Things you do to move forward during tough times.
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brianlux
Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 43,640
Now that we are living in what Henry Rollins termed "an actual insane asylum", what things do you do to cope? Naturally, we all want to DO something, but most of us haven't figured out exactly what that looks like yet, so in the meantime, most of us are more focused on coping. So let's talk about the things you do to keep or get yourself centered.
Back in the early 1980's, I worked at a college bookstore with a young man named Scott who had a very effective method for blowing off steam. Just outside the store, there was a mailbox (remember mailboxes?). When things really got to Scott, he would go out and open the mailbox shoot, stick his head inside, and holler at the top of his lungs. It worked like a charm. He came back to work with a smile on his face. So as his empathetic boss (rush was a bitch!), I encouraged this behavior. What Scott did looked something like this very crude drawing I included in one of my books (it was drawn spontaneously at that time, so I just kept it and never polished it up).

I highly recommend this therapy but I know it's no longer available to most of us (personally, I medicate with music). So what things do you do to ease the tension of crazy tough times?
"It's a sad and beautiful world"
-Roberto Benigni
Post edited by Kat on
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Aside from driving with loud music. Sometimes talking with a friend and maybe distraction but I've not mastered it yet.
this song is meant to be called i got shit,itshould be called i got shit tickets-hartford 06 -0 -
lastexitlondon said:Aside from driving with loud music. Sometimes talking with a friend and maybe distraction but I've not mastered it yet.All excellent choices, Rob.Distraction for me is usually music, playing Word Trip on my phone, or Hearts on my computer. That's about it. Oh, and doing jigsaw puzzles now and then."It's a sad and beautiful world"-Roberto Benigni0
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I want to fish again and play golf, the body says no but it's a hope
this song is meant to be called i got shit,itshould be called i got shit tickets-hartford 06 -0 -
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Post edited by Spunkie onI was swimming in the Great Barrier Reef
Animals were hiding behind the Coral
Except for little Turtle
I could swear he's trying to talk to me
Gurgle Gurgle0 -
We needed a break from the toxic school Nd guess what bullying occurs world fuckin wide now.I was swimming in the Great Barrier Reef
Animals were hiding behind the Coral
Except for little Turtle
I could swear he's trying to talk to me
Gurgle Gurgle0 -
I have a new mantra It's called breathe - in through the nose.I was swimming in the Great Barrier Reef
Animals were hiding behind the Coral
Except for little Turtle
I could swear he's trying to talk to me
Gurgle Gurgle0 -
Sorry, just got the memo.Post edited by brianlux on"It's a sad and beautiful world"-Roberto Benigni0
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Thanks for these great posts already! Very cool! I'll look forward to reading more tomorrow, but right now I'm a week into big-time sleep deprivation and am about to keel over.Nighty night all! xxoo"It's a sad and beautiful world"-Roberto Benigni0
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for me step one is to totally drop watching any news outlet television or reading about current political developments on my phone! That has helped me this last two weeks if I watch television I watch nature documentaries or old fashioned entertainment shows I don’t watch any reality shows or any series on Netflix or what have you, and spend as much time outdoors with our new dog she’s lots of fun and takes me away from the ugliest period in this country of ours! And lastly keep my eye on our plans to make a move when the time comes!jesus greets me looks just like me ....0
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I also stopped watching the news, and I'm focusing my time and energy on the things I can control.
@josevolution congrats on your new dog!0 -
focus on the micro. Like stuckinline said, the things you can control.Go for a walk in nature.Volunteer
garden
play an instrument
go for breakfast at a local restaurant with a loved one
put on a pearl jam bootleg and listen start to finish. Immerse yourself like you were there.
