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Mental Health

Braveheart81

Will Genia (78)
Staff member
I've certainly been feeling the symptoms of anxiety on and off for the last couple of weeks for the first time in my life.
 

Tex

John Thornett (49)
Yeah it's got me all wound up. The external focus is a biggie, imo. The news and information is so globally bleak and outside of our control, I've just had to shut it out where possible.

Trying to focus on the things I can do to break the stress/anxiety cycle, like mindfulness and breathing. Ideally I want to use this "opportunity" to highlight the parts of my mental makeup and psychological foundation that need to be addressed. When the times are good, there's really no imperative to dig deep into our darker parts. But when you're faced with it there's really no option other than dealing with it as healthily as possible.
 

Dismal Pillock

Simon Poidevin (60)
Hope you're all doing well. I'm not a professional but if you want to chat about how things are going, flick me a PM
Dear Tex,

Greetings from the virus-ravaged Pitcairns! Hope this PM finds you well.

My issue; I can't stop Byron from crying. I have tried slapping him in the face innumerable times but to no avail.

A bit of background information; Byron has no concept of the "virus"

Please advise.



Regards,

-DP
 

cyclopath

George Smith (75)
Staff member
I've certainly been feeling the symptoms of anxiety on and off for the last couple of weeks for the first time in my life.

Me too, but not for the first time.
Work is uncertain, income-wise, with the imminent changes about to hit medical practitioners including triaging all consultations, working out who can be a phone consultation (quite involved and restrictive criteria - NOT the panacea the government promoted), and accepting having to see others who may represent high-risk to me and staff, and vice-versa (lots of elderly and frail patients). Like many others, income will be way down. I probably won't draw any income for 3 months, maybe 6 depending on how things go, my staff must be paid as they depend upon me. Like many others, and I'm not looking for sympathy. The anxiety around what will become of the hospital system is another issue - already had pre-emptive emails to review all waiting list patients and defer as many as possible. Not an enviable task either. Also the general concern about family and friends.
Having had issues around clinical depression and anxiety previously, it is a difficult time.
If only I had Byron to vent my frustration upon!
 

cyclopath

George Smith (75)
Staff member
Yeah it's got me all wound up. The external focus is a biggie, imo. The news and information is so globally bleak and outside of our control, I've just had to shut it out where possible.

Trying to focus on the things I can do to break the stress/anxiety cycle, like mindfulness and breathing. Ideally I want to use this "opportunity" to highlight the parts of my mental makeup and psychological foundation that need to be addressed. When the times are good, there's really no imperative to dig deep into our darker parts. But when you're faced with it there's really no option other than dealing with it as healthily as possible.
Yes. And running. If they tell me I cannot go out running, the fuckers will have to catch me first!!!
 

Dismal Pillock

Simon Poidevin (60)
If only I had Byron to vent my frustration upon!
If they tell me I cannot go out running, the fuckers will have to catch me first!!!
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Tex

John Thornett (49)
Dear Tex,

Greetings from the virus-ravaged Pitcairns! Hope this PM finds you well.

My issue; I can't stop Byron from crying. I have tried slapping him in the face innumerable times but to no avail.

A bit of background information; Byron has no concept of the "virus"

Please advise.



Regards,

-DP

Dismal Pillock
c/o Blockbuster Video/Fishing Coop/Agricultural Supplies/Post Office/Lolly Shop
Pitcairn Islands

Dear DP,

Firstly, I'm glad to hear that Byron is well contained and the situation is, at least on the surface level, under control.

As one of the core tenets of public health in times of a rampaging viral pandemic is social isolation, it appears that you are in a robust position to manage the healt hand wellbeing of both you and your...ahem...guest.

In order to address the immediate concern, which is of course Byron's weeping, have you considered 'upping the dose', so to speak?

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Yours faithfully,

Tex Esq
 

WorkingClassRugger

David Codey (61)
I can definitely feel my anxiety levels rising for the first time in a number of years. If not for medication and my coping strategies I would likely be in a far worse position right now. I'm not having a breakdown or anything that dramatic but I can feel an underlying sense on unease.

