Hello gang,

I am one of the regular posters here. I do not wish to say who. I have had all I can stand and I can't take anymore. I have spent so much on preps and it will never be enough. My budget is suffering as well as my family life. This problem seems to be getting better with all the info i have read lately. I know you guys will say it is still going to be around a ten. But i honestly think it is not going to be as bad as all that. 93% complete says alot for me. It says that America is taking this seriously and even though everyone seems to be using the windowing method, it will give us a few more years to have this problem completly solved. Since windowing seems to be the answer I can't possibly continue on with all this undue stress. Here it is April 1st and no problems. I keep reading that everything is ok, i guess I have started to believe it is. Just about everyplace I visit is just trying to sell me more things that I will not ever have any use for. I am thankful for all the supplies I do have but no matter what, I am not made of money and I simply can't continue on this way. My life has gotton so bad lately as I spend at least six hours a day on this BB looking for answers. No, I am not Norm or Y2Kpro or any of the other pollyanas. I have posted so many threads on preparation and government lies, but I need something that no one can give me. I need a straight answer as I think I am going crazy. I am not trying to tell anyone not to prepare. I think everyone should make up their own minds on what is best for them and their family. I am just giving up the fight. This has taking such a toll on my sanity. I am so worried about all of this I don't know where to turn anymore. Nothing I do will be enough. So why bother anymore. I am just praying that this windowing patch will be enough to get us through. Or at least buy us enough time to completly fix the problem. Good luck to all of you. And continue on supporting each other.

-- one of the gang (haveh@denough.now), April 01, 1999

Answers

If all you say is true, you obviously need to adjust somehow - you think it is basically fixed AND the problem is driving you insane?

Well, good luck anyway. It does sound like you need to leave, or at least take along sabatical.

-- Jon Johnson (narnia4@usa.net), April 01, 1999.

I totally agree! Here it is April first. About the fifth "IMPORTANT" date and zilch, nothing zero. I am beginning to think like you. Tp much stress for something that will be fine. Curently I am a lot more worried about our sorry excuse for a President and his capability to lead us into a civil war that is none of our business. If this escalates into something big then he should be charged as the war criminal! My God we now have prisoners being held there awaiting trial, Russia sending warships to the area (and not for our side), and Bill is a freakin draft dodger who is leading the bregade! This is enough stress for me at the current time!

HEY

-- hey (hey@hey.hey), April 01, 1999.

If this person is ostensibly a long-time poster here, and is now leaving the group, why is he/she using a pseudonym instead of the name they've been using all along?

Not buying it.

-- sparks (wireless@home.here), April 01, 1999.

If I might suggest a book during your sabbatical, "Follow the River" by James Alexander Thom. Having purchased land in the area where Mary Ingles made her journey, I picked up the book. While it is a "survival" story, it is also about the indomitable human spirit. If you are feeling "underprepared," you may find hope in her story.

I wish you well.

Regards,

Mr. Decker

-- Mr. Decker (kcdecker@worldnet.att.net), April 01, 1999.

Hey one of the gang...

I think that there may be more anxiety on this list than admitted. I can relate to your dilemma. I am handling it in the following ways: Personally on my worst days I'm a six and I realize that my preps will never measure up to a 10 scenario, especially where I live, but I can only do what I believe is right according to my best judgement, leaving as many doors open as possible, including the nothing-is-going-to-happen door. For me that means stocking up on things that I will normally use/eat and moving our investments to safer venues.

You must follow your rational thoughts and beliefs. Take a break if you need to. Give your bank account a rest. Join the family again. Restore the balance. To stay productive and balanced I normally try to limit my on-line veiwing to an hour or less a day. I tend to take my net time out of previously unproductive activities such as extra sleep or TV time. I pick and chose my threads accordingly as there is too much to read and think about on this list. After the initial getting up to speed, I don't even bother with other Y2K sites unless highly reccommended. I too am concerned about Y2K burnout and missing out on opportunities due to focusing on this problem but I remain a semi-skeptic hedging my bets in both directions and will try to remain balanced. Good luck to you. It sounds like you need a little TLC.

-- Ramp Rat (Aviation_R_us@noname.nocity), April 01, 1999.

