Are you posting less? Is it because of the way the world is? Well, let's fix that!

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

A few days ago, I was exchanging DMs with another poster (they know who they are, but I won’t @ them without their permission!) and we were talking about how it seems everyone was posting less these days. I felt (and they concurred) that a lot of us were emotionally wrung out over the outrages going on in the USA and our limited ability to do anything about them.

I know that outside my responsibilities, I have spent less time in P&E as a result. No, I need to know, but emotional fatigue is a thing, and I self-censor because I don’t want to contribute to anyone else’s exhaustion either. So, it seems, I just say less overall.

The same applies, though to a far lesser extent, in other forums as well. I mean, sometimes I’m just so tired of it all, that I find less joy in talking about what I’ve watched, read, or cooked. Everything is tainted by that fatigue, or worse, creeping dread.

'That’s all I can stands. I can’t stands no more.’

Can easily become a cry of despair, but I’m going to do something about it!

So, here’s a place to talk about what you’re doing to keep yourself happy, or at least less unhappy with the state of the world. We’ve got plenty of threads of doom and gloom (with cause!), so this isn’t a place to complain about what’s pissing you off (the Pit is right there), but what you’re doing to cope!

Since I found, in the words of my health professional, that I wasn’t taking the same joy in the things I liked in the past, I resolved myself to start something new. So at long last, I’m working on my resolve to make a dent in my long neglected Steam Library of games (Just started Bioshock Remastered) and watch a pile of stuff off my watchlist on Amazon Prime Video and Netflix.

I have friends doing “retail therapy” by shopping for things, and others embracing new ways to cook from home. None of these have to be big things, but share whatever you find that works for you, because if nothing else, it stops the trend to retreat from it all because it is too tiring to care.

2

I write down things to be grateful for, in a slideshow, and put it in a folder as my computer desktop backgrounds on a rotating format of one screen per minute. So, every day, I get to see things that I’m happy about, multiple times each hour.

3

I contend it’s mentally healthy and possibly even necessary to take break from all
Social media altogether, especially in today’s age.

What I do to get away is play music. That’s ny happy place.

4

Thanks for the opportunity, @ParallelLines!
I’ve been on a positive jag lately. A couple weeks ago, I got fed up with feeling bad all the time, both physically and mentally. One morning, I said to myself, “Self, I’m going to do everything different today.” During every step of that day, I asked myself, “what am I supposed to be doing right now” or “what is a good thing I could do right this second” or “what could I do that’s better than what I usually do”, and then I did that thing. It wasn’t hard, because I was just doing an experiment.
Well, that was a good day, so on the following day I tried it again. I’ve been doing it ever since. Not perfectly, but that’s okay, because I make the rules and I can break them if I want to.
Result: I’ve been eating healthier food. Walking dogs every day. Drinking more water.
Listening to only happy music.
I got organized at work, which obviously has had some good knock-on effects of me being able to get some shit done. It’s also kept me from hovering over the news all the time.
I haven’t had any alcohol since last Saturday. I’m planning to have some tonight, if I feel like it, but for me that was a long break.
I’m pleased with the experiment so far and might continue to the end of May.

5

I’ve been making things again. Not completely incidentally, I have been watching episodes of a British TV show (on YouTube) called The Repair Shop; I’ve been watching 2 episodes per day in order, and I’m up to season 5. So first a few minutes about that.

The show is in effect a fantasy, where a person with a damaged possession that is very important to them personally goes to this old (but very clean and updated) barn in the beautiful English countryside, that contains specialists of every kind. And they will fix your item to your specifications (if you want to keep the patina and just make it work again, or if you want it to look brand new, or whatever variant). Watching the painstaking care that these repair people take on each and every item, no matter how otherwise trivial or odd, is very inspiring. It is especially inspiring to watch them overcome any and all difficulties that come their way. They have patience as well as expertise.

