Weirdly Dependent

Many people are concerned about what will happen in a collapse situation. We are all aware of the dangers of disruptions in food delivery, power and water supply. Those problems are pretty self evident. Then there are the huge number of people dependent on the prompt delivery of medications. It’s not just for things like cardiac and diabetic issues either. A lot of people will suddenly find themselves going off psych meds cold turkey. That’ll cause some serious mental stress.

Another thing that will cause serious mental distress is when all the cell phones die. In a relatively short period of time, smart phones have become ubiquitous. Everybody has one. Go anywhere in public and you’ll see people on their phone.

People’s whole lives are tied to their phone. They really are amazing inventions, replacing a shopping cart full of single purpose items, everything from cameras to calendars. When a tool that’s used for everything is no longer working people will be adrift.

Nobody memorizes anything. Why should they? If it’s not already in the phone’s memory, a simple internet search will produce the information. We’ve off-loaded our memory into a physical device.

Not only are people going to be mentally lost, they’ll be physically lost. Phones have great map functions. They are easy to use. They are so easy to use that many people never learn directions. Quite a few people even use the map function to go to places they travel to on a regular basis, never really learning the route.

Suddenly going without their phones is going to be extremely stressful. Many people have to constantly check their phone and only a small fraction of that is actual necessary business. The device demands attention and few resist.

Like most people, I use a smart phone too, but I’m aware of its seduction. Currently I’m using a three year old $99 phone with a minimal plan that cost less that $13/month. By today’s standards I’m a neanderthal. Not only that, my lovely wife and I share the same phone. How weird is that?

-Sixbears

Bad jobs worse than no job

A University of Manchester study shows that having a bad job is worse than not having a job. Unemployment is stressful, but the stress of having a bad job negatively impacts your health even more. The lowest stress factors were for those with good jobs.

Not that long ago it was expected that everyone would have a crappy job at some point in their life. Most people expected that it would be temporary until they were promoted to something better. It was looked at as paying your dues. Now people get bad jobs and stay there. My father-in-law started working for a company cleaning glassware in the lab. He only had a high school education. By the time he retired he ran his own chemistry department and had multiple patents. That type of upward mobility is rare these days.

So how do you avoid the pitfalls of a bad job, yet still survive? In some countries it's easy to stay on the dole for a very long time. That can be a trap too. Remember, the best health outcome is generally for people who have good jobs. The longer you are out of the work, the less likely it is you'll be able to land a good job.

If you have a crappy job, focus all your efforts on getting a better job. Be prepared to change companies. You might have to move. Whatever you do, don't get settled into that bad job. Avoid decisions that may require you to hold onto that bad job, like taking on too much debt. People can put up with a lot of they feel they are making progress towards something better.

However, be prepared to quit. There are a lot of unhealthy jobs out there. Either the job itself is dangerous and unhealthy, or the work environment is psychologically toxic. If you hate your boss and co-workers so much that you want to shoot them all, leave.

I know a lot of people who have either been forced into early retirement, or discovered their pension is inadequate for their lifestyle. A lot of people end up working crappy jobs later in life. That just plain sucks. There are strategies around that.

Savings are great, if you've got them. Unfortunately, often times any savings are wiped out in the months leading up to retirement. Medical disability retirement is notorious for that, especially in the US. A person has a medical condition, so in the months and years leading up to their forced retirement, they work less. Less money ends up in the pension fund. Then they get sicker or injured and out of pocket medical expenses drain what savings they have. They may even have to pay for a lawyer to get their benefits.

Companies often find ways to get rid of people before they reach retirement age. A good friend of mine in his late 50s just got let go. There's one business in the area that is so bad that when someone actually makes it to retirement it's a surprise.

So what do you do when you find yourself in that situation? My friend who was let go has savings and few debts. His wife still has a good job. He's got time to find a new job he likes and would be more than happy to make half what he was making in his old job. His lifestyle won't change much.

