I have a 75 mia strat and my favorite electric is an MIK Telecaster from the 90s. I had to take a year off to let my hand heal, which became 3 years. Now I'm getting back into shape again, but it's not as easy as when I was younger. Most of my time is spent on my Rainsong these days.

I cannot even close my right hand all the way anymore.

I was never a virtuoso on the guitar, so I wanted the Tele over the Strat. Plus, that sound... man oh man...

Not the same as in person friends, but we are here for you.

Where do you live?

And, as a very learned person who I met here, but is not from here, once said to me:

"A Minnesotan will give you directions to anywhere except their house."

When I had my heart surgery, I met one of the floor nurses who was from my (general) neck of the woods. She told me that, after almost ten years living up here, most of the local people she worked with had 'no idea what to do with me'.

I have found both sayings to be very true.

Now, I am not going to sit here and say I am blameless in whatever the issue is with finding someone who will do more than walk past me with their head down and their eyes averted, but I am sure confused as to what I did to create this situation.

I had no idea Minneapolis was that way. I wonder why?

How long have you lived there?

Well, we can't solve all the world's problems, but I can tell you someone is on DU pretty much 24/7. So there is always somebody to talk with here.

i do not. i hope you find one.

(a friend that would sit and play while you listen/sing)

I appreciate the thought, though. I did my last collection of songs five years ago. I seldom listen to them. Nothing seems to create any joy or contentment in me anymore. I just sit here. I wish I had something more than memories. They tend to just make me either angry or sad.

There are mental health help lines who might be able to suggest things for your anxiety and panic issues.

There are different types of anxiety. You may well already know. But in case you didn't, I would get to the bottom of that as treatment varies with the type.

My wife has it. I know the drill pretty well but I'm not a doctor.
Keeping active helps her.
There are supplements that help. Calming herbal tea and peppermint are two she uses.
Avoid caffeine.
Get exercise.
Meditation, breathing exercises, mindfulness might help.

I gave my '60s Tele to my brother-in-law after my sister treated him poorly.
I buy broken guitars and make them into what I want.
I miss the Tele some but I've made a bunch of 'great new friends' salvaging them from the scrap heap.
Nearly all of them are technically better guitars.
But none of them sound quite like the Tele.

Some quiet classical music or laid back music you like can help calm you.

Getting a plan together to deal whatever is making you anxious helps calm you.
You ask a bunch of folks (maybe online) and note the advice that seems applicable/appeals.
You get 5+ brains working the problem brainstorming for solutions. You get a better plan.
If you can get some skeleton of a plan that makes some sense, it will help anxiety because you have some idea how you are going to get through it - not so overwhelming.

You're not licked. You came to a good place.
Hang in there. Help people help you.

Yeah, unfortunately, trying to address any of the mental issues is pointless, as actual help is just too expensive for most of the population. Since I am pretty much at the bottom, socioeconomically speaking, finding any kind of 'treatment' is akin to finding a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. And, finding that pot is probably a more statistical reality than finding actual mental help without being wealthy. Those 'feel good' programs are set up to make the wealthy feel good as they can feel that they are 'doing something', but they seldom actually do more than toss pills down one's throat. And, I am never taking any of that crap again. I already had my brain fried by taking several different pills that ended up damaging certain body functions but did not seem to help with anything.

(I am speaking from personal experience. If you went to the county for help and they gave you meds and they help, wonderful. They did not help me. They made some things worse. And, I am not going to play 'RX roulette' until we find something that 'might' work after those first few times.)

I never said I was licked. I am cursed and I am done. Being licked would imply that I ever had a chance to begin with. At this point, it is apparent that I never did. Blind, stupid me I guess.

I've had it for a number of years.

I take supplements turmeric, bromelain & ginger for it.
I do physical exercises to help the joints.
I watch my diet closely
Tomorrow, I'm doing 3 days of rehearsals for recording.
When it is bad, Aleve & Tylenol
I'm testing some other supplements.

Homeopathic supplements do not seem to have the frequency or intensity of side effects prescription drugs do.
I don't take any prescription drugs nor illegal ones.

I'm not done.
I strongly suspect neither are you.

I cannot hold my hand in the position needed to play the instrument. My knuckle pops out of its socket and my hand locks if I try to close my hand that much and apply pressure. It is not a matter of 'reduced ability'. I cannot do it anymore. I cannot grip chopsticks anymore for the same reason. I cannot make much jewelry anymore for the same reason. Add to that the mental issue, whatever it is. I can't keep time worth a crap anymore. I get lost. I used to perform for ten hours. One hour that was just myself and then from ten pm till dawn with the band. I doubt I could stand for an hour, let alone perform with a guitar and sing. I tried to sing one song all the way through the other day and could not do it.

