People With Mental Disorders Explain Which Things They Wish People Better Understood About Them
I have depression. It's not overwhelming, and it's not something that I use to define myself, but it's there, and there are times when it hits me, and it's debilitating.
Not everyone understands why I have depression.
They think that because I have a good life with wonderful friends, a great family, a good job, a nice place to live, and no huge problems I have nothing to be sad about. They don't understand that depression isn't just sadness and that having a good or bad life has little bearing on whether you suffer from depression or not.
Depression isn't the only mental disorder that isn't widely understood. Even the way people with mental disorders feel in general aren't widely understood.
Thanks to one Redditor's great question, Redditors with mental disorders shared what they wish people understood about them.
It all started when Redditor demalejo asked:
"People with mental disorders, what would you like people to understand better about your condition?"
Fatigue
"It's tiring. I'm tired all the time. The amount of effort I have to put into being a functional adult is exhausting. Everything is difficult. Nothing is easy or simple. I'm just so so so tired."
– legoclover
"Yo. Right there with you. Living is exhausting. The weight of it just seems heavier and heavier each day. State of the world is NOT helping."
– Redheaded_Loser
Don't Worry, Be Happy
"Extreme existential anxiety. People say, "Well, you can't change anything, anyway, so why worry?" ...THAT'S WHY I'M WORRIED! IF I COULD CHANGE IT THEN I WOULD JUST DO THAT!"
"I'm much better now, but good Lord."
– newyne
"This. Having debilitating anxiety is so f**king tiring. Every time I stop to think about it, I’m just hit with this wave of “wow imagine what I could do if 70% of my energy wasn’t going towards overthinking, panicking, and stressing.”"
– reefered_beans
Take "Quirk" Out Of Your Vocabulary
"OCD isn't a quirk and you wanting your counters nice and neat isn't a symptom. Constant thoughts that I can't stop and cause a lot of distress are the problem. My house is a dang mess and I really don't care. But needing to say goodnight to my pets in a certain order because they might die if I don't is an issue. Also having distressing and disturbing thoughts that pop up randomly such as sexual, violent, or grotesque thoughts that are not my thoughts and don't align with my beliefs or values. It's not quirky. The only thing relatively quirky is when I twitch or shake my head to erase the thought like an etch a sketch"
– polkaspot36
Not Always As Bad As It Sounds
"My official (along with half a dozen other diags) is "Bipolar II, mixed, with psychotic behavior" which made me super uncomfortable at first because, you know... connotation everyone has with the term psychotic. It took me some time to accept that particular part."
"Sometimes they get really bad, but 90% of the time my hallucinations and delusions are pretty mild to the point it took me ages to figure out that's what was going on. Mostly visual and auditory, occasionally other things. For visual, I see things move that don't or aren't there, especially shadows. For the auditory it's usually more muffled like if someone was having a conversation in the other room or left a TV or radio on. TV on in the same room I'm in helps drown out the noises and gives enough of a visual distraction to help.The delusions I can usually recognize on some level that's what they are, but going through them is awful because I can't logic my way out of them and convince myself that's all they are. This awful cycle of "this seems farfetched, it's probably a delusion... but what if it's not? But it doesn't make sense and here's why.... but what if it actually makes PERFECT sense?? Here's everything that backs up this being absolutely 100% real and here's everything that proves what you're saying to disprove it is wrong." Just have to ride them out."
"Medication, nearly two decades of therapy, and a whole massive toolbox of coping mechanisms and I'm okay more often than not. Though it has gotten bad enough in the past to have a rough crisis plan. Figure it's better to plan for a worst case scenario and give trusted people an idea of "this means it's getting bad" and steps I'd like them to take if I can't recognize I'm at that point."
"Another thing I wish people understood about bipolar is it's not really an instant switch in mood but longer term episodes of extreme highs and lows. And that the highs and lows look different than what most people imagine, too, particularly the high/manic episodes. I think depressive episodes are pretty obvious to most people nowadays. But manic is not just lots of energy and feel-good happytimes. It can be incredibly destructive and even dangerous."
– CalamitousCass
Look It Up
"The difference between “psychosis” and “psychopath.” I see and hear things that aren’t there. I don’t have daydreams about putting you in a microwave. Learn the difference."