The other option is to downsize aggressively. Reduce your living expenses to the point where you don't have to stress about the bills. One guy I know lived pretty hard and fast after a divorce and blew through his savings in two years. Now all he has is his small pension. These days he works out in the gym, plays his guitar with friends, and takes his dog for long walks in the woods. It's cheap, he's in good condition, and his mental state is better than it's been in years. He'd rather live that way than work a crappy job for more money.

There's a certain stigma to being unemployed, but it's healthier than a crappy job. A lot of so called unemployed people are still very busy. They may barter their time and skills for things they need. Many work odd jobs off the books. Are they gaming the system? Maybe, but nothing like the millions of dollars big business gets in tax breaks and subsidies from the government.

Your health is at stake here. Don't get trapped in a crappy job until it kills you.

-Sixbears

Your brain on poverty

According to NPR, being poor is stressful. Well duh! Being poor uses up a lot of mental bandwidth. When a person is constantly thinking about money, they have less mental energy to think of other things.

What can we do about that? Be rich, problem solved.

Okay, maybe that's not too easy. The NPR story didn't have any solutions.

It's tough to not have enough money to pay the bills. Most of know what it's like to worry about money. Unlike NPR I'm going to offer some ways of dealing with it.

The first is to get expenses well below income. Never mind the actual numbers. Here's an example: Let's say someone is barely getting by. Then they move into a less expensive apartment close enough to work to eliminate the need for a car. Suddenly they can buy a fancy coffee drink at Starbucks and not worry about every penny. Being able to buy a treat without having to wonder if it's in the budget does wonders for one's state of mind.

What if it's impossible to reduce expenses or increase income? What's the strategy for that? The problem is that poverty consumes too much of a person's attention. The constant grind wears a person down. Automatic bill pay can help. Having the regular fixed bills paid directly from your account frees up time and having to think about the bills. That frees up brain power for other things. It's not a total relief, but every little bit helps.

Then there's the situation where no matter what happens, expenses outstrip income. You've got to ask yourself, is this a temporary financial bind or is this a long term problem? Most of us get big unexpected expenses from time to time. Focusing some attention on the problem to help fix it is a good use of brain power. Then getting a little financial cushion to deal with that sort of problem in the future will remove future worries.

What if it's a situation where income will never exceed expenses? Many of us, through no fault of our own, find ourselves in such situations. Then all we can do is cultivate a serene attitude. It's like driving on an icy road and all traction is lost. The only thing you can do is hold on and pray. Either you'll get lucky and avoid the crash, or you won't. It's no longer in your hands. There's even a certain freedom in acceptance. Will avoiding buying that fancy coffee or an ice-cream cone make any difference at all? No? Then by all means treat yourself to one of the little pleasures in life.

Now it's time for me to take some of my own advice. I'd been in the icy road financial car crash scenario and had the good fortune to land wheels down. For a number of years I didn't worry about money. Not that I had much, but expenses were under control. Over the years, however, real income has slowly gone down while expenses have gone up. It's time to pay attention again to get things back into balance. I do not want to start worrying about being able to afford a cup of coffee.

-Sixbears

Stress kills

Day after day most of us are healthy enough to get by. It’s amazing. We eat bad food, drink the wrong things, carry dangerous viruses and bacteria in our bodies. Cancer cells appear all the time.

How come all of use haven’t dropped dead? Most of us have pretty decent immune systems. We are exposed to nasty stuff and most things are dealt with before we even know it. When we do get sick, usually our immune systems fight back and heath returns.

People with compromised immune systems know how dangerous the world is. A normal person’s sniffles turns into pneumonia for those with weak systems. Their days are filled with risk avoidance and powerful antibiotics. It’s a tough way to live.

Stress can quickly weaken your immune system. We’ve all seen people get deathly ill after a stressful event like a divorce or the death of a loved one. Often after a spouse’s death, the surviving one does not survive very long.

Disasters of all kinds cause immense stress, both physical and mental.

We are well aware of the physical problems. Preppers concentrate on keeping warm, dry, hydrated and well fed. Those are key to avoiding physical stress. We’ve got stored food and water. Most of us have alternative ways of cooking and keeping warm. Some thought has been giving to emergency shelter. Even a good tarp is way better than nothing at all.