basically everything I could list here I’d consider “getting back to basics”. Do the things you did before life went global.It really is sad that we have to try so hard to be our natural selves now. Life wasn’t meant to be lived on a phone, or, as my parents do now, in front of a tv. But here I am, lying in bed, typing on my phone telling people to put down their phones.I’m gonna go now.Darwinspeed.Hugh Freaking Dillon is currently out of the office, returning sometime in the fall0 -
I hate to say it, but my antidepressants are currently stripping the world of a lot of its joy, and the abundance of its ills aren’t helping. I try to do other things, but I’m just feeling numb these days. Even picking up my guitar feels like a chore, which it hasn’t in over a decade. Hoping for chemical stability soon so I can focus on recovery without the drawbacks of the things that are supposed to help.As for HFD’s comment about our natural selves… I swear can’t even remember who I am sometimes.'05 - TO, '06 - TO 1, '08 - NYC 1 & 2, '09 - TO, Chi 1 & 2, '10 - Buffalo, NYC 1 & 2, '11 - TO 1 & 2, Hamilton, '13 - Buffalo, Brooklyn 1 & 2, '15 - Global Citizen, '16 - TO 1 & 2, Chi 2
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Spunkie said:...It’s cricket season in NZ. Maybe blow off some steam watching Finn Allen launch a couple of sixes?Post edited by Lerxst1992 on0
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benjs said:I hate to say it, but my antidepressants are currently stripping the world of a lot of its joy, and the abundance of its ills aren’t helping. I try to do other things, but I’m just feeling numb these days. Even picking up my guitar feels like a chore, which it hasn’t in over a decade. Hoping for chemical stability soon so I can focus on recovery without the drawbacks of the things that are supposed to help.As for HFD’s comment about our natural selves… I swear can’t even remember who I am sometimes.
this song is meant to be called i got shit,itshould be called i got shit tickets-hartford 06 -0 -
Read a book or rip bong hits. I don't do the latter so reading it is.
The gym is good too.0 -
During my very lowest times, I volunteered for a human trafficking non profit, as well as a local animal rescue. I found it helpful to take focus off myself and put it on others. Even just taking the dogs on walks was a good chance to make their day, move my body and get out in nature.Also helpful was doing things that have brought me joy and pleasure in the past, even the simplest things like a great cup of coffee and a stroll, chatting with a good friend, wearing cozy clothes, burning a great smelling candle..0
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Some things I do...
play with our daughter as much as possible
write songs by myself and with my wife
cook a new recipe
learn a new song on guitar
go for walks in nature
go to the beach
write
blast records on the turntable
talk to my siblings
talk to friends
watch a good movie
watch baseball
chores around the house
write letters to my parents that have passed
breatheI LOVE MUSIC.
www.cluthelee.com
www.cluthe.com0 -
I will probably be out of work sometime in 2025. So I'm going to start looking for jobs now.
Other than that, I make sure to get 40+ mins of cardio 350 days a year (20-mile bikerides when the weather is good and there's enough daylight on weekdays so not many for a while)...it does me good in countless ways.
Get outside more when the Minnesota weather allows.
I'll be doing some cost-cutting but I'll keep my Apple Music subscription. Exploring new music is great.1995 Milwaukee 1998 Alpine, Alpine 2003 Albany, Boston, Boston, Boston 2004 Boston, Boston 2006 Hartford, St. Paul (Petty), St. Paul (Petty) 2011 Alpine, Alpine
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2024 Napa, Wrigley, Wrigley0 -
So many good ideas here folks. It both encourages me to read these and use some of these idea to maintain my sanity in these crazy times. At the same time, it saddens me that there is so much weighing on ours and so many lives.Speaking of crazy, I woke up much too early yet again today thinking about all of the madness we suddenly find ourselves in the midst of. I had this humorous (in a kind of sick way) notion that by electing the felon, American should be 5150'd. 5150 is a California state law that allows for an involuntary psychiatric hospitalization for an adult who is a danger to themselves or others, or who is gravely disabled. We truly are living in an insane asylum. And I know not everyone being affected by this is American. To our non-American friends, I can only offer my sincerest apology. America is fucking up badly, and that will very potentially have far reaching consequences. I am eternally sorry for that. I hope we can somehow find our way back to being more level headed. A hell of a lot of us would like that.
"It's a sad and beautiful world"-Roberto Benigni0 -
I try to stay off of social media and away from the news.
But most of all I spend as much as possible outdoors.
I get to see this on a daily basis. Makes everything else seem like nonsense.
Post edited by Bentleyspop on0 -
Bentleyspop said:I try to stay off of social media and away from the news.
But most of all I spend as much as possible outdoors.