– Sethrial
It's Not About Focus
"The ADHD brain is physically and chemically different than a "neurotypical" brain. The thing is, without neurodivergencies like ADHD, ASD, etc., advancements in science, technology, even economics and agriculture, would not have evolved to the level we currently have."
"I also want to add, it's BS the way people treat people with ADHD. As prolific as it is, and with all the research and growing understanding, they're still told "if you'd only focus", "you can hold still if you really try", and other crap. ADHD can be disabling and has an effect on every part of someone's life. Quit writing them off."
– MoJoHusband
Everybody Hurts
"That every time I am angry or upset, it’s not “just my [insert relevant mental illness here]”. Sometimes I have every right and reason to be furious or in tears, just like anyone else does, and brushing off my emotions as a symptom is hurtful and damaging."
– frau-fremdschamen
You Can't Help Me!
"That I don't fully understand it myself, but getting advice from a mentally healthy person who has no understanding of it is frustratingly useless."
– TheRichTurner
"Can't tell you how many times peaple were just like "it's common sense you will get it. You just need to keep trying" meanwhile 12 year old me is fantasizing about putting my pencil though the teachers neck because all of the black squiggles on the page don't make sense unless I have a colored filter over them. That she won't let me use because it's "distracting.""
– Hickawa
I Need A Little Time
"Certain folks in my family get so frustrated when I have to call off something because I’m having a bad day mentally. I don’t want to miss Fun Thing either, but I have had this my entire life and I know when I can push through it and when I absolutely cannot. I hate it as much as they do!"
– StargazerNataku
"Absolutely. If I don't show up to something every once in a while, it's for your protection as well as mine. Nobody wants to see me have a mental breakdown because I pushed myself too hard to do something that day."
"Sometimes, having mental health issues means I need to wait for it to pass. I need as little stimulus as possible to have control over myself in those times. This is me, dealing with it, so I can go back to being the person everyone likes."
– OfficeChairHero
There's No Magic Solution
"Taking medication is not some magical fix. I'm still sick."
– m0rgan_jamiie
"Exactly. Going to therapy and doing the work doesn’t mean that my mental health issues are going to magically disappear! I once had someone in my family ask me how long it will take for my anxiety, PTSD, depression etc to “go” away completely since I was on medication and in therapy. It was the most painful conversation I had to have without offending them. I will always have what I’ve been diagnosed with and I’m going to live with them forever, I just know how to manage it well on some days and can’t manage them on other days. Stop expecting me to wake up and be a new person just because I’m in therapy."
– OkTennis2366
Alone Time
"That having my routine broken causes a massive amount of stress and fear so I tend to respond poorly to tense situations because my brain can't connect with others."
"Great that they find stress relief with others, I find it with my video games and I can't take that with me so smoking is how I handle an overwhelming amount of it. Not a great method but it works for now."
– Brontolope11
It's More Than Sadness
"Being depressed is not "Oh, you're just sad.""
"No, it physically hurts on my worst days, and sometimes it's really hard to get out of bed because of it."
"It's also difficult to find something to do some days when mine is bad. I'll literally just sit there and stare at something for a while."
"My son will want to go outside, and I just don't want to because my depression makes it so that I don't feel like doing anything."
"Depression can physically be painful, and it's "not just in your head.""
– StrangerFeelings
It's Not Your Fault
"Parents: ADHD and other disorders are not a negative reflection on you as a parent. You don't have "the bad kid" who gets in trouble all the time. You have a kid with a health condition that makes their life harder that needs diagnosis and treatment. Nobody would think of their kid as an embarrassment for having asthma or poor eyesight or diabetes."
"Get your head out of the sand and your ego out of your kid's health."
– I_RATE_BIRDS
We're All Trying To Get Through
"I am trying so hard. So f**king hard. Please just be patient with me."
I think that might be the most important thing to understand!
Many people in the workforce have complained about being tired and overworked in their jobs.
Because there is no other alternative to getting that weekly paycheck, workers in many industries endure the stresses of the job.
But what if the companies these exhausted employees work for could hypothetically alleviate their work-related stresses and anxiety by reducing their work hours?
