Bettering Yourself

[Rhinox]

And here we are again all.
Stuck at home, occasionally quarantined. Limited ability to gather and socialize. Dealing with the world as we find it.

In the face of the realities we face, what are you doing to better yourself? What do you do to keep yourself going?

For me, I'm back to working out 5 days a week. Nothing too strenuous, but something to keep the body moving.
I've also decided to try my hand again at College Algebra. It's literally the last class I need to graduate with 3 associates degrees. I am *really* bad at math, especially algebra. I just cannot grasp the concepts at all. But, with the help of photomath and from some friends tutoring me, I'm giving it another shot. I'm hopeful I can at least squeak out a passing grade.

So what are you all doing? How are you improving yourself or your circumstances?

 

[Fero McPigletron]

I suppose to be writing my dream work but I'm paralyzed by another project that I should finish. Gotta get that hurdle done.

Keep re adjusting my fitness so goal weight time table is Dec 2021.

It's sleep that I really need to conquer. All I gotta do is sleep on time, sheesh.

 

[electricidad]

I've worked at the same office since 2003. I like my job, I like the field and I like the people. But the pandemic showed me it's time for a career change. I found a graduate school, and last year started work toward a master's degree, and a high school teaching certification.

Now I'm just a handful of months away from leaving my comfortable full-time job, and student teaching for 12 weeks. Since this doesn't sync up exactly with the end of the school year, I need to have a conversation with my employer about remaining part-time for a while, until I find out where I'm going to land.

My wife and kids have been crazy supportive of my career change. I'm 44 years old.

 

[Rhinox]

That's awesome. I'm 40 myself and looking for a change. It is always nice when family has your back.

 

[Stepwise]

Dude, good luck. Teaching is hard. There's so much stacked against you every single damn day.

On the flip side, when you have a moment where you go "that kid just figured something out," it feels pretty good - that's true for curriculum-based stuff, but it's also true for just day-to-day moments where you realize you just helped a kid grow up a little bit.

 

[Kalidor]

I feel like life has left me behind years ago and that I have not and will not amount to anything.

So it's good to see that anything is possible.

 

[lastmaximal]

I'm still struggling to just get my body clock back to being close to my geographic time zone, and there's been some progress in that regard.

So many things I'd LIKE to do, and theoretically should be able to do now that I've got all this time I am not spending on the commute and whatnot, but my ability to give a damn has been severely drained over the last few months.

 

[The Predaking]

I learned how to code in MVC this year, does that count?

 

[CoffeeHorse]

This year I've been trying like hell to gain some weight. It's not working but I sure am happier.

 

[Confuzor]

Here, you can have some of mine.

 

[Rhinox]

Math class has been kicking my ass.
I swear I'm the only autist in the world who can't frikken math on an instinctual level.
This past chapter introduced "imaginary" numbers and I just about lost my mind. Imaginary numbers and not one mention of eleventeen?! What fresh hell is this?!
But, friends and family saw me struggling and several have stepped up to help me. It is very nice to know that people are there for you when they see you struggling. It's a good feeling.

 

[Onyx Minor]

I finally realized I have been suffering from anxiety and depression my entire life. I have some medication that helps now. HUGE difference in the quality of my interactions with other people.

I have started eating better and getting back into walking. I'm down 20 lbs. 35 more to go.

 

[Astromagnum]

Probably just for now mostly long walks and strength training. When other things go my way in life probably education. And maybe cognitive behavioural therapy.

For me, I'm back to working out 5 days a week. Nothing too strenuous, but something to keep the body moving.


I also can't math for the life of me, if life depended on it. If i would do anything it's probably go back to school to at least redo my english. But, I can't even do that yet.

 

[Kaon]

I'm starting to feel as though depression medicine is a scam since none of it really seems to work on me.

With that being said, I have started to try and surround myself with positive stuff that makes me happy and that actually seems to work lol

 

[CoffeeHorse]

Maybe depression medicine doesn't work if you just wait for it to work. Maybe you still have to do positive stuff, and the medicine just allows the happy juice to flow instead of mysteriously never showing up even though you're doing the right things.

 

[CyanSolstice]

for about a little over a month now ive been working towards bettering myself as a person, as ive been trying to follow the values i set for myself
Be generous when possible
Dont be hateful
help out wherever possible
be kind

ive been refollowing these rules in life as i lost sight of who i was since the start of this year
i cant speak for myself if ive improved, i felt i have but its up to the people to decide on if i have shown improvement

 

[Kaon]

Maybe depression medicine doesn't work if you just wait for it to work. Maybe you still have to do positive stuff, and the medicine just allows the happy juice to flow instead of mysteriously never showing up even though you're doing the right things.

I actually like this explanation. Thanks for this.

 

[wonko the sane?]

I've come to the conclusion that I don't want to continue living my anxiety. I don't have a lot of say in actually treating it right now (the funds are simply not reliably there at the moment.) but at least I've acknowledged that it actually is a problem that I need to deal with.

It's not a lot, but it's something.

 

[Kaon]

Doing voice chats on discord was helping me with my social anxiety for a while, but lately I am finding that I have anxiety whenever I'm not reading or writing so idk if that is progress or not.

 

[Telly]

dont know if this actually counts, but ive had a cataract in my right eye for about 2 months. far as i can tell/remember, it just showed up one day. and it was a big, thick one too. all the doctors and nurses commented on it being so big for my being (relatively) young (46)

so i had surgery earlier today. everything went fine. that eye is dilated, so its sunglasses for the next 2 days when i go out. things are still a bit fuzzy in that eye, but thats normal and its a million times better than it was. its a bit scratchey too, but thats normal and ive got eye drops for it

its soooooo nice being able to see with both eyes again!