Litiquette VI

[aussiegeekygal]

I tried to post a link to some scents that make me happy. It's very difficult to do that.

I feel like you aren't even trying

 

[tnman03]

The panic is the most overwhelming part

I mean, I enjoy having a healthy stash of TP but I'm one of the few that NEEDS to have a few weeks worth on hand in case of isolation demands. I'm good, though...

Watching the lines of panicked shoppers at Costco's around the country just screams "infection control" to me. It's so not worth it to save a few bucks.
And hoarding water?!
Do they think it's a hurricane that may impact the water supply? I don't get that one, but it's entertaining/horrifying to watch from the sidelines.

For now, I am getting a lot of practice eating frozen and dried food.

And I wonder if we are in the same city... That would be a trip!

It's just good common sense to keep enough long term staples, frozen and canned goods on hand to tide you over. We have ice storms, tornados, flooding and rarely a heavy enough snowfall to keep you homebound for a while.

But this is a panic phase where people seem to think they've got to have everything at once. And of course because of not having any food or household supplies on hand.

The sad thing is once this blows over everyone will fall back on their old habits.

 

[Endless_Night]

Holy Crap. It seems the schools were closed this afternoon and the powers that be are recommending having two weeks of food on hand.

The city has gone nuts.

I swear, I keep talking about this, but I am moving somewhere where there is a population of 45. *thunk*

At my job, too. Wipes. Horrible.

It is completely criminal. Stealing supplies out of operating rooms. What the actual fuck.

 

[Suz_anne]

*has enough stuff to ride this thing out for at least 3 months*




Honestly, I started getting worried about this about a month ago and began preparing in earnest when a friend who works for a large manufacturer of cleaning supplies and (commercial and residential) told us that they were already having trouble keeping up with demand for disinfectants, sanitizing items, toilet paper, etc.

So my concern was more that there could be further manufacturing delays if the workers get sick and can't go to the factories to make the soft, fluffy stuff I rub against my butt and hoo-ha. So I stocked up.

It soothes my crazy brain to prepare for the unknown/worst case scenario as best as I can. It gives me a teeny feeling of control in a situation where I have very little.

 

[hotwords229_A]

I have exactly one roll of toilet paper left. One 20oz bottle of Mountain Dew. Four slices of bread. Half a jar of peanut butter (jam, approx. same). And I don’t care at all. Oh yeah, and half a pack of gum.

I don’t know if that makes me stupid or awesome.

But I feel great about everything. If all else fails, there is a forest right behind my house. So I’m good.

 

[SMNaughtywife]

I’m in the middle of Suz and HW.
The PBJ inbetween the bread.
Damn women, 3mo is impressive. High five on that!

 

[JennyNo1]

Wow, this conversation totally morphed! I was all ready to talk about what hearing Christmas music and old episodes of Prairie Home Companion shows make me remember. Now I guess I'll just brag about how I rummaged around in the bathroom cabinet and found 2 N95 respirator masks and a big box of antibacterial wipes and a bottle of hand sanitizer. All likely left over from prepping for the bird flu.

 

[Endless_Night]

Suz and Hotwords. the perfect dichotomy.

I'm also wondering how much space 3 months of toilet paper takes. And iwhat exactly a N95 respirator is…

 

[JennyNo1]

Suz and Hotwords. the perfect dichotomy.

I'm also wondering how much space 3 months of toilet paper takes. And iwhat exactly a N95 respirator is…

It's a surgical mask that, I think, filters out 95% of the particulates in the air. It's the type that's recommended.

ETA: And really? You think AGG lives in our state?

 

[Endless_Night]

It's a surgical mask that, I think, filters out 95% of the particulates in the air. It's the type that's recommended.

ETA: And really? You think AGG lives in our state?

Ah. I suspect they are not selling those at Kroger. (And if they did those suckers are loooooong gone. )

She did. Not so anymore. Sadly.

 

[JennyNo1]

Ah. I suspect they are not selling those at Kroger. (And if they did those suckers are loooooong gone. )

She did. Not so anymore. Sadly.

They don't even have them on Amazon as of today.

 

[Sweet_Cupcake]

Music is a big trigger for me.

For me, the song that brings with it the strongest emotions every time I randomly hear it is this one:

https://youtu.be/fahr069-fzE

I can’t really listen to this song without crying, so I don’t, ever. But I do hear it randomly in TV shows or out at the shops and so on, and it’ steals my air every time. I find it impossible to tune out the shock of hearing it and the memory of the moment it places me in.

I love this song/version as well . . . . I just listened again. So emotional.

Thx, RS.

 

[blade_rocknut]

*has enough stuff to ride this thing out for at least 3 months*




Honestly, I started getting worried about this about a month ago and began preparing in earnest when a friend who works for a large manufacturer of cleaning supplies and (commercial and residential) told us that they were already having trouble keeping up with demand for disinfectants, sanitizing items, toilet paper, etc.