Could you be on board?
Curious to hear what strangers online would think about modifications to their work schedule, Redditor LanaDelCoochie asked:
"Do you believe in the 4 day work week? Why or why not?"
People mentioned how poor time management was more problematic.
Marking Time
"Some jobs are literally waiting for something to happen."
– Leeiteee
Working Efficiently
"I don’t mind working if I’m busy, but sitting somewhere staring at a clock waiting for the time when I’m ‘allowed’ to leave drives me crazy. If there’s nothing for me to do, let me go home. You’re just wasting my time and your money."
– uglyuglydog
Slow Shift
"I'm food service, my first store was so slow I only needed 2 people in the afternoon. I intentionally worked 11-2 then 5-11 just so I didn't have to twiddle my thumbs and clean already clean things for 3 hours each day."
– BlueNinjaTiger
Stress Of Killing Time
"My current job (the contract for which expires next Friday, but is up for negotiation tomorrow) is 15-20h WFH at my convenience. I wake up at 3am, log in, and work until everyone else in my house gets up- usually, 7. If I need to add some hours, I log in again while my toddler is at preschool."
"A few years ago, when I worked for this same company, I was tied to a desk in a poorly-renovated school building and very frequently had nothing to do. I cannot tell you how many books I read during my days at my desk in the summer with nothing to do. I browsed Reddit a fair amount, sure, but it was easier to leave a Kindle window open just a sliver next to an Excel spreadsheet to look busy. I re-read a few of my favorites; I read many new things."
"But it was so maddeningly frustrating to be stuck inside at work with literally nothing to do, waiting for anything to come to my inbox!!"
– WomanOfEld
People discuss the pros and cons of working remotely.
Benefits Of Working From Home
'If there’s nothing for me to do, let me go home.'
"Which is one of the reasons I've liked working from home since Covid started. If things are slow and I don't have anything to do, I can relax for a bit and wait for stuff to pick up."
– Surax
Being Productive While At Home
"100%. I'm newish at my current job, so I try to be in the office as much as I can. But if it's a slow week and I already foresee my Thursday/Friday being slow- I'm staying home. I'm still doing what I have to do, but I can simultaneously do other things like read or watch something without feeling guilty, do some laundry, hang with my dog, etc. After my first full year I will most likely be normalizing this to be my Friday each week at the very least."
"On the other side of the spectrum, my last job was fully remote and I was a little too bored and also didn't push to do anything beyond my basic responsibilities, so that was very unhealthy. It's good to be at least moderately productive and accept a new challenge every now and again. I basically did nothing for 2 straight years."
– daveblu92
It's A Preference
"I totally get why people love it, but I am so unproductive at home it‘s crazy. Tried nearly every trick in the book, but when it comes down to it just going to somewhere else for work does the trick for me."
"I think working from home is a nice tool, but it certainly isn‘t a solution for everyone. And even working from home a 4 day week makes a big difference."
– Ulldra
Not For Everybody
"For me, I am discovering the reason for my unproductivity is lack of interest in the work. Like, if I go into the office then I feel I have to make it worth it by getting the work done. If I am working from home though... I feel so unproductive because I just don't care. Like I could get the work done easier while nobody is interrupting but instead I interrupt myself."
"I've got one more week in the current job then I start a new one where I actually feel interested in what I will be doing there. Who knows how long that will last for but it just feels more like something I'd like to think about than twiddling my thumbs."
"Not the case for everybody but something to consider."
– Libriomancer
The limited work schedule seemed to please a good majority of people.
The Popular Opinion
"You might be surprised. I work with a lot of folks who still do the five-day work week, but all of them have been incredibly respectful and accommodating of our 4-day week. They ask me to schedule a meeting or call on a Friday, I reply with 'I don't work on Fridays, what other options work for you?' and they invariably give me other options without batting an eye. And frequently say 'I wish we were on a 4-day week, too.'"
– Mehitabel9
The Thing About Fridays
"It’s because even people who 'work on friday' don’t really work on Friday. Especially if your office has a WFH policy, 90% of the company will be from home on a Friday. And 95% of that group is signing off at 1pm, and breezing through their morning/just shaking their mouse. Just watch peoples skype statuses on Fridays lol."
