Anyone else here just getting exhausted???
 

I'm new to GIM. I started getting really worried in September 2008 when I became fully aware of the subprime mortgage crisis. Mostly managed to bail out of the markets before the real panic hit. Then I found GIM.

GIMers were talking about currency collapse, rampant inflation and food prices going through the roof. Since my household frequently has to run to the grocery just to get one friggin' item because I always manage to leave one item off the list, I decided "why the hell not?"

Checking off inventory and still receiving buckets, mylar bags, and O2 absorbers notwithstanding, my household has probably about a one-year supply of food at this point, starting from a rather disorganized state two months ago.

Still the crisis on the markets continues, and still I am trying to figure out how to protect my family. PMs? Gold or silver or other? Currencies? Yuan, yen, riyal, pound, or other? Commodities? Ag, oil, natural gas, metals, other? Short the markets? Bonds? What the heck is going to happen to our 401(k)s? What will the tax laws be next year? What the hell is going on?

I am so tired. I haven't been about to sleep through the night for weeks. Sometimes when I wake up at 3 a.m. I just give up and decide that it's time to start the day.

How is everyone else coping? I find I can only talk to a few people directly about my concerns on the economy, and for the most part I rely on GIM and some other financial boards to try to make sense of it all.

:Surrender:

Re: Anyone else here just getting exhausted???
 

Re: Anyone else here just getting exhausted???
 

I'm with you. Still writing the document on it.

Had some outstanding help from Rogold.

Ask for the strength to continue. Never surrender, have faith in goodness from above and stay prepared.

Re: Anyone else here just getting exhausted???
 

I feel exactly the same as you!! with all this talk of dollar and economy crash..it's all i think about..
Maybe because i have a young family and want to make sure their o.k. if shtf.
Same thing cant talk to many people about it they think I'm nuts..even my wife thinks I'm overreacting.
I just hope it either crashes or gets back to normal already...

Re: Anyone else here just getting exhausted???
 

It's strange because although we are facing this crisis, so many people are asleep to how deep this thing will get. You are doing the right thing by preparing, especially if you have a family. Most of the stuff you get along the way will be useful at sometime in the future, collapse or not. I'm sure we all learned some neat things along the way too.

Regardless of the market situation today, remember it closely echoes the 1900's depression but our issues are far greater plus we have that whole "terrorist" thing, so something will give eventually. Keep in mind as well, if we have another "attack" on our land, that's pretty much all she wrote.

It's easy to get caught up back into the rat race or "the grind" if you are not feeling the direct effects to remind you daily. But don't be decieved, these things appear to be at our footsteps and if they never happen, then great, but if they do, you were smart, proactive and secured the best you could for your family.

Re: Anyone else here just getting exhausted???
 

(Thanks for tha props Oz)

Re: Anyone else here just getting exhausted???
 

Take a deep breath. You are doing great. As a matter of fact, simple awareness puts you ahead of the game.

You shouldn't let yourself get so anxious that your anticipation of some future doom ends up being worse than the actual doom itself! You would be unwittingly giving up now exactly what you are trying to protect!

You bailed out of the markets before October and you have a year's supply of food? You are to be envied! Now slow down so that you don't freak out the family and make them miserable.

As for finances, diversify. You should have both physical PMs and physical cash on hand as insurance. But it's okay to have a broad array of stocks, bonds, money markets, and CDs. Make sure your paper assets include commodities (energy, metals, agriculture) and some international exposure. For peace of mind, you don't have to have everything in the exactly RIGHT investments. You just need to avoid having EVERYTHING in the wrong investments. View your food supply as your foundational investment. I guarantee you will need food before, during, and after any future calamity, regardless of the ultimate scenario that plays out. With your current supply, you are already rich.

See the many other threads on GIM related to physical "protection"...

Re: Anyone else here just getting exhausted???
 

I bet this whole thing blows over...and yes I have a solid grasp of how bad the situation is. None of us will need our canned food and ammo. (I own a lot of guns and have been buying .223 rounds by the case...I still think it won't be needed)

Re: Anyone else here just getting exhausted???
 

Well then you will be quite popular at your local canned food drive and you can always sell your ammo back ;)

Re: Anyone else here just getting exhausted???
 

It's difficult for me to keep myself focused on bad case scenarios and worst case scenarios while my wife is not interested in anything except maintaining the status quo. So I've got to prep rather slowly in order for her not to get angry at my "wastefulness" and paranoia. Of course I'm not doing as much as I can to eliminate my daily expenses; it's all too easy for me to spend up to $10 a day on food and drinks which aren't necessary to my survival.

