectations for buyers. Our “as is” sale had to include a concession to move the electrical box’s location. Given the age of our old place, their estimate was way too low, so we agreed into it before they increased it.

Seems like most of the Chicago crew have moved in the last 5 years. Being closer to an Octocon wasn’t a plan in my move but the wife joked about it.

We're going to Portage Park, so closer here, too.

[hepcat]

Congratulations on the sale. I understand all of the home improvement shows have created unrealistic expectations for buyers. Our “as is” sale had to include a concession to move the electrical box’s location. Given the age of our old place, their estimate was way too low, so we agreed into it before they increased it.

Seems like most of the Chicago crew have moved in the last 5 years. Being closer to an Octocon wasn’t a plan in my move but the wife joked about it.

....you're actually closer to the Admiral Theatre.

[hepcat]

Public masterbation. Although the real thrill is getting away with it unscathed/unarrested.

Edit for: Better not joke like this, people here might believe me.

Only if that had ended with "but after I finish myself off, I'm going to finish off every politician who doesn't 100 percent agree with 100 percent of my agendas! The day of the masturbating proletariat is now!"

[Drazzil]

Public masterbation. Although the real thrill is getting away with it unscathed/unarrested.

Edit for: Better not joke like this, people here might believe me.

Only if that had ended with "but after I finish myself off, I'm going to finish off every politician who doesn't 100 percent agree with 100 percent of my agendas! The day of the masturbating proletariat is now!"

If I did that I would be breaking my one week siesta from R&P. And it's going so well...

[Zarathud]

Congratulations on the sale. I understand all of the home improvement shows have created unrealistic expectations for buyers. Our “as is” sale had to include a concession to move the electrical box’s location. Given the age of our old place, their estimate was way too low, so we agreed into it before they increased it.

Seems like most of the Chicago crew have moved in the last 5 years. Being closer to an Octocon wasn’t a plan in my move but the wife joked about it.

....you're actually closer to the Admiral Theatre.

She joked about that, too. I'll admit that I'm more likely to show up at the Jolly Inn next to the Octocon than the Admiral Theatre.

[Blackhawk]

So, we made it through 2020. Then 2021. Now 2022 is here. The pandemic is still roaring in the 20s, the country's ready to come to blows, the next election just got compromised, the supply chains are still in disarray (ask me what luck I had grocery shopping today...), the US and Russia are trying to party like it's 1959, inflation and the state of the economy have us hanging by a thread (and that thread is scheduled to snap in about four months), the climate is fixable... but we won't.

So, anybody else turning into a raging, frothing, angry mass of unhappy stress?

[Daehawk]

Thats my secret, Im always a raging, frothing, angry mass of unhappy stress

[stessier]

So, anybody else turning into a raging, frothing, angry mass of unhappy stress?

2020 leading up to the election was really bad for me and I didn't even notice until afterwards. The first half of 2021 was pretty good - I felt calmer, more focused and I think as a family we were doing okay. Since maybe October, though, it's started getting bad again and we're at the point where I think something has to change. We're really considering moving states just to get out of our local community - but that would really have bad effects on our daughter who's on a specific high school course that would let her finish with an Associate's Degree. If it weren't for that, we'd be out of here. Not being able to exercise is not helping - my normal stress relief is gone. I've tried subbing in video games, but the release isn't the same even if it helps with a temporary escape. My wife says we're like an old car driving with the check engine light on - we'll go for a while, but the longer it is, the bigger the bill is going to be at the end.

[LawBeefaroni]

So, we made it through 2020. Then 2021. Now 2022 is here. The pandemic is still roaring in the 20s, the country's ready to come to blows, the next election just got compromised, the supply chains are still in disarray (ask me what luck I had grocery shopping today...), the US and Russia are trying to party like it's 1959, inflation and the state of the economy have us hanging by a thread (and that thread is scheduled to snap in about four months), the climate is fixable... but we won't.

So, anybody else turning into a raging, frothing, angry mass of unhappy stress?

I'm largely a mass of productive stress. A weekly view of my calendar looks like a brick wall but that means I'm not spending too much time on big picture political bullshit that I can't change. I would if I weren't so busy. The wife spends several hours a day doom scrolling twitter and is increasingly on edge.

[Chraolic]

So, anybody else turning into a raging, frothing, angry mass of unhappy stress?

I mostly just feel sadness. For the world, for dysfunctional societies everywhere and sometimes for myself. I guess I stay sort of sane by trying to focus on the good things, and it works sometimes. I saw a family of deer the other day while I was out biking, that was nice.

[dbt1949]

Until I get this mess settled with my stepson I'm a mess.

[Blackhawk]

So, we made it through 2020. Then 2021. Now 2022 is here. The pandemic is still roaring in the 20s, the country's ready to come to blows, the next election just got compromised, the supply chains are still in disarray (ask me what luck I had grocery shopping today...), the US and Russia are trying to party like it's 1959, inflation and the state of the economy have us hanging by a thread (and that thread is scheduled to snap in about four months), the climate is fixable... but we won't.

So, anybody else turning into a raging, frothing, angry mass of unhappy stress?

...I'm not spending too much time on big picture political bullshit that I can't change. I would if I weren't so busy.

That's part of it for me, I think. I'm not keeping busy and am spending way too much time dwelling. I'm in a sort of limbo right now where I don't have enough time for the things I want to do, but too much time to do nothing in.

All I know is that something's got to give. I can't keep doing this or I'll end up with a heart attack or getting stabbed in my sleep by my family.

[dbt1949]

Me too!