"And even before Covid when I had to go into the office on Friday, it was well recognized that Fridays were for chilling. You don’t schedule a 3pm friday meeting."
– Count_Rostov_
Worker Burnout
"Yes worker burn out is real."
"So much work in offices is just created to fill time, make things more efficient, pay people the same, get the same amount done with happier workers."
– lemons_of_doubt
Opinions varied across the board since different jobs come with specific demands.
But the overall complaint had to do with the mismanaging of time, with many arguing if there was no further work to be done at an office, employees should be sent home.
Conversely, even a handful of those who worked remotely had the itch to be in a less distracting environment.
Personally, I'd rather be working from home than inside a cubicle at a job location–even though the latter may be more conducive to work efficiency.
What are your thoughts?
People Divulge The Most Genuine Things You Can Say To Someone Suffering From Depression
Depression sucks.
It's hard to live with and near impossible to overcome.
I know, I struggle everyday.
It's always appreciative to have people who "try" to empathize.
But often the sentiment doesn't fit the delivery.
There are ways to comfort a sad person that doesn't make it worse.
I know you're trying your best.
But let's make your best... the greatest.
RedditorHeavy-Strain32wanted to discuss the best ways to help a person suffering.
They asked:
"What's the most genuine thing you can say to a person going through depression?"
I always appreciate someone willing to cry with me. That is a big help. Just a suggestion.
Genuine
‘"It’s really difficult isn’t it.' I loved this line that my therapist said when I was sharing my struggles. There was no judgment, no advice, just felt like I was genuinely being heard."
xlOREOlx
Season 4 Hug GIF by Good GirlsGiphyBest Way
"This is like my favorite show of sympathy/empathy I've ever witnessed. Zuko hearing Sokka tell him about his girlfriend: "that's rough, buddy."
"Not saying sorry for your loss and putting the weight of saying 'it's ok' on the one experiencing the pain, no 'here's a relevant story of mine to show how I can relate' just..."
"'Sh*t man, the thing you went through was rough and you're justified for feeling this way.'"
Exodan
I miss that guy...
"My boss once said to me 'there's nothing wrong with what you're feeling - you're sick. And it's not something that's easy to live with. don't feel bad because you have an illness you can't fix - you wouldn't expect someone with cancer to feel bad, would you?' He then gave me a man hug and we had beers and a vent session for three hours. I miss that guy."
frothy_Wombat
Basics
“I’m grilling tonight, wanna come over?”
"Honestly, when I’ve been depressed there is a double layer of shame. Being treated as a friend just like any other made it feel like I was still part of society and community. Being treated with mittens makes you feel even more worthless and a pariah."
ThinkIGotHacked
Love
"I love you buddy. Friend of mine said it to me when I was struggling. It was instantly disarming of my bad thoughts and still resonates with me now. I find it hard to say myself though as I never really had a male role model growing up."
alidaf
Happy Season 3 GIF by FriendsGiphyAll great suggestions so far. Empathy is easy...
Possibilities
"Anything that isn't a variation of 'think positive.' The illness makes it literally impossible. I liked to hear that I still meant something to the people in my life, despite me not being able to give."
raxeira-etterath
Sacha Baron Cohen Thumbs Up GIF by Amazon Prime VideoGiphyThe Moments
"It's the hugs that don't even need said. At my last job I was in a dark place at the time and slipping back into depression. My blow up at work went from work issues to issues in my life and I didn't realize how far I went and my sauté guy held me. It's the most human moment I've had and it broke me in a good way. Sometimes just having a moment of that same feeling of connection, physical or not, can be what saves and/or helps that person."
Bfab94
no obligation...
"I’m not the best person to come to with these problems so when people around me do have that I always tell them the same thing, 'Want to go fishing? I’m bringing a grill and some charcoal.'"
2Agunsarearight
"We all get taken off guard, especially if you didn’t notice any changes in their behavior before. Often just a simple invite to hang out (no obligation) can be enough to remind somebody they aren’t alone and have a friend."
