How was your day D&D

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Debate & Discussion > How was your day D&D

rkajdi: Sep 11, 2001; by LITERALLY AN ADMIN

Here goes:

Yesterday during work hours was awful. I had this huge cloud of despair over me about hopelessness w/r/t global warming. The thought that the world ends as we know it in 20 years had me completely paralyzed. The primary thing that helped was actually talking about it (posting in USPol) and having a lot of people talk me through how the issue was depression and I needed therapy or to talk to a doctor immediately. Anybody who said anything kind there, thank you. Just the act of getting my words out was cathartic and seeing that I'm not alone and there might be a way out of the pit felt way better. I've also resolved not to go back into the climate change thread, since it feels to me like a bunch of people are just rolling around in the misery similar to the tech or economic crash threads. That's fine for them, but I can't handle that without it ruining my mental state.

I also ended up calling the HELP hotline later, because I didn't know where to get started with finding the right doctor locally. I was worried that they'd be annoyed about wasting their time since I wasn't in 100% crisis at the moment-- poo poo gets better or worse for me in waves, so I often don't have the ability to call when it's overwhelming. The actual answer was that I was being dumb and the person on the other end was able to get me the right contact I needed. I have an appointment for early next week. I get that this is a baby step and the real work starts after this point, but just having something to reach for is a kind of hope I've been moving away from for years. That thing about happiness peaking when you make around $75K and then it declines again afterward is 100% true in my case, which is super frustrating because any hint of money problems vanished for me about two years ago but the constant calamitizing in mind has only increased radically.

After work was way better. I hope this doesn't come off as too bougie, but I spent a bunch at my buddy's LGS. Lots of people are stoked about the new MtG format, which basically plays like the old "normal" eternal format but currently has a much lower entry point and top end cost. I get that going from $1000 to $300 still is out of reach of a lot of people, but it also puts it in a lot of people's range again. As silly as it is, just being able to watch stuff play out and just spitballing decks was incredibly enjoyable and makes me sort of hopeful for the immediate tomorrow. And being able to look forward to anything is more than the nothing I felt like I had before.

Thanks for setting up this thread, PJ. I don't see eye to eye with you much, but you at least give a poo poo about people and I think D&D needs something positive in the sea of bleakness and nothing matters nihilism. Also there's some queer solidarity, because I don't think you would get half the poo poo you do if you weren't trans, and that fact is loving disgusting.

# ¿ Oct 25, 2019 15:24

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# ¿ May 16, 2024 17:11

rkajdi: Sep 11, 2001; by LITERALLY AN ADMIN

Stalins Moustache posted:

My days are perfectly fine, actually. In my country in this season, the sun sets early that it is already dark outside at 5pm. This means that it is dark when I wake up and dark when I go home from work. A lot of people get seasonal depression because of this, which is very understandable, but I've always found it incredibly soothing and romantic for some reason. It fucks with my brain in the mornings though because if I wake up a little earlier than the alarm, I always tend to believe it is the middle of the night rather than early morning.

My job is also incredibly fun. The pay is in no ways good, but I work for one of my country's largest environmentalist organizations for youth. I know D&D has a habit of going into a spiral of depression and anxiety regarding the future of this planet, and I am in no way better. It is easy to fall into it when you know the consequences of climate change after all. However, working with these youth who have become so incredibly empowered lately to fight for climate justice and fight against climate change is incredibly inspiring. It fills me with happiness knowing that so many of our future leaders and politicians will fight so hard for our future. We've grown a lot just this year alone, and from what we can see of our network of other environmentalist youth organizations, so have they.