I get to see this on a daily basis. Makes everything else seem like nonsense.jesus greets me looks just like me ....0 -
lastexitlondon said:benjs said:I hate to say it, but my antidepressants are currently stripping the world of a lot of its joy, and the abundance of its ills aren’t helping. I try to do other things, but I’m just feeling numb these days. Even picking up my guitar feels like a chore, which it hasn’t in over a decade. Hoping for chemical stability soon so I can focus on recovery without the drawbacks of the things that are supposed to help.As for HFD’s comment about our natural selves… I swear can’t even remember who I am sometimes.Ben and Rob, I know that numbness as well. Prozac eventually rendered me non-functioning and I ended up voluntarily being hospitalized. I was lucky and had good docs who took me off the Prozac, got me detoxed from Xanax addiction, and got me on Serzone for long enough to get me level, but that drug was discontinued.Meds are a tricky business and my sense is that they work differently on different people. I think I was lucky to have lived through all that business back in that late 90's, but now I'm struggling to find something that helps. I'm taking an herbal extract of mimosa pudica in the morning- it's said to relieve anxiety- but so far it isn't doing much. I should probably use it three times a day instead on once, but it's not cheap. It looks like I just have to be strong willed. I don't tolerate alcohol very well or I would probably be an alcoholic. As it is, I drink more than I should lately. About two glasses of wine or a couple of beers every day doesn't sound like much, but because of my autoimmune condition and my low tolerance, it's probably not good."It's a sad and beautiful world"-Roberto Benigni0
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Bentleyspop said:I try to stay off of social media and away from the news.
But most of all I spend as much as possible outdoors.
I get to see this on a daily basis. Makes everything else seem like nonsense.
Excellent idea. Spending time outdoors and as close to nature as one can is a good antidote to despair. I've been getting out and walking more again and it helps.
"It's a sad and beautiful world"-Roberto Benigni0 -
Think about the inspiration this will give to PJ on their next album.
Except that didn't work too well for Gigaton.0 -
Surf. I don’t know what I’d do without it. Gym and drumming helps too. But nothing is better than the ocean for me both mentally and physically.0
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I had to stop drinking 4 and a half months back
this song is meant to be called i got shit,itshould be called i got shit tickets-hartford 06 -0 -
lastexitlondon said:I had to stop drinking 4 and a half months backHugh Freaking Dillon is currently out of the office, returning sometime in the fall0
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HughFreakingDillon said:lastexitlondon said:I had to stop drinking 4 and a half months back
Remember the Thomas Nine !! (10/02/2018)
The Golden Age is 2 months away. And guess what….. you’re gonna love it! (teskeinc 11.19.24)
1998: Noblesville; 2003: Noblesville; 2009: EV Nashville, Chicago, Chicago
2010: St Louis, Columbus, Noblesville; 2011: EV Chicago, East Troy, East Troy
2013: London ON, Wrigley; 2014: Cincy, St Louis, Moline (NO CODE)
2016: Lexington, Wrigley #1; 2018: Wrigley, Wrigley, Boston, Boston
2020: Oakland, Oakland: 2021: EV Ohana, Ohana, Ohana, Ohana
2022: Oakland, Oakland, Nashville, Louisville; 2023: Chicago, Chicago, Noblesville
2024: Noblesville, Wrigley, Wrigley, Ohana, Ohana; 2025: Pitt1, Pitt20 -
I know we all know but it's everywhere and everything these days and I think when it's enough you do know .
this song is meant to be called i got shit,itshould be called i got shit tickets-hartford 06 -0 -
lastexitlondon said:I know we all know but it's everywhere and everything these days and I think when it's enough you do know .
my son's best friend has lost thousands on those stupid apsRemember the Thomas Nine !! (10/02/2018)
The Golden Age is 2 months away. And guess what….. you’re gonna love it! (teskeinc 11.19.24)
1998: Noblesville; 2003: Noblesville; 2009: EV Nashville, Chicago, Chicago
2010: St Louis, Columbus, Noblesville; 2011: EV Chicago, East Troy, East Troy
2013: London ON, Wrigley; 2014: Cincy, St Louis, Moline (NO CODE)
2016: Lexington, Wrigley #1; 2018: Wrigley, Wrigley, Boston, Boston
2020: Oakland, Oakland: 2021: EV Ohana, Ohana, Ohana, Ohana
2022: Oakland, Oakland, Nashville, Louisville; 2023: Chicago, Chicago, Noblesville
2024: Noblesville, Wrigley, Wrigley, Ohana, Ohana; 2025: Pitt1, Pitt20
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