JakeFromFarmState1
“I understand”
"Lots of conflicting stuff here, because I’m seeing many suggest 'I understand' - but to me I hated hearing that. I always felt like 'no you don’t. You may know what it’s like to be in your own version of hell, but not mine.' For me, I think I always preferred those who said 'I want to try to understand' or just a simple 'love you' or 'want to hang out and not talk to each other at all and watch scrubs?'"
Iamdogfather
Simple
"I might not understand what you're going through, but I'm here for you and I love you."
tarkinlarson
I Love You GIF by Taylor SwiftGiphyWays to be there. Chapter One....
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*The following article contains discussion of suicide/self-harm.
Let's face it unless you get paid to do what you love, most jobs are stressful.
And as much as we'd like to walk away from jobs that take up too much of our time and take a toll on our bodies, we toil away because it pays the bills.
Most people are very lucky to have a job, even if they complain about the long hours. But is there a breaking point when a person decides it's time to walk away?
Curious to hear from strangers online, Redditor r4y4d0 asked:
"Would you quit a job for mental health? Why or why not?"
For these Redditors the decision to quit is better than the alternative.
No-Brainer
"Buddy, people quit life over mental health. Of course I’d quit a job for it."
– Catburglar1987
"I've quit jobs because of mental health twice. The second time was after a very close call on the quitting life front (close enough to involve psych emergency services)."
"2 years later I still don't feel safe returning to office work (certain personal factors and the fact that it happened in 2 out of the 2 full time jobs I've ever had make me worried I'm at too high a risk of it happening again for my comfort). Luckily I have a good remote work option now due to contacts and goodwill made at job #2. I know at one stage I'm going to have to up the therapy and bite the bullet but now ain't it."
– Aenthralled
Beware The Burnout
"You can quit to get ahead of the burnout. I've burnt out before and it sucks. I recently found myself going down the same path so I dropped a uni course and asked my boss to move me to less emotionally stressful work. It worked! So I would say it is not 'the same picture' because quitting for mental health might save you from a lot of misery."
– Cytokine_storm
Workplace anxiety raised blood pressure to dangerous levels.
But Before Quitting...
"I DID quit a job for my mental health. They replaced me with three people. My blood pressure dropped 10 points in a week."
"Find another job before you quit if you can, though."
– deagh
Diet And Excercise Can Only Do So Much
"Yep. My partner was flagged with alarmingly high blood pressure by the doc recently. We went scorched earth and cut out almost all sodium, ate 90% vegetables, worked out every day."
"Blood pressure didnt start dropping until after they got laid off and lost their stressful job 🥴"
"Take care of yourselves, guys."
– sardine7129
"It's 100% My Job"
"My doc recently tripled my BP med dose, added another BP med, and talked to me about a low sodium diet."
"I lost a kidney 22 yrs ago. The Nephrologist was VERY clear that I needed to watch my salt intake and keep it low. Which I have been since then. I've been in the hospital before because it was so low, lol."
"Just started BP meds this year. It's 100% my job. Healthcare workers are quitting left and right. We've lost 16 people in my department because they got tired of administration BS. Work is a garbage fire right now. I'm jumping this ship as soon as I find another job."
– Tiny_Teach_5466
People continued strongly advising others to put their mental and physical well-being first.
"My wife quit her job over mental health...and the job paid about CDN$160k."
"It saved our marriage, her relationship with our kids, her friendships, and herself."
"So ya...people do it."
– Marlowebabe
Damaging Consequences
"I didn’t do this and faced the consequences. Worked till the lights went out, even though I had serious anxiety and depression because of my job."
"When the lights finally went out, I’ve spent 2.5 years at home with a severe burn out and a depression."
"I urge everyone to put their mental and physical health above their work. It isn’t worth it. Don’t be like me."
– Daanvann
"Don't Be Miserable"
"F'k yes I've done it so many times in my life! The whole point of living is to find happiness and purposes that make you happy. Don't be miserable and end up like the managers of the places you've worked in. That sh*t follows you home even if you try to bury it. Everyone is affected by it especially family members they notice your tone change."
– meatusdeletus91
Triggering Trauma
"I quit the best paying job I’ve ever had for mental health reasons. I was getting paid about $600 every payday (not much, but it was decent for a part time job), but that money didn’t prevent me from having full on breakdowns in the bathroom after my bosses/managers screamed at me in front of the customers. It was so intense that it reminded me of my abusive childhood."