Dear Sparks,

I do not wish to say who I really am because at this point I am so undecided about everything that I would rather stay unknown because later on at some point in time the truth will come out and if and when it does I would still like to be welcomed here and not thought of as someone who can not seem to make up his mind. I just really need a break from all of this right now. Time to clear my head of all the clutter and get a grip on life again. Best Regards to you.

-- one of the gang (haveh@denough.now), April 01, 1999.

Burnout is real...not only in Y2K, it's very real...many professions. It has to do with overinvestment, high expectations, anxiety, and low feedback..... Be careful. Take time out NOW! Stay off the computer for a set period of time, I have to take a week every couple months or I'll have to rent the cute white coat with the long sleeves...Do something that has to do with earth, water, something outdoors...plant something...take long walks...feel your feet on the ground, Stomp,...get connected,....and, last but first...hug a lot of people, and tell them that you love them...(only the ones you love, LOL)

-- Donna Barthuley (moment@pacbell.net), April 01, 1999.

OK, I can understand that, and certainly respect your wishes. Too many trolls and feeder-of-trolls these days, guess I'm a bit edgy. Please accept my apologies.

I can't fault you for feeling the way you do, as I feel the same way at least once or twice a week. What's left of my paycheck after bills and essentials usually goes to supplies and storage, and I spend most of my free time learning something about subjects that I don't like or aren't interested in, just in case... that's a hell of a way to live, but I've been doing it for several years now. It gets tiresome, but damn it, I want to LIVE, and I want my wife and family to live, also. Y2K wasn't the reason I started preparing, but it gave it some impetus after I heard about it. You too should consider keeping at least a part of your mind focused on preps - the world is a dangerous place, Y2K or no.

Best of luck.

-- sparks (wireless@home.here), April 01, 1999.

I'll post one more annoying suggestion...when human beings get anxious they automatically begin to breathe shallowly...this type of breathing adds to anxiety states(even though it is a physiologic reaction related to fight/flight reactions). When you feel stressed you must say out-loud to yourself. BREATHE! And then spend a minute slowing down your breathing, and breathing more deeply. For a while it will feel odd, but after a bit it will become easier...remind yourself to breathe, lovelies...If you can't breathe you can't live.

For a lot of fun and a good read about breathing and emotions, read Aldous Huxley's Island. And breathe while reading. Backround music would be good too... :-)

-- Donna Barthuley (moment@pacbell.net), April 01, 1999.

To one of the gang:

Yes. Time away from the forum and the problem is essential. It is very easy to focus on y2k to the exclusion of everything else (and to the detriment of your mental and physical health). It is a phase that we all go through and some of us never get past that point. The biggest factor in the mental exhaustion you are suffering is the lack of reliable information available.

As we all know, everyone has their own agenda. The GI,the DGI, the GN fans, everyone. They all tout their own brand of Y2K scenario. Some out of concern and some out of their own self-serving interest. You get to the point that you don't know who to believe. The government spins and lies about practically everything, not just y2k. You think you have found a reasonable source of information--then they try to sell you something. Disheartening is not an apt description.

If you have prepared for a 6 and that's all you can do at the moment. QUIT. REST. DEEP BREATHS. SMELL THE ROSES. There is a world going on out there outside y2k. Enjoy it. When you are ready, you will begin again with a whole new outlook. If not, the preps you have made will assist you through whether y2k is a 1 or a 6. You CANNOT prepare enough for a 10. You will never finish.

Read the forum for companionship and tidbits of verifiable news. There are good people on here--even most of the trolls and severe hardcases. Use the forum for entertainment and education. REST. RELAX. and come back.

May God bless and protect you.

-- Lobo (atthelair@yahoo.com), April 01, 1999.

That you Flint?

-- a (a@a.a), April 01, 1999.

yeah, I been feelin' the same way. I honestly dont think anything will come of it, at one time I did but not anymore. kinda disapointed.

-- ed (edrider007@aol.com), April 01, 1999.

Thanks to all of you. A little understanding goes a long way. I do intend to take a big break and get a hold of myself again. Thanks again, I feel like I am saying goodbye to my family. But it is despertly needed.

-- one of the gang (haveh@denough.now), April 02, 1999.

you know, I remember a similar post from an anonymous poster back around January first...almost as if it were the same person posting both times...interesting...