And so this has inspired me, when making things, to slow down and take deeper care of the details, to rehearse how to do something I haven’t done before, to measure many times before cutting, and so on. Where before I have sometimes been slapdash and made it “good enough,” now I am taking care, working to make it actually good.

My current project is making a desk for myself, to replace the plastic-covered block on legs that I use now.

lots of details about the desk, if you want to read them

The desk is solid red oak, using lumber I have had lying around for years from a previous project that never got off the ground. I am currently laying out the legs, made from 3 laminated 1x4s, cut to approximate size, then reduced to the needed size and smoothness by a surface planer. The legs need to be tapered (which I have never done before) and to have mortises to take the tenons from the rails (which I have also never done). I will be using a drill press with a Forstner bit to take most of the meat out of the mortises and then cleaning them up with a chisel. I don’t own a drill press but fortunately I have one that I borrowed for another project.

Another project I made in collaboration with a book artist friend of mine a couple of months ago is a sort of architectural construction (I made the base and a model ladder) showcasing the push-pull relationship between the late Senator Dianne Feinstein (using a biography of her) and the LGBTQ community (using a slice of a large Pride Flag that was flown on the day of her funeral). It is even now about to open in a book arts exhibition in San Francisco, and later another one in Long Beach. My friend did all the creative work, I worked to her specs, but it was a lot of fun, and I’m getting a credit in the show (implying more than I actually did, but she insisted).

These things help me stay sane and feel useful. I also love @Dung_Beetle’s approach upthread. I could have been doing a lot with that over the past 10+ years since I retired.

Oh, and I’ll add my thanks to @ParallelLines for the idea for this thread.

6

You’re all welcome, and hope others who be lurking it gain something from it.

One thing I learned from Trump 1.0 and Covid is that I like to stress eat. So this time I around I’m going with efforts to upgrade my food in terms of nutrition. Because, darn it, my wife can -bake- great stuff, and I can good tasty meat dishes, and a number of other options, but… the stuff we cook tends toward comfort and filling, and less on the healthy side.

So this time around I’m working hard on pre-prepping healthier meals, vacuum-sealing, and tossing in the freezer so there’s always something good to make/eat quickly, and less chance to eat junk.

As I mentioned in the “What’s for dinner thread” tonight is a lovely lean pork tenderloin souvlaki with tzatziki sauce and roasted butternut squash. Tomorrow is a piece of soy and ginger swordfish (swordfish was on a manager’s special today for under $8 US a pound!), and I used the rest of the cucumber to make a thai style cucumber salad.

The wife and I are making a special trip to our local (but very out of the way) Asian market tomorrow to shop for some fun options, because we normally cook separately (she’s vegetarian, and I’m not) but wanted to make a dinner together. We’re planning on some air fried giant oyster mushrooms dredged in garam flour and panko breadcrumbs, but part of the fun of shopping together is finding something we might not otherwise try.

7

I will, as soon as schools out restart the grandkids art classes.
I get w–aaa-aa-y more joy from it than they do.

This year I’ve decided not be so persnickedy about the rules and let the Art just come out.
They have it in them. I know they do.

I’m collecting supplies now. Nothing makes me happier than a box of new paint brushes and new paints.
Oh, I love stacks of paper too.
And, glue, glitter, all art supplies.

Just love it. Even the smell of crayons does things to me. :heart:

8

I think I post about the same as I used to. Basically, I always look at FQ, then IMHO, then MPSMS. Sometimes I look at P&E, and GD, the last two I used to moderate. GD appears to be dying.

9

This will sound trivial, but: I really try to get enough sleep. I notice that on less than my ideal amount (8 1/4 hours, no matter how many hours it takes to get) the current woes of the world hit me harder.

If I manage the sleep, then I can move forward with trying to solve my particular issues (health and budget, basically). And I can take the bad national/world news with a more philosophical view. After all, none of us is alone with our reactions to the news.

