How's everyone doing?

[XanaDUer2]

I'm constantly talking about my issues here. So, how is everyone doing? Any stress from holiday meetings with maga relatives? Feeling ok?

Love you all!

[bucolic_frolic]

1. TBH, things are day to day and week to week

a few days up, a few days down. As long as I keep plodding one foot in front of another, I suppose it's progress of a sort.

Filled with cliches, but it describes what's going on.

Thanks for asking us. There is support here at DU.

[XanaDUer2]

2. DU is wonderful

Sometimes all we can do is make it hour to hour.

[Mosby]

3. I have covid.

[XanaDUer2]

4. I'm so sorry

How are you doing? Are you taking paxlovid?

[Mosby]

5. Thanks

Yeah, I'm taking it. I've been sleeping a lot, and have no appetite. I was just about to get my yearly booster and flu shot.

[XanaDUer2]

6. Take care

Keep us posted

[Lunabell]

7. Oh no!

I hope you get better soon and don't have any long term repercussions from it.

[Mosby]

9. Thanks.

[Lunabell]

8. As well as I can, thank you.

Some of the horrible dread has abated since November 5th. But, it's really so damned hard to believe what we are headed into. It's like steering right into a F5 tornado.

I hope you are doing OK. I read your posts and feel helpless to comfort you in any way except to send virtual hugs!! 🫂 🤗 🫂

[XanaDUer2]

10. I too feel helpless.

Please take care of yourself.

[OldBaldy1701E]

11. Going through things.

We will be moving by fall of 2025. Every single holiday this year will be the last time we celebrate it in this house. Every single holiday this year has been very nerve wracking because of it. I don't know what we are going to do. Each holiday reminds me that our time here is growing short. It is not pleasant.

My husband got insurance from his work, so now at least we both have it. Because he is not full time, and because the higher ups hate him, he pays for it even as it is a reduced rate. Now all I have to do is convince the great Stone Face to go to the damned doctor and actually tell him about the issues he is having. ("Anything you need to tell me about, Mr. Baldymate?" "No." )

Starting to have those chest twinges again. Not complaining. It has been five years since I had my quad bypass. Five borrowed years. No reason to whine about getting an extension, no matter how long it turns out to be. I doubt I would survive another bypass. I doubt I will last much longer as things are. But, America wanted for profit healthcare to the exclusion of any other option, so this is the card I have ben dealt.

And, that is how I am doing.

[jfz9580m]

12. I have not posted in this group much

Although I am generally on the left on most issues, I have some views that are more common on the conservative side.

One of them being a reluctance to honestly discuss mental health related or personal stuff. I don’t care about stigma etc.

I just can’t somehow. Especially since 90% of my issues stem from a fairly dull root issue which is “I am finding it hard to concentrate.” Not very much there anyone can help with except, “well then turn off all distractions and focus”. Thanks Sherlock - that never occurred to me 🙄. I mean that is actually an accurate recommendation, but it’s executing it that is the issue.

I also think that assumption can be inverted. It is true that there are a lot of distracting and annoying technologies that act as parasites on our attention (Ed Zitron was slamming those in a post I read yesterday and agreed with). But if you can disable those as much as possible, then you can proceed. Once you get immersed in work it is easier to tune out distractions than to try to tune out distractions and then work.

There is a misperception in our hyper-connected world that people going radio-silent is a sign of ill-health. At least in me, being radio-silent is the surest sign that I am focused on work and happy. I would normally be inclined to lurk on the few places I read like DU and rarely email even friends, than to actively comment or communicate much at all when I am doing well. YMMV. People are all different.

The other 10% of issues I have faced have been some dust ups with a few creepy male types in my neighbourhood between 2014 and the present. But those are thankfully over too.

It makes it harder to be healthy when you can’t focus since I usually find that immersing myself in work is how I feel healthiest. So I am going to focus on completing a paper I started in 2009 (!).

I meant to finish it by December, but that didn’t happen. I am determined to finish it by mid 2025. Which probably means it would be Sept 2025. But if I shoot for mid 2025 I can hope to at least be done by Sept 2025.

Good luck to everyone here, there and everywhere.

Nose to grindstone time for moi.