– Toasty825
"Best Decision Ever Made"
"I did it once. Best decision I ever made. Once I realised I was dreading going to work each day, i realised it was time to go. I had been looking around and got a different job, same role in a different company (bonus: for more money!) and put in my notice that day. My life transformed overnight. I literally thought there was something wrong with me and I just wasn’t adjusting to ‘life at work’ after uni and was depressed. Turns out, no, the company I worked for was just f'king depressing. Turns out it’s possible for companies to be nice to work for and are filled with nice people who nice to each other. Crazy!
"Since then, I would ALWAYS tell somebody to ditch a job for their mental health. Just get online and see what’s out there. Only ever leave a job for a job though, I think. Financial instability won’t help your mental state."
– Ilovecheesenwine
Redditors were pretty much unanimous in strongly suggesting people leave their stressful jobs before it's too late.
While the decision to quit is not easy one to make, it's worth looking into other jobs in the meantime that won't cause as much emotional distress.
If you or someone you know is struggling, you can contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
To find help outside the United States, the International Association for Suicide Prevention has resources available at https://www.iasp.info/resources/Crisis_Centres/
How many people out there overthink things? Quite a few. One study found that 73 percent of adults between the ages of 25 and 35 overthink, as do 52 percent of 45 to 55-year-olds.
Wild, huh?
Well, if you overthink, then you're not alone. Oh, and you're probably well-prepared for some situations that others are not.
We heard all about these and more after Redditor Adventurous_Program6 asked the online community:
"Overthinkers of Reddit, what unlikely scenario actually came true that you were completely prepared for?"
"Moved my family..."
"Moved my family from Kyiv to the safe place before the war started. Did this completely independently (not as company policy etc.) and with my family PROTESTING and not believing the war would begin."
ingroknow
This was an excellent call, understandably. Hope you continue to stay safe.
"I can grab..."
"I can grab the critical documents, computer backups, laptops, clothes, water, wife and dog and be on the road in 10 minutes or less. Proved I can do it when a forest fire overran the city. I've added a couple of gas cans to the process now as well."
betelgeux
Look at you! You know how to stay cool under significant pressure. Glad to hear you're safe.
"I convinced my family..."
"I convinced my family to let me install a motion activated light + camera in our alleyway as I spent lots of time in the garage and always thought to myself someone would come in murder me or something like that while I was working in there."
"Anyways, fast forward about 2 weeks after they let me install everything - I’m in there painting and I hear some motion in the alley and heard the motion light turn on, turned to check the camera monitor beside me and low and behold - there was a group of 3-4 teenagers and one of them was taking a s*it on my driveway."
"Ah to be young again lmao, but yeah to this day my fam still has that camera and light + extras around the property even though I’m gone."
Homeless_Alex
It's always good to have cameras in visible places!
"I overthink what to do..."
"I overthink what to do in the event of being kidnapped or being in an event that could lead to a kidnapping. Anytime I'm on the sidewalks at a late hour, someone knows. Call it paranoia."
"Walked home at 3 a.m. at a college campus, and a truck in the parking lot turned their lights on or they were on and turned off. Either way, it caught my attention. Someone got out of the car and joined me on the sidewalk a few yards behind me."
"I text the girl who knew I was walking my phone number and told her to call me immediately. I said hello loudly, announced my exact location and implied that we were going to be seeing each other soon. The guy broke off--I don't know where he went."
"I don't know if it was all in my head or not. All I know is that I'm still alive."
TheUnwelcomeTagalong
"Border closing..."
"Border closing between Canada and the USA. I'm in Canada, and like a lot of Canadians, have a PO Box across the border where a lot of things get shipped to. I had just had a few things arrive, and decided it was smartest to just go across after work to grab my stuff instead of waiting for the weekend (was going to do a grocery shop but that would have added 1.5 hours to the trip, whereas just picking up packages could be done in 7 mins)."
"Spoke with the agents for each side, and everyone was laughing off the idea the border would shut down. It was closed 2 days later."
LegitimateChart289
Sounds like you got the last laugh... though we've all seen how the last two years have played out.