So my concern was more that there could be further manufacturing delays if the workers get sick and can't go to the factories to make the soft, fluffy stuff I rub against my butt and hoo-ha. So I stocked up.

It soothes my crazy brain to prepare for the unknown/worst case scenario as best as I can. It gives me a teeny feeling of control in a situation where I have very little.

Word.

If it gets too bad, we'll live on venison, rice, and canned green beans. We've a couple months' store here.
And a bidet.

 

[Endless_Night]

Word.

If it gets too bad, we'll live on venison, rice, and canned green beans. We've a couple months' store here.
And a bidet.

Suz, I think you've been out prepped.

 

[tnman03]

Suz, I think you've been out prepped.

Hey...some folks probably have a lifetime supply of ramen noodles, pop-tarts and generic spam which makes them all happy. Living large in the land of pandemia.

 

[aussiegeekygal]

Hey...some folks probably have a lifetime supply of ramen noodles, pop-tarts and generic spam which makes them all happy. Living large in the land of pandemia.

Right.
And most of us own a shower *

 

[Endless_Night]

Hey...some folks probably have a lifetime supply of ramen noodles, pop-tarts and generic spam which makes them all happy. Living large in the land of pandemia.

Hahaha! You have just saved yourself from any possibly of an Endless visit.

Generic spam. Egad!

 

[tnman03]

Hahaha! You have just saved yourself from any possibly of an Endless visit.

Generic spam. Egad!

Oh, no worries, I don't buy cheap ramen noodles or generic spam. ☠I'll hit up a Save-A-Lot for off-brand condensed canned soups and canned veggies though.

Just remember to bring your own bog paper.

 

[Lord Pmann]

Lord pmann is gonna get a little serious this morning.

One thing that is very rarely discussed is mental health issues. There is a stigma around this that is hard to shake. It isn't accepted in society to say that you suffer with mental illness or anxiety or depression or whatever your issue is.

Admittedly, several years back I would've been one of those people. A dear friend of mine from grad school talked very openly about her struggles with mental health. She suffered from severe bipolar disorder. I affectionately called her Bipolar Bear. I always thought it was a little weird how open she was. I went to an event she did for some mental health awareness, which is not something I would normally do. I saw a bunch of people get up and discuss, very candidly, their struggles with a variety of mental health disorders. Then I discovered my friend attempted suicide several years back. She's an incredibly beautiful, successful, high functioning girl and I never expected it.

Several months later, I began to deal with my own difficulties, sort of out of the blue. It was something I had never dealt with before and it was something I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. I remember taking Zoloft that the doctor prescribed me and I couldn't stand the way it made me feel. It was awful. And some people have to use that shit say by day, just to get by.

It's nothing with which I struggle now, so stop throwing your Xanax at me. I'm very thankful for that.

But, feel free to share stories or just give support to any bipolar bears out there you may know. It's a hard thing to go through and so many people do so alone and under the scrutiny of the eyes of those who don't understand. I admit to being one of those people, until I saw a friend share her story.

If you do have struggles and you need help, don't be afraid to ask. You'll be surprised how many people have dealt with the same shit. Life is bad, at times. And sometimes people suck. We wouldn't judge someone who went to the doctor and took medicine because they had a the flu. Or herpes, like Default. (I'll teach you to steal my Titcoin)


Pink Floyd- Comfortably Numb

https://youtu.be/_FrOQC-zEog

 

[Fermina_Daza]

Pinesol. That stuff will be the last thing on the shelves after all this craziness.
That right next to the milk and honey SoftSoap.
Nows the time to buy some P&G stock, I need to talk to a fella about this.

My boss cut everyone loose today at 3:00 pm to go do panic shopping. Clearly the man hasn’t likely done his own grocery shopping in decades. Shelves are empty.

Lord pmann is gonna get a little serious this morning.

One thing that is very rarely discussed is mental health issues. There is a stigma around this that is hard to shake. It isn't accepted in society to say that you suffer with mental illness or anxiety or depression or whatever your issue is.

(Snipped) It was something I had never dealt with before and it was something I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy.

Pink Floyd- Comfortably Numb

https://youtu.be/_FrOQC-zEog

Sadly, someone used my struggles with depression and anxiety against me - to hurt me and disparage me to others. Fucked up shit there. People suck.

The past few months have been ridiculously hard and I have felt a bit “comfortably numb” or on auto-pilot. I’ve had people ask how I handle J’s health and keep going and I forget how much work it is. And that’s when I start feeling the weight of it all.

Ugh, new topic for me. Stomach knots. Where is the quicksand porn thread again?

 

[Endless_Night]

< Just remember to bring your own bog paper.

I'll ship a case forward.

< Sadly, someone used my struggles with depression and anxiety against me - to hurt me and disparage me to others. Fucked up shit there. People suck. >

Yeah, they do sometimes. And, sympathy. That is just so unacceptable.