Arlin

-- Arlin H. Adams (ahadams@ix.netcom.com), April 02, 1999.

I smell a shill.

-- (now@now.now), April 02, 1999.

Dear one of the gang,

Surely you realize your preps are not just based on Y2k in the U.S. You have prepared yourself because every country we interact with will also be affected by Y2k. Global economies are already suffering, and now we are at war. Y2k is only one part of the shaky situation we find ourselves in. Take a break, but don't delete your preps. You will need them.

-- Me (trying@to.help), April 02, 1999.

Mr. Decker, Thanks you for mentioning Thom's book, Follow the River. There have been several videos and books about survival mentioned on this site, and none have even come close to the incredible saga of Mary Ingles.

If those preparing and worrying lose heart, just read this book, and you will feel you are prepared and ready for anything. I later read, that the author, made the same journey as Mary, his ancester; only he was prepared, had all the latest equipment, was a former Marine, knew where he was going, and still, he said it was a difficult journey. Just imagine walking one thousand miles through wilderness without adequate food or clothing. If everyone would read this, they would be humbled by our wealth of information, supplies and advance warning.

Don't be angy at anyone, if this should turn out to be a non-event. Just feel lucky and happy that you were prepared. You're not irritated when the tornado misses your

Also, Ride the Wind, by Lucia St. Clair Robson, is about Cynthia Ann Parker who was kidnapped by Indians when she was a child. Her story is a tribute to the indomitable spirit of a woman who has seen her family killed, uprooted, and making the best of circumstances. Her son was Quanta Parker, the last Commanche chief.

-- gilda jessie (jess@listbot.com), April 02, 1999.

Sorry for all the errors: subject and verb agreement, leaving out words, and misspelling Quanah Parker's name, Comanche, etc., !!

The April Fools have set the woods on fire surrounding our house and most of the rest of the county, and I am distracted by fear of our house burning.

Also read The Last Comanche Chief:The Life and Times of Quanah Parker by Bill Neeley.

-- gilda jessie (jess@listbot.com), April 02, 1999.

Doesn't sound like anyone I remember reading here before. And we DO get to know each other's styles of expression pretty well around here, I think.

To me, it sounds like someone who has pulled out all of the thoughts one might have going through one's mind in a state of y2k burnout, and has spewed them into one paragraph, to bait us and mock us. We could all have written that post on assignment and had its tone lack depth even with the words being technically somewhat true about ourselves.

I was unable to really "feel your pain" in that paragraph. Apologies for the literary critic/writing teacher in me.

But, real or not, the issue of burnout is real and this forum is skilled at turning trolls into teachers, if troll you be. Answers that are helpful flow out of us and around the troll and his feeders and identity questioners.

"And the scribes and pharisees questioned him, for they sought to entrap him..." (loosely quoted from distant memory)

Advice I give myself:

An hour a day in a busy life already experiencing business and marital burnout is a healthy limit that has come to me over the months here. Obsessing on y2k is a pit you probably don't fall into without other areas in your life already dragging you down. Work on those.

The forum can be both an unproductive escape from problems and a positive community helping us deal with y2k possibilities. Don't lose perspective by staying here any longer than you really have to.

Its springtime -- get out into it. Do the fun stuff you've been putting off, some of it for years. Yeessssh -- have I been asleep!

I was in a 70s commune that turned into a cult group. (None of your standard Moonie type stuff -- our own homegrown lunacies.) We believed some pretty far out stuff. And TEOTWAWKI didn't happen in 1971-72 as we were telling everyone it would. But we still went on years more as a community, family, friends. We grew up together. The beliefs and our reasons for holding them fell away.

Part of maturing was to be able to look back and see the good we had done while believing something that was inaccurately forecast.

This forum helps us prepare for something that MIGHT happen, or which WILL be somewhere on a 1-10 scale. It does NOT require us to BELIEVE in a 10, or ANY number.

I _appreciate_ that about this forum, having been through something very like this before under MUCH MORE pressure to believe, and much less intelligent thought about actualities.

The trolls and some pollys react to this forum as if they had just walked into the Moonie recruiting house on frat row (yes -- these really existed, if they don't anymore) and were gonna fun up the weirdos for a laugh. Of course they miss the serious and valuable side of what appear here.