Mental stress is often glossed over. Most of us think we are strong willed and don’t have to worry about that. Maybe so, but day after day, stress can wear anybody down.

Lack of security is a big stress factor. Just having an assault rifle will not eliminate your stress. Everyone in a war zone has a rifle, yet they all have very high levels of stress. They might have a gun, but they don’t have security. Someone hidden away from the battle in a remote forest or cave will feel a lot less stress, even if they don’t have an assault rifle. Which situation would you rather be in: all alone but with the best assault rife in the world, or with a group of trained people but only armed with hunting rifles? I’ll take the group any day.

Security is never a 100% thing, at least for the living. Sometimes people are stuck in a situation and have to make the best of it. It might as simple as being less visible and a bit tougher than most other people. A looter rather go to an upscale unprotected house than a humble house with watchful eyes. You don’t have to outrun the bear, as long as you can outrun the slowest camper.

We stress over loved ones. What do you do if not everyone makes it home or to your bug out location? What about your friends and family who aren’t prepared for disaster? Then you’ve got to ask yourself some hard questions. Do you have a reasonable chance of finding these people and helping them? If so, do that. If searching for one lost sheep costs the whole flock, don’t do that. Figure out what makes sense and come to terms with your decision. Then stop worrying about it. Either you’ll be doing something or there is nothing to do. Stress won’t help them. Once I’ve done all that I possibly can, I then turn to a higher power. God has wide shoulders, he can worry about it. Works for me.

Our imagination can be our worse enemy. When we lack solid knowledge, our thoughts can spin out of control. Scenario after scenario goes round and round in our heads. Stop that. Get the best information you can, realizing it might be incomplete or even outright wrong. Ask yourself if that information is actionable. Can you do something about it? If not, don’t worry about something you can’t change.

Develop some ways of dealing with stress. Stress can turn you from a rescuer into a victim. Be part of the solution, not another problem.

-Sixbears

Defeated by the weekend warriors

Made it as far as the boat landing today. Forgot it was the weekend. Seems everyone in Florida with a boat and trailer was trying to launch a boat. We were in the back of the line. Unlike most of the people there, we don't have to squeeze all our fun into one weekend. Decided it would be a good day to hang out by the pool. We'll be back.

If we get an early start on the day, we'll try again Sunday. However, my lovely wife is not a morning person. Still, it could happen. The boat is ready to go. Should Sunday not work out, there is always Monday. Stress is the enemy here.

-Sixbears

Retirement Stress

How often do we hear this old story. Guy makes all these plans for his retirement and dies suddenly soon after he finally retires. I man I know just retired at 57 with a good pension, one of those traditional full retirement packages few people get anymore. He'd just had a physical and received a clean bill of health. About a month after his retirement, he dies from a massive heart attack.

What is it that causes so many people to pass away just when they seem about to pursue their dreams?

Stress is probably a factor. We can feel stressed out even when good things happen. Change is stressful, especially when you haven't had to do much of it. Take your typical working stiff who slaves away for years doing the same old job. Releasing them in the wild is a stressful experience. Their days might have been good or might have sucked, but they did have structure. People's identity is closely tied up with their job. Retirement takes that bit of identity away.

I'm guessing that in the future there will be fewer people dying from post retirement stress. How's that? Simple, traditional retirement appears to be going away pretty quickly. Many people will never get to really retire. No retirement, no retirement stress.

Of course, there's the stress of never being able to retire, but that's a different subject for another day.

Then there will be all those people who never really get to settle in a job. How many people work like this: a few years here, a few months there, are unemployed for a while, then a few more months in a different field of work entirely. More and more people's work life is constantly changing. There's no time to get stuck in a rut. That kind of life can be stressful too, but a person who adapts successfully to it has nothing to fear from retirement. It's just one more change in a life of many changes. They've adapted. (or died young, thus avoiding the whole retirement death scenario completely)

There are some people embracing the hit or miss nature of work. I've friends who work seasonally and can't wait for their annual layoff. That's when they get to pursue their own passions. Of course, they've learned to live on a lot less money than most people. In spite of that, their lives are full of rich experiences.

Beats the heck out of leaving a rich widow.

-Sixbears