General Discussion

I try to focus on the good things in my personal life, like my wonderful husband, my incredible daughter and future son in law, and my soft purring kitty, and on doing things I enjoy, like reading and learning new things. When I get absorbed a biography of a historical figure or a book about something I want to know more about or even a well written novel, or listening to a podcast on some fascinating topic, it's as if Schlump and his idiocy don't exist for that period of time, and I can eventually return to the awfulness of the real world feeling refreshed.

There's so much I still want to learn about, so many things I want to delve into further, that I will never run out of new avenues to explore, and I refuse to let the Orange Hellbeast take away the joy that gives me. So I concentrate on enjoying what I can as much I can, and put things I can't change out of my mind. The key for me is compartmentalizing; when I'm really absorbed in something, blocking everything else out comes pretty easy to me.

Of course, I can't spend ALL my time that way, but whatever time I can spend on things that give me joy helps to fortify me and give me strength to get through the awfulness. My advice, fwiw, is if there is anything that gives you joy, hold it close and treasure it. Even if it's just a small thing, that little bit of joy could be the difference between survival and succumbing to despair.