I'd say you've done very well in a short time. Try to make prepping and more frugal living a long-term mindset and lifestyle. We very well could have a long slow decline instead of a sudden catastrophic collapse. Try to do at least one thing each day towards your long-term goals, and don't worry that you can't do everything at once.

Re: Anyone else here just getting exhausted???
 

Ralleia,

Your anxiety is quite normal. Also, if you have succeeded from going from next to no food preps to a year's supply in 2 months it is hardly surprising that you are exhausted.

One factor that is very stressful and exhausting is what you mentioned, the need to turn to discussion forums to find like minded people to talk to. Many people on GIM are in a similar position and do not have people in their day to day lives with whom they can share their concerns.

In fact, doing this at all - getting preps and recognizing the depth of the current economic crisis - tends to get you branded by your own family/friends as eccentric and alarmist, at best.

Try to pace yourself and to build into your life means of relaxing/taking your mind of it. Walking,reading, exercise, prayer/meditation - whatever does it for you.

Welcome to GIM to you and all the other newer members on this thread.

:15_1_70v:

Maxine

Re: Anyone else here just getting exhausted???
 

The best insurance is the insurance you don't end up needing. Nothing wrong with being prepared for a disaster that doesn't happen. There is a problem, however, with being unprepared for a disaster that does happen.

Re: Anyone else here just getting exhausted???
 

I used to worry, but I'm feeling much better now.

Let go, and let Gomez do the work.:biggrin:

Re: Anyone else here just getting exhausted???
 

Ralleia, As Maxine just pointed out "you have to pace yourself". If you stay in a constant state of "panic" you will end up, well, exhausted and depressed. So you must find a way to get out of the panic stage. Walks, excercise, or any type of diversion are important. When I go to work (3 to 6 days at a shot)I don't read GIM near as much and that can actually have it's benefits too. People on any like minded forum can whip each other into a frenzie, so it's important to be aware when that happens and back off a little.

You also need to find a way to keep things balanced. Families, including yourself, need stablity. So slow down your preps a little and try not to scare them. Look for the good deals. The important ones. But don't approach it from the aspect of "fear" but one of strength and confidence. Maybe develope a plan. Write it down and when you see yourself following it you can derive satisfaction and confidence from that too.

Don't tackle everything at once. You will be overwhelmed. Pick and choose what you are doing in a methodical manner.

Keep asking questions of your fellow GIMMERS. There is a deep wealth of information here on any subject you can imagine. It's probably been asked here before. But not all suggestions/solutions will work for you, do to where you live, your capabilities, etc

Hope this helps.

sb :15_1_70v:

PS When I suggested stacking firewood in a circle I was kinda joking. It's hard to stack that way and make it stable. If you want to make a fort with it for the kids make a square. That way the sides support each other. Don't make it too high if they are little!!!

Re: Anyone else here just getting exhausted???
 

Wow! You've done several years of prepping in a couple of months! Who wouldn't be exhausted? Stop living and breathing all this every minute, though. Even in bad times, life goes on, and we need to make the best of it and be thankful for what we do have. It's easy to see how much we have left to do and become anxious about it, or even haunted by it, but remember that no one ever feels like they're completely prepared. How could we? No one can prepare for every possibility. Slow down a bit and recognize that preparedness is primarily a long-term lifestyle. "Total preparedness" is an elusive and unrealistic goal.

It's very common for people to get kind of panicky when they first open their eyes to what's going on and see all the possibilities for disaster. You can see this in survivalist forums all the time. Posts like "anybody else have a bad feeling" and "top off your preps NOW" and the infamous "THIS IS IT!" abound and have for years. Before online forums, there were survivalist magazines with similar messages, though I don't think we had quite as much panic in those pre-Internet days when we couldn't talk to others of like mind all over the world. (I've always thought that one of the reasons so many of us are so fond of Red Dawn is because we were so isolated from one another in those days, and having a movie come out that reflected our values was exciting and validating and reassured us there were like-minded people out there.)

We all know a SHTF scenario is possible, but we've dodged a lot of bullets through the decades. Relax. Settle into this as a lifestyle and pace yourself. The S might HTF soon, but chances are, we're in for the usual long haul.

Re: Anyone else here just getting exhausted???
 

Ralleia,
I'm not tired, because I've been doing this prep stuff all of my adult life, I'm tired because I'm old. I actually came home from Vietnam (well almost), a completely changed man. When I left home, I could buy a gun at any gun store without any paper work, even in another state and through the mail. After I came home, gun laws had all changed. This along with my survival mode started the process of waking me up. I didn't think a lot about it we just kind of fell into it, (my wife and I). When Clinton got elected I switched into high gear and have not stopped, even though there has, so far, been little reason to have all these preps, up until now.