I remember reading in this thread that the best way to fight this spiral of depression regarding climate change is to get engaged with the fight. And I certainly recommend you to do it in any way possible. Hanging out with sadsacks and doomsayers will only further perpetuate the cycle of anxiety and depression. Getting to know people, establish connections and join the fight will make you realize there is hope after all, no matter how bleak it may seem

Thank you so much man. I am just about ready to call a crisis helpline after work for the second time in a week. Both were brought on by reading the climate change thread. Yes, I know I shouldn't as a mental health thing alone (it was broken out from standard USPOL because of how much it breaks some people, right?) but I was trying the "confront your fears" thing. Guess what, it doesn't work. I already have a mental health appointment, but it's not for a week, and it was the first one I could get into. I'm constantly careening between some of elation/hope and awful, nothing matters depression and have been for about a week now. I am so lucky that I was able to get an appointment this fast-- it only took breaking down on the phone and someone actually feeling sorry enough to me to help. I don't understand and honestly envy the people who are capable of wading into the issue and not have it ruin their entire life.

Your thinking is legitimately helping me get through this, because I still feel incredibly alone in this. Also KM deserves a huge thanks, because I didn't even know there was a depression helpline until she put one up in GRS. I hate to say something small like that made all the difference, but just that and having something resembling a safe space here is enough of a lifeline that I can get through to a real therapist to start getting this stuff worked out.

# ¿ Oct 31, 2019 19:47

rkajdi: Sep 11, 2001; by LITERALLY AN ADMIN

Stalins Moustache posted:

Hey man, I'm just happy to help. Confront your fears, but also know how to handle them.
The environmentalist movement has grown significantly, and much of it has to do with the rise of organizations such as Extinction Rebellion, Greta Tunberg and simply because of youth that have grown real loving tired of our politicians and governments doing nothing. In my country, Norway, we organized a climate strike back in March. We expected perhaps up to a thousand attendees in the capital and a few houndreds / thousands scattered around in towns and cities across the country.

We had approximately 25.000 youth and about 40-50.000 youth all across Norway on that single day in March. I remember walking from the office and making my way down to the parliament where they had staged the climate strike in Oslo, and seeing that ocean of youth standing in front of the parliament. It was one of the most awesome sights I had ever seen.
And it is those things one should focus on and participate in. Those are the things that gives you hope for the future; knowing that someone actually gives a drat. No one gains anything from doom and gloom. You, the peoples around you and society gains from activism and political participance in whatever capacity one is able to give. Environmentalist activism in Norway has reached the point where even the state owned oil company Equinor is desperately trying to regain favor by spending millions upon millions on advertisements talking about how they are the biggest promoter of green and sustainable growth; all because thousands of kids stood up against them and continues to stand up against them.

And this is not only in Norway. We have seen climate strikes and marches everywhere all across the world. Youth are suing their states, their federal governments all across the planet. Participation in environmentalist organizations has grown significantly lately. We are realizing that this is the most pressing issue of this century

Sorry to hijack the thread like this, but I am tired of the doom and gloom in D&D. Get involved and do something, y'all. It feels good. You don't have to be a keynote speaker, you don't need to be the person that stands in front of the marches; as long as you're willing to send a few e-mails, hang up a few posters, hand out a few flyers, help organize a small meeting, you're doing your part. And that is what is most important.

I'm not the OP, but if you're here and interacting with people trying to make them less afraid and more happy I think you're welcome here. And I'm not just saying it because it's me you're helping. I'm a nihilist by nature, so the nothing matters stuff really hits me hard. I see doom & gloom as the main mode for the subforum-- 2016 broke lots of people and got a lot of the better posters toxxed. I don't think 2020 creates a recovery here regardless of who wins. There's just too much pressure and projection on them.

Here's some pay it forward for the thread, because I just realized I might have a way to help. Dr. Red Ranger, I know you mention before you were having an issue with getting a job with a Pharmacy doctorate. I've got a buddy from college who does pharmacy research, so he might be able to help you find a better job. Either post or send an email to (name)@gmail.com if you want me to go forward with this. I'd almost bet anything would involve you moving if that's a deal breaker.

# ¿ Nov 1, 2019 13:58

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