Maybe practical help

[Olderal]

I always try and post anything I find that helps. When down, boredom and thinking too much of one's problems are certainly enemies. I find reading a great help and when lost in a good book my mind gets a few hours "Holiday" especially in the winter. My Kindle is very useful with this.

Perhaps something that may help less avid readers is to join Cinema Paradiso. They have cheaper rates but I pay a £9 a month subscription . For this they post me 6 dvds a month selected from a huge variety of films of all kinds, TV series etc. I chose a postal scheme as streaming here is not very high bandwidth and "love film" is not so good since Amazon got it( apparently). Only been using a month but so far very impressed, I post back the two I've watched and they send me by return another two from my selections,up to 6 per month. Now that we have "47 channels and nothing on" , in other words terrestrial TV seems to have given up in my opinion,this gives my mind more holidays. Of course you will need a dvd player and TV or computer.

Health Warning--unless you have a lot of self discipline don't start with Breaking Bad , about 47 hours of DVD you won't be able to stop watching even to eat. Look it up on Wikipedia, which ,for me,quite rightly lists it as the greatest TV drama ever made. Even the baby is a great actor !!! House of Cards is almost as addictive. Why can't we make stuff like this in Britain any more? I missed much of " The Sopranos" and am looking forward to working through this.

Final thought about something completely different. I notice that we older guys (you know who you are ) are among the first to reply even to much younger people who need help and its very therapeutic to get back personal messages or thanks from those we've been lucky enough to help. I don't always give the nicest replies but even some of my more ignorant ones I have had thanks for . I don't reply to the anxiety forum as apart from the extra anxiety depression can bring I don't think I have had much experience of anxiety. Glad about this as it seems as bad or nearly as bad as depression.

I just would like to encourage anyone who feels they can help to reply to posts. Its easy once one is "better" to neglect this site and difficult when not 'Better" to reply positively , but we all need to help each other as much as possible.

Olderal

[Brecca]

I have found that watching gaming videos on YouTube is a great way to give my mind a 'holiday'. I am trying to get back into reading as well, as I miss the engrossed feeling and learning about a new world (real or not). I stopped reading because I found it difficult to concentrate and I felt I didn't deserve to be doing something I love.

The best thing I've found to stave off boredom and the want to eat all the time is to play something like The Sims. It sounds silly, but I am very relaxed when I'm building something because I can see it take shape straight away; it keeps me there. My mistakes are deleted and I can start again, or try something different.

Basically, escapism for the win!

Brecca

[Olderal in reply to Brecca]

That sounds good too. I have n't tried gaming videos as I'm ashamed to say I once got quite addicted to "Doom". My son left it on the computer and I tried it and was killed quickly. Right I thought I'm not having that ,this time I kill. next time killed again..........Right !! and before I knew it I was hooked.

[Olderal in reply to Brecca]

Funny thing I forgot to mention about "Doom" My son became a real expert at it and was teaching his older cousin his skills one Christmas.

It was hilarious as when the monsters fired at them from the computer screen they both ducked a bit without their fingers leaving the keyboard and "firing" back. I could n't stop laughing but even when they saw how daft this ducking was and that I was laughing they could n't stop doing it. Thats how much you can get locked into these "shoot and kill" games. We did n't see them much that Christmas !!!

[Hidden]

Olderal,

You are of the same generation as me. I found your answers to my posts very helpful. Wisdom comes with age, experience and empathising with others.

Thanks for that.

Jan (hilohilo)

[Olderal]

Not sure I got much wisdom altho I am reminded of the old story of the young man of 18 who complained his father was an ignorant old bastard who knew nothing.

"What do you think of him now you are 21? he must be even worse?" He was asked

"Funnily enough its absolutely amazing what the old bastard has managed to pick up in the last two or three years " !!!

[Brecca]

It's true when parents say "you'll understand when you're older". I always responded with a "yeah yeah" or "whatever. I won't be like you" but I wish I'd listened a bit better sometimes!

My brother got me into gaming when I was about 8, and it lead me into reading fantasy and sci fi. I'm not what you'd call a 'gamer girl' or 'nerd/geek type', but there is something so captivating about the way people can create worlds and cultures that adhere to their own rules. Like Brandon Sanderson's cosmere universe. This type of books suck me in before I realise it and it's like being somewhere else or someone else for a while.

Even though you go right back to your life afterwards, it's nice to know there's a way to at least take a break sometimes. It beats sitting around wondering what on earth you're going to do with your life!

Brecca

[agile-orangutan]

Yes.

Boredom = trouble

I totally agree.

Reading is a great escape and I find that if I can just get out the house it helps so much especially soon after I wake up so I am not confined to the walls in my home and just get some fresh air which really helps clear my head and distract me from the rubbish in my head

And just sticking on some funny videos on youtube or putting on a film helps to focus for a while but nothing beats reading and fresh air for me

Oh and you should try and get some tickets for a show in the evening for example. I try and check on the royal opera house for some dance performances or the saddler wells for example, the tickets can be quite suprisingly not expensive if you are early - I always go for the £10 tickets on the top and it is a nice treat every once in a while and I always end up having a conversation with the person next to me which is really nice to help and distract me and sooth me