What we are seeing now has changed the way many of those waking up will ever look at life again. Even Obama supporters are rushing out to buy guns, go figure! Are the Obama sheeple waking up already to their mistake? Not sure on that.

Actually, I may order or buy some more ammo in some calibers, probably not a lot of Mil-Surp stuff, more on the line of self defense & hunting ammo. Give it a little rest for now until all the shock wave subsides, then quietly keep stocking up.

Oh, and just for fun, go watch Red Dawn a few more times. LOL!

Re: Anyone else here just getting exhausted???
 

Exaaaaactly.

Hell, I'll give it away if I end up not needing it.

JK. I'll sell it.

Re: Anyone else here just getting exhausted???
 

Re: Anyone else here just getting exhausted???
 

Even without the expected financial calamity (which I give better than 51% odds we will actually feel) you're doing what truly normal people should do. Bizarre is having entire societies relying on the JIT stocking system and electronic payments as the mode for existance. It's to our credit that a fair chunk of the world has been able to live without a net for so long. Now, it's to our credit that we lay up more than digital IOUs in 401k plans (which are soon to be raped, BTW.)
Slow down, there's still time.
A budget and a menu plan help.
You'll prolly be fine simply adding 20% extra to your normal shopping routine-preps wise.
Above all, feed your intellect. If you're the faithful kind put more attention there too.

Re: Anyone else here just getting exhausted???
 

Preps and keeping up with what is going on is positive, but if you are on such red alert that you can't sleep then it is time to step back some. We, myself included, have been wrong about what, when and how things are going to go down. But you don't have to come to GIM or similar sites to hear the panic in the air out there. Just tune in CNBC. Remember, even the members of GIM don't agree about everthing that is posted here.

All you can do is all you can do. But all you can do is enough. Getting ill or overly stressed won't help.

Re: Anyone else here just getting exhausted???
 

It's coming but not fast enough for some people. Like my coin guy says " what, the catastrophy not happening fast enough for you?" It will come to what degree no one knows. My wife and I just pick up canned goods and non perishable stuff every time it goes on sale. Worst case we'll just eat it or donate it.

Re: Anyone else here just getting exhausted???
 

A relaxed, steady attitude to catastrophe. And if we are wrong, there is always charity. Before, after, or during the event. This is indeed wisdom.

The idiots that be want us to flip out of our minds on stress. The few of us who are alert at all, that is.

Re: Anyone else here just getting exhausted???
 

I think it's quite impressive you've done so much is so little time! No wonder you're exhausted. But I am too, and I've been structuring my life around what's going down right now, for about 8-9 years...but even so, we aren't totally prepared, but better prepared.

Our family's exhaustion comes from biting the bullet for 8-9 years, not a few months, and from those rear-view mirror images, should have, could have, didn't. So this time, we're just doing it, going all in.

Can't hurt to have extra food, extra cash, some PM's, more ammo, a few more nice guns, and making hay while the sun shines, yeah know we just look at it as saving for those rainy days.

But we certainly aren't out of the woods, we too rely on jobs, so the prepping just becomes that much more important to survival, we are stowing away goods that will help us if a job loss comes, if TSHTF in a big way comes (or doesn't).

We haven't cut out every nonessential YET to our budget, we figure we will do that as circumstances dictate moving forward, so we aren't in full panic mode, or operating from full panic mode, but we have our panic moments.

And, we won't change our prepping habits going forward, even if TS doesn't HTF in a big way, we believe it's prudent to be prepared for longer than a few months at a time, our economy isn't getting any better, jobs are vanishing fast and furious, prices continue to rise on the necessities, home values continue to decline, credit is tighter, the war drums are beating, we're having an international economic summit coming up which is very big for the U.S., lots of reasons to be prepared, few reasons to IGNORE the warnings.

I keep telling myself, exhaustion now while my husband and I can at least plan for a few comforts (for a short while) and take breathers in-between, or, if TSHTF in a big way, exhaustion later with no breathing room because we didn't plan.

There is absolutely no downside to prepping if you are eventually going to use those preps.

Re: Anyone else here just getting exhausted???
 