"It was a surreal day."
"I watched some first aid videos when I was working daycare. I watched them multiple times. A week later one of our young toddlers had a febrile seizure. My co teacher froze."
"I got the kid out of the feeding table seat and got him on the floor. Director called the paramedics and mom. I stayed with him and gave info to the paramedics (no idea how I remembered his info). It was a surreal day."
EstelSnape
Great job! That must heve been so scary.
"I mentally prepare for conversations/arguments with people (usually work-related) by mapping out what I want to say beforehand. I think of every possible response that might catch me off guard and have a plan to respond or to deflect the conversation away from points I’m not prepared to address."
"It helps me because I have pretty high anxiety and sometimes get flustered speaking, especially during confrontations. I have been known in the past to redirect non-urgent, unexpected work to text/email so I can have time to carefully respond rather than trying to cobble together my thoughts on the fly."
"It’s rough sometimes because you have to play through a lot of worst-case scenarios, but it helps me because I’m ready to deal with most situations and have a plan for setbacks ready to go. And the more experience I get working with some people, the more predictable they become so it just gets easier to narrow the range of responses down."
PickleStandard
It sounds like you've found a system that works for you!
"I always..."
"I always have an escape plan. I keep a go-bag with clothes, cash, a list of pertinent login/password info and a tablet/charger. It's within arm's reach right now."
"And every time I go to a party or otherwise large gatherings I figure my way out should s*it go down. I've had too many dramatic friends; I want to be able to peace out or do an Irish goodbye at a moment's notice if people blow up."
"A few times it came in handy, but the most prescient was a party a frat house. Never been there before but came with some friends and one of those friends had her little 16-year-old brother along with us and he had a backpack with our booze in it."
"Cops got called on the place (probably noise complaint) and once I heard them coming up I literally grabbed both my friends and the kid and said "bail" and led them out the back sliding glass door and through a field and navigated our way back towards our apartment areas."
"Found out after the fact there were a handful of fines and drug arrests but I made us all bolt because I didn't want the kid to get stuck with an MIP while visiting his sister."
DangerCakes13
Great and quick thinking! You could have definitely ended up in a worse situation.
"We had MREs..."
"I'm not a full-blown prepper, but I'm a fan of apocalyptic stories and games and figure that while I don't need to be ready for a zombie apocalypse, there's reason to have survival supplies around the house. My wife and I made jokes with each other, but that didn't stop me from buying extra supplies."
"The pandemic hits, along with some power outages, and we realized that we really didn't need to leave the house. We had food supplies, lots of toiletries, 12 months of insulin for my son, a generator and extra gasoline to keep the sump pump running and the mini-fridge with the insulin cool."
"We had MREs that I'd purchased for paintball games. Oh...cats need to eat too, right? We had catfood backups. We had liquor that was jokingly for "trade when the zombies hit", and we enjoyed mixed drinks and game nights with the kids."
"Seriously, while the pandemic had a tremendous impact on many people in the world, it was one of the most enjoyable periods I've had with the family. No trips or social events. No panic buying. No emergency medications that we hadn't prepared for. No need to leave the house for anything, and everything we needed and wanted at our fingertips."
"In fact, the pandemic was almost like a test run for a more serious event. MASKS! We never stocked up on masks...you know... zombies bite, aren't a big thing, right?"
"In short, the preparation that I was making in support of my family as a father and husband, turned out to be no laughing matter. While other families were telling stories of wiping their butts with newspaper and rags, we had dozens of rolls.
"While others looked at their shrinking pantry, we were enjoying a variety of meals that we now had time to cook and prepare. While others were store hoping to stock up, we were playing family games and organizing our supplies."
"Before, I was slightly embarrassed about my "mini-prepper" disaster preparedness angst. Now? I feel like super-dad. This was especially true when looking at my son with Type-1 diabetes. He damn-near cried when I told him that we could go a year without leaving the house for anything."
ap1msh
Indeed, while many people have suffered through the pandemic, others have thrived. Count yourself among the lucky ones!
It's quite the world out there–and anything can happen. It might be worth keeping an overthinker around. Their skills can definitely come in handy!
Have some experiences of your own? Feel free to tell us more in the comments below!
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