Mental Health Support

Although I am generally on the left on most issues, I have some views that are more common on the conservative side.

One of them being a reluctance to honestly discuss mental health related or personal stuff. I don’t care about stigma etc.

I just can’t somehow. Especially since 90% of my issues stem from a fairly dull root issue which is “I am finding it hard to concentrate.” Not very much there anyone can help with except, “well then turn off all distractions and focus”. Thanks Sherlock - that never occurred to me 🙄. I mean that is actually an accurate recommendation, but it’s executing it that is the issue.

I also think that assumption can be inverted. It is true that there are a lot of distracting and annoying technologies that act as parasites on our attention (Ed Zitron was slamming those in a post I read yesterday and agreed with). But if you can disable those as much as possible, then you can proceed. Once you get immersed in work it is easier to tune out distractions than to try to tune out distractions and then work.

There is a misperception in our hyper-connected world that people going radio-silent is a sign of ill-health. At least in me, being radio-silent is the surest sign that I am focused on work and happy. I would normally be inclined to lurk on the few places I read like DU and rarely email even friends, than to actively comment or communicate much at all when I am doing well. YMMV. People are all different.

The other 10% of issues I have faced have been some dust ups with a few creepy male types in my neighbourhood between 2014 and the present. But those are thankfully over too.

It makes it harder to be healthy when you can’t focus since I usually find that immersing myself in work is how I feel healthiest. So I am going to focus on completing a paper I started in 2009 (!).

I meant to finish it by December, but that didn’t happen. I am determined to finish it by mid 2025. Which probably means it would be Sept 2025. But if I shoot for mid 2025 I can hope to at least be done by Sept 2025.

Good luck to everyone here, there and everywhere.

Nose to grindstone time for moi.