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from the would-you-like-to-talk-about-it? dept.
How to keep your sanity when you feel like the world is going crazy:
Hi there. How are you feeling today?
It's a loaded question right now. Many of us are having extraordinary feelings in response to extraordinary times. Hundreds of millions of people here in the United States and around the world are doing their best to help contain the spread of novel coronavirus disease COVID-19 by following World Health Organization and Centers for Disease Control guidelines and, bluntly, staying the heck away from other people.
Even for a born introvert like yours truly, the era of prolonged, enforced social distancing is hard. Folks are either stuck at home alone, stuck at home with their families, or still having to go out into the world every day to work—either because their work is vital or their employers are being stubborn—and all the while, we're being buffeted by government warnings and endless waves of frightening news.
In short: right now, we're all exchanging some measure of our mental health in order to preserve our own and others' physical health, and that has limits. We're all in this together, for several weeks and months, if not longer, and basically, we need to avoid driving ourselves and each other crazy if we're going to get through it.
That, of course, is easier said than done. To that end, we called up mental health experts to ask what, realistically, we should all be doing to help ourselves and others.
(Score: 0, Redundant) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 23 2020, @04:09AM (12 children)
I'm guessing most people at least in the back of their minds understand that. However in addition to that, we have our governments saddling millions of us with mass unemployment and house arrest. The edicts change by the hour. That, I guarantee you, is where the real freakout among the people comes from.
(Score: 0, Redundant) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 23 2020, @04:24AM (1 child)
And to be clear, our civil rights have been suspended. That is very disconcerting to Americans who grew up believing we had "natural" rights of free speech and movement.
Say you suffer from government intrusion on your rights. Even if you could get a hearing in these times, the judge may just throw out your case and tell you to STFU because "national emergency".
Completely unrelated, I'm watching TV and half the commercials seem to be for paper cleaning products which are unavailable at the local store.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Monday March 23 2020, @07:04AM
Not much point to the blue bears fondling all that toilet paper when it's not in the store!
(Score: 5, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 23 2020, @04:32AM (3 children)
House arrest? You mean mandatory quarantine for infected people? Or do you mean self-isolation because someone has been exposed to someone who tested positive?
Personally, I don't want those folks out in the street. Nor should you -- they'll just get more people sick faster, overloading our already stretched medical resources.
Or are you talking about "shelter in place" directives? I don't know about where you live, but that's not "house arrest." That's stay away from other people. Go to the store/pharmacy/doctor if you need to do so, go out and get exercise too -- just *stay away* from other people.
Which means exercising alone (running/biking?), but no *team* sports/games. It means don't use public transportation unless it's absolutely necessary.
That's most certainly not *house arrest*, unless you've been confirmed to be infected -- which isn't really enough, the experts say we should isolate those folks from the community -- as China did, by force in some cases. There's none of that here.
Stop freaking out about shit that just isn't true! We have enough to worry about without spreading misinformation.
As for the job losses and economic impact, that's going to be a *huge* problem in the US. Most people don't have even a couple months of expenses saved up.
Strong action needs to be taken, and some states are doing just that, by requiring paid sick leave, expanding unemployment benefits, restricting banks and landlords from foreclosing/evicting people who can't pay and restricting utilities from cutting off electricity/gas/water/Internet during this crisis.
But we need strong leadership from the Federal government and we're not getting it yet.
So yes, you're right. There are plenty of things to worry about, but freaking out isn't going to resolve those issues. And spreading misinformation just makes things worse.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 23 2020, @06:05AM (1 child)
What you call misinformation is reality in Italy, and soon will be reality in your state.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 23 2020, @06:15AM
Doubtful.
You must not be an American.
(Score: 2) by Beryllium Sphere (r) on Monday March 23 2020, @05:03PM
In at least one state, home confinement ("house arrest") includes breaks for necessary errands and going out to the yard for exercise.
After a friend of a friend came down with a fever and cough I put myself on a no-groceries lockdown. That's stricter but of course justified.
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Monday March 23 2020, @06:50AM (5 children)
You wish it's only that. Those "stimulus packages" of over trillion? When this is over, they'll need to be paid back one way or another.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by black6host on Monday March 23 2020, @11:53AM
That's ok. I'm sure those corporations and people with all the money will be more than happy to to help pay it back. /s
When the bill comes due things are going to change even more for the majority of us. I doubt it will be for the better.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 23 2020, @03:43PM (1 child)
No. It is money legislated into existence. It will be "paid back" in form of all of our savings being diluted by the resulting inflation.
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Monday March 23 2020, @10:16PM
One way or another. We're living on the expense of the future (and it seems the future just called our bluff).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 3, Funny) by Teckla on Tuesday March 24 2020, @12:34PM (1 child)
Fortunately, during the good times, we did the fiscally responsible thing, and paid down the debt, so that we'd be prepared for the inevitable economic downturn.
Oh, wait...
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Tuesday March 24 2020, @12:41PM
Wish I had a "+1 Sad but true" modding option.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford