Click to Translate to English Click to Translate to French  Click to Translate to Spanish  Click to Translate to German  Click to Translate to Italian  Click to Translate to Japanese  Click to Translate to Chinese Simplified  Click to Translate to Korean  Click to Translate to Arabic  Click to Translate to Russian  Click to Translate to Portuguese  Click to Translate to Myanmar (Burmese)

PANDEMIC ALERT LEVEL
123456
Forum Home Forum Home > Coronavirus Pandemic: Prepping Forums > Medical Intervention & Prevention
  New Posts New Posts RSS Feed - Can the Mind Take This?
  FAQ FAQ  Forum Search   Events   Register Register  Login Login

Now tracking the new emerging South Africa Omicron Variant

Can the Mind Take This?

 Post Reply Post Reply
Author
Message
Hope View Drop Down
Valued Member
Valued Member
Avatar

Joined: February 01 2006
Status: Offline
Points: 49
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Hope Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Can the Mind Take This?
    Posted: February 22 2006 at 12:44am

My teenager made a comment that she would likely go crazy if this happens.  She was serious.  She can't imagine being confined for months.  I have included in my preps, then, things that would occupy her time and mind in a positive way.  Novels, foreign languange books, exercise equipment, musical instruments, etc.   I would try to fill her days with mental stimulation.  Have others worried about this?

 

Hope
Back to Top
calendula View Drop Down
Valued Member
Valued Member
Avatar

Joined: February 18 2006
Status: Offline
Points: 345
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote calendula Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 22 2006 at 7:00am
Yes, we have stocked up lots of board games, hand held electronic games, journals ( these are great after they get used to it, they will start recording all their expereinces )
I am not here to reason, I am here to create"
Back to Top
daisygirl View Drop Down
Valued Member
Valued Member
Avatar

Joined: February 17 2006
Status: Offline
Points: 52
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote daisygirl Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 22 2006 at 7:11am

Don't forget puzzles..big ones that take a while ya know! they have some pretty cool puzzles out there these days. Definately things to occupy the mind and keep it busy I think would be key here, because there will be a lot of emotions flowing so something "normal" like board games,crosswords,reading ect... I think are going to extremely helpful! Don't forget the old school games like tic tac toe and hangman:)

Love and Light**** Jami

love in the past is a memory, love in the future is a fantasy, the only time to truly love is now.-buddha
Back to Top
Guests View Drop Down
Guest Group
Guest Group
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 22 2006 at 7:24am
I like the idea of big, complex puzzles!  Thanks.
Back to Top
Guests View Drop Down
Guest Group
Guest Group
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 22 2006 at 8:22am

Originally posted by Hope Hope wrote:

My teenager made a comment that she would likely go crazy if this happens.  She was serious.  She can't imagine being confined for months.  I have included in my preps, then, things that would occupy her time and mind in a positive way.  Novels, foreign languange books, exercise equipment, musical instruments, etc.   I would try to fill her days with mental stimulation.  Have others worried about this?

Yes.  Aside from "things to do", I have been attempting to educate my 17 year old on the concept of there being a time when her own desires and wants will need to be controlled by willpower.  Not a pleasant concept these days! Kids are, frankly, pretty used to both the "easy" life, compared to 100 years ago and also to the concept of "being in charge of their own destiny".   The news and courts, even, all support this position.

I have a pretty good kid.  But there is no denying that she has a sense of being in control, or able to make decisions for herself, about her.

THAT, in my opinion, is what will lead to the 'sense of going crazy' - not the confinemint, but the sense of loss of the previously perceived personal freedoms.  What teenagers won't understand is that we ALL will be experiencing this, but, as  adults, we have a better ability to subjugate our desires to our needs if circumstance demands it.

My solution, such as it is, has been to talk about, obliquely, situations where a head strong individual's actions led to disaster and death for the entire group.  Most movies these days glorify the headstrong individual, however, there are many examples where, at the same time, that individuals actions lead to the destruction of others.  The 1980's file, "The Day After", features a scene in a basement bomb shelter where, after the  nuclear explosions, the teenage daughter "can't stand it" to be down there and wanted to find her boy friend so she bursts from the shelter and has to be chased and brought back in.  Her actions lead to her death and the death of the entire family from the contamination that resulted.  If I were you, I would begin viewing movies from this standpoint and discussing the implications of the actions of individuals who "just couldn't stand it" and how it destroyed those around them, as well as themselves.   Joe Pantaliano's character in the The Matrix, for example.

Knowing that you MUST deal with a situation goes a long way toward dealing with it.  Trying to distract from it, is, at best, a short term solution which will work only for a short term problem.  If this is a long term problem, our children will need to do what they have to do just because they have to do it.  Better to begin showing them why, now, when it's just idle movie/book talk, than fighting with them later over it.  Because most likely that is what she is really saying what is going to happen: she's not really going to go crazy - first she's going to drive you crazy trying to make exceptions to the rules, and after a lot of fighting over it, THEN maybe she'll go crazy. Or, depending on their ages, they'll just do what they want.

Tough stuff and I'm not saying my position is right.  Just the only one I can come up with that feels like it has a chance of cooperative success.

 

 

Back to Top
Hope View Drop Down
Valued Member
Valued Member
Avatar

Joined: February 01 2006
Status: Offline
Points: 49
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Hope Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 22 2006 at 9:20am
As always, GREAT feedback!
Hope
Back to Top
Guests View Drop Down
Guest Group
Guest Group
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 22 2006 at 9:32am
Originally posted by Hope Hope wrote:

My teenager made a comment that she would likely go
crazy if this happens.  She was serious.  She can't imagine being confined
for months.  I have included in my preps, then, things that would occupy
her time and mind in a positive way.  Novels, foreign languange books,
exercise equipment, musical instruments, etc.   I would try to fill her days
with mental stimulation.  Have others worried about this?


 



Tell your teen, it won't effect her ability to talk on the
phone, or text message. That should help. :-)


P.S. She won't be confined for months, she'll just have to use good
judgement when she goes out, just like driving a car and making sure you
follow the rules of the road. The consquences would be similar.

Edited by Rick
Back to Top
Guests View Drop Down
Guest Group
Guest Group
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 23 2006 at 3:04am
Hope, I've thought a lot about this, and maintaining a healthy mental attitude will be as important as having food in your belly.

The three mental killers will be fear, boredom, and fatigue

Fear will likely be pervasive during a pandemic.  At first, you'll be getting more news than you can handle. Radio, TV, and Internet reports of outbreaks, quarantines, perhaps even societal disruptions (nice phrase, eh?).   Most of us will probably be hanging on every word, following every report.

After awhile, there may be newsblackouts, or a loss of communications. And that may make matters worse.  NOT KNOWING may be worse than knowing.  It will only increase our feelings of isolation.

So what to do? 

First, don't fall into the trap of believing every report you hear. News accounts are only `official rumors', and may be no more accurate than the scuttlebutt heard from friends and neighbors. I'd like to believe that responsible news reporting wasn't an oxymoron, but I've never seen evidence of that.

If you find news reports are distressing, turn them off!  Decide to check in to the media for a few minutes twice a day. But don't sit there glued to the TV, waiting for the next shoe to drop.  Accept that the only area you really care about is your immediate neighborhood.  All pandemics, like politics, is local.

Of course, some of us thrive on information (guilty here). We'd rather know every detail, no matter how irrelevent to our personal situation.  All we can do is learn to filter out what affects us directly from the rest of the news.  And it will help if we can take a break, from time to time, even if we are pandemic junkies.

Interact with family. Read a book (horrors!). Watch a DVD.  I've got a collection of 8000 old radio shows from the 1930's, 1940's, and 1950's to listen to. They are all on CD's and recorded in MP3 format.  It's my escape from reality. 

Fear feeds fear. You need to break the cycle.

Boredom.  Consider board games, books, keeping a diary, playing charades, and if possible, getting outside. It may be heresy, but in many instances, it will be perfectly safe to wander out into your backyard, or onto your porch.  Sunlight (vitamin D) will be very important to your phsycial and mental wellbeing. Seeing the sun, or the stars at night, feeling the breeze on your face . . . they all are theraputic on a number of levels.

For some of us, we will be volunteering during  a pandemic to help our neighbors and our communities. I know the risks, but I consider them manageable.  Doing something proactive, as opposed to sitting and waiting for something bad to come to me, makes more sense.  And it should certainly help stave off boredom.

Plan for some variety in your meals if possible. Set back some comfort foods (chocolate is good).   Play music (funeral dirges not recommended). DANCE. SING.  LAUGH.  HUG SOMEONE YOU LOVE.   If you can do those things, they will see you thru almost any crisis.


Fatigue:  This can be a real killer.  You don't sleep well, and after awhile, you don't think properly.  As a sailor, I've experienced what happens after 48 or 72 hours with only catnaps.  You can think you are being rational, when in reality, you are certifiable.   You need to get at least 3 hours of sleep at a time in order to have sufficient REM sleep.  If things are dicey in your neighborhood, and you feel like someone must be on guard 24/7, you need to set up some sort of watch system.  Just make sure that you allow enough time to fall asleep, and get rest, during your `off watch'. 

The psychological aspects of isolation, boredom, and fear should not be underestimated.  I suspect the incidence of domestic violence will be very high among those who do not adjust quickly.  For some, these challenges will splinter relationships, but for others, I suspect they will induce greater love and bonding.
I've known cruising couples aboard small boats who after six months either couldn't stand each other, or who became inseperable.

Adopting a positive attitude, providing for ample diversions in advance, and keeping your sense of humor will go a long ways towards ensuring your survival, both physically and mentally.











Back to Top
Guests View Drop Down
Guest Group
Guest Group
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 06 2006 at 4:01pm

I think it would be very helpful for people to learn some meditation techniques, some deep breathing and/or yoga. Yes, I know, so very California, but they really do help. Twenty minutes of meditation and you'll sleep soundly. Plus, they are fun. Might be something to start practising now, we are already under a ton of stress. Also, sleepy time tea works wonders.

Hope, maybe you can start to teach your daughter how to prepare meals from scratch? It's fun, will give her a sense of accomplishment (after she gets over her initial resistance) and both of you will see how much time that actually takes. I have the feeling the kids won't be nearly as bored, they might actually be working in the home to help take care of the entire family.

Back to Top
Amethyst View Drop Down
Valued Member
Valued Member
Avatar

Joined: March 14 2006
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 203
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Amethyst Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 16 2006 at 7:08am
I am definitely worried about that.  I'm planning on stocking up on some books to read, sudoku and other types of puzzle books, notebooks to write in, etc.  Also, St. John's Wort.  
Back to Top
Guests View Drop Down
Guest Group
Guest Group
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 16 2006 at 7:25am
I suggest bar puzzles. The metal ones that look impossible to do. Teaches outside the box thinking. Get several easy ones and one or two Intermendiate and one hard one..odd ball is what that one is called. I haven't done this...yet but get the answeres from the net and have prizes for the ones who do it first.
Back to Top
slcmom View Drop Down
V.I.P. Member
V.I.P. Member


Joined: February 21 2006
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 169
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote slcmom Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 16 2006 at 7:41am

"...Yes, I know, so very California..."  Thank you femvet for the chuckle.  That was funny.

I have teeneage boys.  We bought jump ropes and free weights  I am as concerned about excess energy as I am about mental boredom. 

Back to Top
 Post Reply Post Reply
  Share Topic   

Forum Jump Forum Permissions View Drop Down