That is what I mean when I say I am done. Whatever it was that I had, it is gone. And, I am empty because of it. I am a performer. I live to create entertainment. The industry became a business and I am not a business person. Then, my body started to fall apart. I tried to change careers and that just turned into a shitshow. My body got worse. I have gone from someone who used to hike for days to someone who takes a thirty minute stroll and then has to lay down and take a nap. I don't have a degree in anything. I have taught people who have had them. I have corrected many mistakes of people who have had them, and all the while they made much more than what I made, because I never had enough money to pay a college to make me a nice paper that says I know what I know.

That has been the issue with my entire life. All anyone ever wants from me is money and I have never felt it was that damned important, so I never have any. So, now my husband pays the price because I can't be dependable anymore. I used to be the one who fixed things. Now, I cannot. Wonderful.

It appears you can communicate pretty well on a computer.
Nothing wrong with that, is there?

Maybe as part of this brainstorming I was talking about, you should get an assessment of your abilities with your disability
https://mn.gov/deed/job-seekers/disabilities/
Get a 3rd party assessment of what skills you can use and marry those with things you could do and might enjoy doing.

Maybe you could do online support for a music product
Maybe you could help organizations online.
My daughter works from home online helping raise money for victims of the Israel-Gaza war.
Hasn't been the greatest pay but she loves the mission and the people she is working with so much - she's happy.
Maybe a student would help you do online guitar/music classes using that experienced brain of yours.
Or a lecture on your experiences in music that might help others.

Maybe you could team up with some other seniors and help each other - functionally and in developing friendship.

What do you have to lose checking other things or options out?
I know it is hard. But withering away isn't much fun for you or your husband. Might as well put up a fight. A lot of people tend to want to help other people they see in a struggle but trying to make a go of it. They know, you can't help someone who doesn't want to help themselves.

You think you're done. I don't. Suck it up and try to prove yourself wrong. You might surprise yourself.

The link you put in. I had already decided that I might try asking them about this situation. Now I just have to gather the courage to go there. (Which is another issue.) On a day when I can use the car, since I am not the employed one and that gets the priority. I do not have any expectations about it. I have plenty of misgivings.

With respect, I have tried other options. I have not been sitting here for eight years. I am just not compatible with these people. I suppose it is because I have so little in common with them. Especially with people my own age. As to fighting... well, I am a gay entertainer who was born and raised in a very tiny, rural, southern town. I have been fighting my entire life. I am tired of it. I have nothing left to give in this fight. There is nothing left to suck up. There is only pain and being hollow inside. That is what has to be addressed first. Which is why it will never be, thanks to for-profit medicine.

To be honest, I don't think the issue is whether or not I want to be helped. I think it is more that no one seems to understand the help I need. Either that, or it is just another example of how capitalism has destroyed society in the name of greed, since these days making money is more important than helping people.

Phone or email before to try to flush out if and how they might help. So you have some assurance that there is a decent chance of something fruitful occurring.
You have had enough disappointment. Don't want you making that sort of effort to go there only to get blown away in 5 minutes after making that trip.

What about the Minneapolis gay community?
https://www.minneapolis.org/lgbtq-community/

I'm not gay but my first gay rights cause was in 1973. They're wonderful people to be around. As a group, to me, they tend to be a little brighter, seem more artistic, have more than average compassion and tend to be progressive. They have a great sense of humor and are fun. My wife socializes with a gay group that one of her store employees belonged to. She's had a blast with them. Still does.

Minneapolis gay community are tapped into people who might be able to help you. You won't be the first they've helped. They probably could "understand the help" you need.

You've had a very tough time. I'm sincerely so sorry for that. I've been down this road with people before for a variety of reasons. Everyone is unique and different. But too often we get bad results and those don't just hurt the person who was suffering. It's a loss for a bunch of people. We have to leave no stone unturned. I was giving you a kick in the butt because I don't want you miss out on something. I want you to get every chance to recover a decent life.

Can you volunteer with Harris's campaign? Perhapssomething sitting in an office somewhere?

Then you could meet & get to know people with a common interest & similar values. Maybe make some friends?

Rereading the thread, I had a similar thought.

It is a great way to meet people and make friends.

Harris or local politician 's campaign
Hospital/seniors volunteer
Or
https://www.volunteermatch.org/search/orgs.jsp?aff=&r=20.0&l=Minneapolis,%20MN,%20USA&publicOrgSearch=

Recreation Centers & Program Facilities - place to socialize and meet people
https://www.minneapolisparks.org/parks-destinations/recreation_centers_program_facilities/

Maybe put that music talent to work:
teach guitar or music to kids
or another hobby

We're just touching the surface of possibilities.

1. Anxiety and depression can successfully be treated with medication and counseling.
You might want to consider these options.

2. Making big decisions when having panic attacks is not the best idea, maybe delay sales plans until you
are feeling better.

3. If you have to sell the guitars, sell one at a time?
And keep one back for sentimental reasons.

Self help group I ever joined

https://www.recoveryinternational.org/

It is like the doctor who started it was the father of cognitive thinking

Work outfits from when I was living the life. I have them 14 yrs. I feel sad when I look at them.

So I get it. Don't sell them when you're not in a good place mentally. Can you have a Dr prescribe anti anxiety meds for panic?