 

[Endless_Night]

Tough subject, Pmann.

Mental health issues were heavily frowned upon in our family. You had problems, you kept it to yourself. And there were problems aplenty.

Grad school opened the door for me. I found myself surrounded by high-functioning neurodivergent types. People who were open about their issues and situation.

*boom*

What an eye opener.

I’m a high-anxiety type. One that eschews medication. I manage through lots of exercise and controlled diet. Crowds and me-specific stressors, I do my best to avoid. If I overload myself to the point of a crash, I will resort to meds. For a short period. That’s happened twice. They act as a reset. ADHD meds work for me. Strange, I know, but there you go.

Whether you medicate or self-manage, it’s SO IMPORTANT to get the help you need.

My particular generation has an older and younger set. I am part of the older group, one of three. We were born to very young, very unstable parents., which was…not helpful to anyone’s mental situation. Ten years ago my two cohorts made suicide attempts. One succeeded. The other recently - and narrowly - failed a second attempt.

Some nights I can’t sleep, waiting for the third try.

Help is available, but not if you can’t get past an established stigma of needing help.


(No-one quote this, please. I may not leave it up. Thanks. )

 

[Lord Pmann]

While this is a hard topic, the reason that it has such a stigma is because so many suffer in silence. I don’t think it’s appropriate to talk about it ad nauseam. I don’t mention it often. I don’t tell a lot of people. But, sometimes people need to know they are validated. And they’re not alone.

Thank you, ladies, for your posts. I would encourage you to leave them up.

 

[aussiegeekygal]

Very good topic, p-dribble.

I'm not shy to discuss my health, and my mental health plays a huge factor in those conversations. I'm determined to break down social shame and stigma associated with mental health struggles. As I said to a good friend just yesterday, you wouldn't think twice and seeing a doctor for a broken arm so you shouldn't hesitate to reach out for a broken brain. Pain is pain.

When I was 21 I was institutionalized.
At the time it was shocking but it was necessary. I was under a tremendous amount of pressure in multiple areas in my life and I didn't listen to my body and pushed through every single warning sign until I went into complete shut down. I don't remember the exact circumstances that warranted my mandated convalescence, but I stopped eating and sleeping days before I ended up in hospital.

I spent a few weeks in intensive care learning to live with myself and graduated into an outpatient mental health program that supported me for another 12 months as I finished my University degree.

I don't say this lightly- access to care and a lack of stigma surrounding that care saved my life. I would not be here if it weren't for the wonderful folk who intervened and nursed me back to health.

Another very positive outcome from this intervention at a young age was I learnt skills that have helped me almost every day since I left the hospital. I have been under some tremendous stress in my career (I was a physicist involved in a recent nuclear meltdown, I've been to warzones, patients put their lives in my hands as they trust me to treat them, etc) and I have the enormous capability of performing and thriving where others couldn't simply because of my illness.

I still struggle with depression and anxiety. It creeps up on me at times and reminds me and my brain that it's there. But I've learnt to recognise signs and symptoms sooner and take calm, effective action. I also am blessed to be in a position to help others in crisis, simply because I'm willing to share my story and extend empathy as needed.

There is nothing wrong with you if you struggle with your mental health. These thoughts are indiscriminate. It's also not a problem if you've never struggled with mental health issues. Just like diabetes, some of us are more susceptible than others.

In the end, kindness and empathy really matter. You don't have to fully understand what it's like to live with PTSD, bipolar, personality disorders, depression and/or anxiety. But I do ask that you listen to those stories and reserve judgement.

 

[Sh75]

This is a great topic and one that i believe cannot be discussed or highlighted enough. While i believe the veil of secrecy and shame regarding mental health is slowly being lifted, we still have a long way to go and the only way to keep on the path of destigmatising this issue is awareness, discussion and education.
While i am thankfully not amongst the growing numbers of people who suffer from mental health, i have had my struggles dealing with the effect of it on my loved ones. Bi polar ultimately claimed the life of my father and members of my immediate family deal with the scourge of mental illness on a daily basis, so this really is a topic close to my heart.
Without a doubt, the perception of and the response to those living with this, from those around them can have untold ramifications. This is why education, awareness, understanding and compassion are key. As Pmann alluded to, it's totally acceptable for someone with a broken arm to not be able to work, but judgement is too often cast at those who for all intents and purposes look "fine" on the outside but are crumbling inside.
Always be sure to keep the lines of communication open.
Don't be afraid to bring the subject up or ask someone if they are ok.
Don't try to fix them, they aren't broken.
Don't tell someone to just be happy, it is not a choice thats being made to not feel happy.
Be aware that a lot of people with mental illness will live with it for their whole lives but with the right support will learn to manage it. So be patient
Educate yourself to be better equipped to offer support.
Don't feel like you have to have solutions or answers, just listen and validate feelings.
And most importantly just let it be known that in you, a place of love, safety and acceptance exists.

Another great song dude.