(I like to fit in: reading; my exercise routine; checking email and such rather than letting it go and thus pile up; and some televised fiction of good reputation.)

10

I’ve been doing a lot of things to stay sane these days.

One of the most enjoyable is looking through really old pictures and posting them on FB with accompanying little stories designed to entertain and make people laugh. These have been very successful and I feel like my creative writing spirit has reemerged.

11

Nice thread. :slight_smile:

Yes, I’m posting far less in P&E and feel very much as you describe. After the election, I felt like I’d been beat by a professional. Maybe I was. Anyway, I don’t wish to dwell on that.

I took a long, hard look at how I wanted to spend my time going forward. I’ll never be non-political and I will post whatever I feel when I believe it is warranted without holding back, but I’m looking at focusing more different forms of resistance/persuasion. I will continue to protest where and when I can. I will donate to good causes till it hurts. (More.) I will go out of my way to acknowledge and support others who are fighting hard (more on this in a moment). And I will redirect more of my energy toward positive, concrete goals.

There’s a family whose home I pass when I go to and from town. They are very effective non-verbal communicators. I’ve observed many of their non-verbal messages over the past several years. They have some balls on them! Currently, they proudly fly their huge American flag – upside down. I wrote them a note of gratitude and appreciation and took some trouble to make sure to place it where they would find it. They are an inspiration. I could erect a flagpole too, but no one would ever see it. Nonetheless, I am moved to paint an approximation of an American flag on an old wooden pallet and will soon display it prominently leaned against my well pump house. Upside down.

Another effort is getting rid of stuff I don’t use or need. I’ve been working at this for awhile. It’s time to prepare for the last couple of decades of my life, and if that’s too optimistic, well, at least I made some good headway before leaving it all for someone else to deal with!

I’m also learning to paint. Always wanted to. So much to learn – I wish I had started when I was young, but we begin where we are. It’s fun, even if I end up burning every canvas when I’m done.

Like you, @ParallelLines, I’m trying to be more mindful of diet and exercise. No stress or boredom eating. I love to cook and share my results with friends and family. I’m getting back to that more, but in a healthful way.

@Dung_Beetle, you’ve shared some great ideas. I’m going to emulate your efforts.

12

You don’t really do this, do you? :scream: Even the Old Masters painted over their canvases.

This is a great thread. I’m going to post in it after I’ve thought about out some more.

13

I agree. @Dung_Beetle , good job!!

I have to say after the bad election, I immediately(within minutes)turned off TV news and have not returned.
I did not realize how much I was clicking over to it.
I did not read the front page of the paper for a long time.
Didn’t look online, at all.

I felt better in a week or less.
I refuse to change or let it change me again. I didn’t like feeling like I was missing something important on CNN all the time and worrying “what if, what if” constantly.
Get off the news.
If a disaster happens you’ll know, one way or another.

Get off the news channels. It’s addictive. And they know it. We were fed crap and bought it. And got stuck on it.

Again: GET OFF THE NEWS

You’ll feel better daily. We’ll never be normal again but you be able to handle it better.

My plan forward: No news is good news.
And,
That’s how I’ll feel better.

You can too. Just flip that switch.

14

Lego is my coping mechanism right now, as detailed in the thread below. It’s not even real Lego, I’m sourcing it from China, but it achieves the same effect. I am not into much TV anymore, movies are not as interesting to me, video games are just a chore, so I want to play a bit, and do things that really can take my mind off the big stuff.

15

I don’t think it’s trivial, I certainly had been sleeping poorly. After talking with my PCP, I’m back to taking melatonin regularly. I have to cut the pills in half, because the smallest they sell in my stores is 3mg, which is enough to help me sleep, but gives me insane dreams. 1.5 - still helps me sleep, but dreams are somewhat less over-the-top.

OMG. Yes. I have very minor hoader tendencies, my wife slightly more so. Not actually “hoader” but keeping mostly worn out but still functional “spares” even if I don’t really need them and they’re becoming clutter. My wife and I tossed a pickup bed’s worth of such 2-3 weeks ago, and figure more to go.