I'm almost missing it myself amidst the daily deluge of new threads, but I'm learning to skim faster, read threads more lightly, and give up worrying about missing something good.

I'm just asking the longtime and/or serious posters who I appreciate to do more thread initiation rather than responding on the less likely threads, since I can't search for you inside the threads.

-- jor-el (jor-el@krypton.com), April 02, 1999.

It sounds like you have some substantial preparations already, so you can afford to take a sabbatical. Limit the amount of time you spend online. Spend some time outdoors. Spend some time with your family.

Play computer games. My current favorite is "Deer Hunter II" which is very relaxing (and maybe educational!)

Look at it this way:: any preparation is better than no preparation. Even if you are not as prepared as you would like, you will be better off than most people. And if things do start to look bad and you decide you need to do more last-minute preparation, at least you will know in general what you need to do and where to get information.

Also do not let your family life suffer. If things get bad you will need "allies" and a happy homelife will make the physical hardship or danger more bearable.

Good luck in any case

-- y2kbiker (y2kbiker@bellatlantic.net), April 02, 1999.

Welcome to the side of clear-thinking and optimism. Sincerely hope your family life improves.

Deano

-- Deano (deano@luvthebeach.com), April 02, 1999.

Dear one of the gang- and everyone else for that matter. Too much of anything is no good- not even chocolate- so if all you think about, talk about and do is Y2K- it's too much. there's other parts to life as well. If you forget that, you get like my pal I wrote in about last week who became convinced the gov is all set to send us all to internment camps- all she was doing was Y2k and it got to her.

So- take a break then. There's no way you'll know if you've done enough anyway until you're "there" wherever 'there" is/will be, so you can drive yourself crazy that way- just do what you can and try to stay sane- that'll be important in any event.

-- anita (hillsidefarm@drbs.com), April 02, 1999.

Can't Go On, wish you well. Checking out of the forum after it has served your purposes is no big deal . . . that's what you should do. Now selling your stash . . . that would be a big deal!

-- Puddintame (achillesg@hotmail.com), April 02, 1999.

Y2k is a part of you, you have the knowledge. You will not be able to let it go, not until it is over. Might as well go with the flow.

-- Linda A. (adahi@muhlon.com), April 02, 1999.

Well,

Some daze I feel really Y2K burned out too. Especially after reading Congressional testimony.

You must take a time out and recenter yourself. Its spring. Enjoy it.

Balance in all things.

Do what you can to prep and then stop. You may want to formulate new hobbies and spend time learning new skills ... like vegetable gardening, canning, soap & candle making, solar cooking, camping, mountain biking, learning to grow and use medicinal herbs, etc. Useful, and fun, skills for any well-rounded life.

Pick a new hobby that absolutely fascinates you, and lifts your heart!

Have fun, and best wishes. (Troll or no troll).

Diane

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), April 02, 1999.

Dear One of the Gang, Your problem is the computer. It is not Y2K. It is not preparations. Take out your modem. Stop your internet service. You have an addiction. Cold turkey is hard, but you will regain your freedom and your life. I have decided to take my own advice and stay away from all of this for a while. It's not frightening enough right now. The time to return will be in the fall when it will be really scary. I wish you well.

-- Computer (sabbatical@thistime.edu), April 02, 1999.

to One (and all...)

We Grok. I've been visiting here much less frequently of late. I could feel it becoming overwhelming. As much as I appreciate you all, and treasure the things you've all taught me, I need to pace myself. It's still 196 Business days away, my screensaver says.

But on monday, I'll change to a new screensaver of wilderness photography. I don't need a continuous reminder of the risky times ahead.

Got a family for that.

Donna, good advice about Breathing. Cycles. The Law of Oscillation.

Winter. Spring.

-- Lewis (aslanshow@yahoo.com), April 02, 1999.

Hello Gang has made a great point and even though I lurk here for entertainment value I don't do any preparing and I sure as hell don't care if Y2K is going to be a 1 or a 10. I'm a Buddhist and posessions mean nothing to me. Do you apes want to live forever?

-- (`````@abcdefg .com), April 02, 1999.

Go work in your garden as it helps relieve stress. You will still be preparing without spending excessive money. I agree with sparks, y2k or no....we heading for big trouble!!!!

-- Moore Dinty moore (not@thistime.com), April 02, 1999.