Part of me would welcome a lockdown as irrational as that may be. Being able to for the most part wait it out at home where it's stupidly clean with my family would bring me more comfort than having to continue to wade out into public while our leaders dither. On the money side I'm fairly secure. I have very low overheads in my life and have sizeable savings that could sustain me throughout an extended timeframe. And I'll be honest. I started quietly buying extras here and there in late January (no I don't have a dozen packs of TP. Honestly, that never occurred to me) and I have about 6 weeks of food on hand.
 

Tex

John Thornett (49)
That's great to hear WCR. I'm a bit closer to the edge when it comes to food, but from what I've seen there's plenty on hand. Just have to manage the process of buying it in a clean and controlled manner!
 

The_Brown_Hornet

John Eales (66)
Won't lie, I'm finding it difficult mentally at the moment. Apart from the obvious health concerns, though I'm a fairly active and fit 47 year old, I've got a staff of 25-30 in my division of our business to think about and my own finances. We've got plenty saved up, but who knows where this ends up. I'm worried about the carnage that this will wreak on everyones livelihood if we're locked down for an extended period. I can work from home and so can my team, but I'm worried about them and me if we have to do it long term.
 

Pfitzy

George Gregan (70)
I'm reaching an age now where I'm well into the groove of what might be a mid-life crisis, with various health issues, deaths on both sides of the family, and various work pressures. I question the purpose of my existence some days.

This thread is a timely reminder that I probably need to start talking to someone.


And I did! Fucking hell hasn't a couple of years gone fast... All sorts of shit going on in my family life and I've spent a bit of time in the counsellor's den, having a chinwag.

Anyway, that aside: this is a stressful time. We've got a bunch of flamin' galahs in government in three major Western democracies, a pandemic running around, and the economy getting a dose of the double fist.

First rule of Covidia: eliminate the stress factors that you can.

For those who might be looking askance at their finances and wondering how its going to go, my advice is: don't hesitate.

Those with a mortgage should absolutely be checking their bank's website for loan deals etc. Tell your relatives, friends, and neighbours to do the same. There might be criteria, there might not. But if your bank is anything like mine, they're offering 3-year fixed rates at discount on owner occupiers paying P&I.


Second rule of Covidia: we're all in this together.

Those who are struggling with the general anxiety thing need to seek help. A lot of workplaces now offer contacts or paid services for this, tho you'll probably only get them over the phone at this point. Check in with your partner, your family, and friends regularly.

The isolation will affect everyone differently, but if you're a bit of a social butterfly, remember:

1) Technology is an enabler - get creative with social interaction/pissups
2) The harder we hit COVID in the goolies, the quicker it goes down
3) It WILL be over at some stage

Getting to the other side is probably going to suck a fat one, but I hope once we get there, we're a little better off as a society.

In the meantime, my advice is to try and be a better person when you are out in the big wide world. Be generous with your praise of the poor bastards working in your local supermarket because they are getting fucking smashed at the moment when things change by the hour.
 

Pfitzy

George Gregan (70)
Part of me would welcome a lockdown as irrational as that may be. Being able to for the most part wait it out at home where it's stupidly clean with my family would bring me more comfort than having to continue to wade out into public while our leaders dither.


Yep. Certainty is a kind of clarity. I went out today to try and get a pink slip for the car (tyres didn't make it FFS), and I was very conscious of how many people were around, how far away they were, and in what order I was going to disable them.


On the money side I'm fairly secure. I have very low overheads in my life and have sizeable savings that could sustain me throughout an extended timeframe.


Yep - I work at Woolies HQ (well, from home at the mo) and they're not suffering too much just yet.

My wife works for BaptistCare which is a whole other kettle of fish BUT like me: secure, salaried work.

I feel for the poor bastards working shifts as the shutdown takes hold. That is where the government needs to step the fuck in and start dumping cash into bank accounts. Universal Basic Income anyway?


And I'll be honest. I started quietly buying extras here and there in late January (no I don't have a dozen packs of TP. Honestly, that never occurred to me) and I have about 6 weeks of food on hand.


My wife is half Italian. 6 weeks of food is par for the course ;)
 
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