When I’m not actually actively watching New stuff, I find that it’s nice to pick background noise that makes me chuckle. Because being in a quiet house (my wife goes to be early) is not good for my mental health. But if I listen to any topical comedy, well, yeah, counter productive. So, the Pluto MST3k channel has been a big help. While I’m normally more of a Mike fan, Joel’s utterly laid back attitude is super soothing right now. And absurdist humor aimed at bad movies is quite relaxing compared to most comedy right now.

16

Good idea; I should do this too.

For now, I’m concentrating more and more on horse racing. No, I’m not betting the rent; what I really enjoy is reading and analyzing the Racing Form and making selections, then seeing how they did. I actually bet very little, and when I do, it’s in the $4 to $12 range. And I’m getting folks at the track coming up and asking for my selections and commentary. (Maybe I should start publishing a tip sheet.) I like to think that it keeps my mind sharp, just dealing with all the information that the Racing Form packs into such a small space.

Other than that, in an effort to get away from the computer, I’ve returned to an old hobby: NYT Sunday crossword puzzles. They’re reprinted in collections that are available at the bookstore. I’m doing about one a day, and some days, I have to stop myself from doing another.

Hm. Maybe I really do need to get rid of stuff that I don’t use or need.

17

That’s not trivial at all. This whole society is severely sleep-deprived, which I strongly suspect is part of the problem.

– I’ve been reading somewhat less news; though creeping back to it. But what I do to cope is, I think, pretty much what I’ve done for years to cope: look at the lake, pat the cats, try to push myself away from the computer and go get some physical work done, preferably outside. And occasionally do something politically active, maybe not as much as I ought to, but sometimes. (Part of the problem with that is that it feels like “as much as I ought to” should be “every waking moment” – except that no, I can’t do that. Very few people, if any, can do that; and fewer can keep it up very long.

18

Oh, good one. I did recently purge my closet also. Books are another matter. :slightly_smiling_face:

And I did a good deed:
Imgur
Won’t make any difference, but so what.

19

Interesting–I’m glad you found a dosage that works. Years ago I used to take a melatonin supplement and it did seem to help (I suspect it was quite a low dosage as I never had a dreams issue).

(Dreams can be great entertainment!)

I suspect the same thing. Crankiness and worse abounds, and it seems likely that sleep-deprivation is at least part of that. (Of course our culture seems to valorize low-sleep, which doesn’t help.)

20

This is key. If hubby doesn’t get enough sleep, his mental health suffers, which then messes me up as well. (I myself can cope with sleep shortages better than him.) So making sure that we get to sleep at a reasonable hour, even on Friday and Saturday, means that the week goes by better.

And this means that we’re not tired out on Friday and waste Saturday being too tired to do anything.

Which is my thing. I have lists of things to do, whether for a specific day, weekend, or needs to get done. These are hand-written lists, and we can both see them and cross things off.

We’re improving our environment. Getting rid of stacks of papers, getting things done that have been partially finished for a long time.

And there’s the garden and cooking and baking. Being productive at home. Going to the gym and doing weight-bearing exercises at home.

Which is actually quite important to me. I don’t want all my energy going into work.

And we go to restaurants, enjoy the weather, go for a walk, hike, etc. Put the phones in the backpack and just go.

And I’m sharing more on FaceBook, and I keep it positive. Celebrate the good things which are happening.

Probably some of it is taking control of my environment.

And the other part is taking responsibility for my own reactions. I have a habit of often saying “No” when hubby suggests going somewhere. I’m lazy, I’d rather stay home. Now I’ve been saying “Yes”, which means we took a day to go shopping. Yes, it was a long day, but it was certainly more productive than staying home.

And I guess the other thing I do is babble. :slight_smile:

(In one of my jobs, over 25 years ago, I was known as Brook. Because I babble.)