Ralleia--

No need to have a freak-out over all of this. Step one is to stop watching the news or listening to talk radio. There is so much disinformation there, it's really pointless to try and pick out the truth, and it WILL aggravate you. Step two is to realize that "prepping" GIM style is truly a lifestyle change. It's not just stockpiling this or that, but it's more about learning the forgotten ways of living in more difficult times. In fact I have a lot of fun doing things that some might consider "prepping". I like to cook, can food, shoot, brew wine, etc. If I had land, I'd become a gardener and see how self-sufficient I can be (unfortunately I have no land).

My point is that you sound like you are well on the way to being disaster-prepared. Now it's time to do what you can to divorce yourself from the corrupt and unsustainable consumer society we have become. Think of the skills as fun hobbies to learn. It's a real journey, I've found...

Good luck to you.

Re: Anyone else here just getting exhausted???
 

Why stress? When you stress out you'll make mistakes, it hurts your health both physically and mentally. Last I check the sun was still rising and the birds were still chirping. Go out and catch a movie tonight and relax. I'm not stressed at all, and thats not because I'm not worried about whats going on, its because I don't let it control my life. Take a deep breath and relax. One word of advice, HAVE NO DEBT.

Re: Anyone else here just getting exhausted???
 

I use to think that too, but I already have friends who just walked away from thousands of dollars of debt and no one is doing a dam thing about it. So do you think when the SHTF anyone will then? Hell, they won't even know where you are.

Re: Anyone else here just getting exhausted???
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ralleia (Post 1404360) I'm new to GIM. I started getting really worried in September 2008 when I became fully aware of the subprime mortgage crisis. Mostly managed to bail out of the markets before the real panic hit. Then I found GIM. GIMers were talking about currency collapse, rampant inflation and food prices going through the roof. Since my household frequently has to run to the grocery just to get one friggin' item because I always manage to leave one item off the list, I decided "why the hell not?" Checking off inventory and still receiving buckets, mylar bags, and O2 absorbers notwithstanding, my household has probably about a one-year supply of food at this point, starting from a rather disorganized state two months ago. Still the crisis on the markets continues, and still I am trying to figure out how to protect my family. PMs? Gold or silver or other? Currencies? Yuan, yen, riyal, pound, or other? Commodities? Ag, oil, natural gas, metals, other? Short the markets? Bonds? What the heck is going to happen to our 401(k)s? What will the tax laws be next year? What the hell is going on? I am so tired. I haven't been about to sleep through the night for weeks. Sometimes when I wake up at 3 a.m. I just give up and decide that it's time to start the day. How is everyone else coping? I find I can only talk to a few people directly about my concerns on the economy, and for the most part I rely on GIM and some other financial boards to try to make sense of it all. :Surrender:

Once taking the pill, you will fall down the rabbit hole really quickly. This can cause you to fall for all kinds of conspiracies, turning you into a nutcase. Take a break leave this forum for a few weeks stop watching the news, I promise you�ll feel better about the world you live in. Enjoy the time you have, the time spent worrying is robbing you of lifes happiness, Remember things are only half as bad as you read here.

Accept some things are outta your hands, trust God.
.

Re: Anyone else here just getting exhausted???
 

You will get over it in another month or so.
Then you will reach a more determined level of GIM enlightenment.

Re: Anyone else here just getting exhausted???
 

Hahaha apparently they haven't read the new bankruptcy laws. Once those companies report those debts as uncollectable to the IRS they become unreported income and those people will be on the hook for unreported earnings and quite possibly could end up in jail for income tax fraud.:banana:

Re: Anyone else here just getting exhausted???
 

They already don't pay taxes so what do they care?

Re: Anyone else here just getting exhausted???
 

Well then to each his own.

Re: Anyone else here just getting exhausted???
 

Do you own fire insurance? I sure do.

Do I sit around all day, freaking out that my house is going to burn down? No.

Disaster preparedness is insurance. It's insurance for a low-probability event. There is a less than 10% chance that the Shit Will Hit The Fan. The odds are probably closer to 1%.

Don't let the fear of a 1% chance event control the other 99% of your life.

That said, you should continue preparing. Store foods, water, guns. And most importantly, educate yourself. Take a first aid class. Read survival manuals. Learn how to trap animals and hunt.

But, in the meantime, don't quit your day job.

In fact, it's pretty telling that the guys here who scream the loudest that the Shit Will Hit The Fan (and like fast!) still work day jobs.

Even the people most paranoid realize that the odds of SHTF are really low.

Re: Anyone else here just getting exhausted???
 

I've got to say that your focus is wrong. You're doing the right things for the wrong reason. Prepping should be done for preppings sake. You prepare fore financial meltdown and there's a nuclear attack. You prepare for nuclear attack and the red 'Lectroids come out of the eighth dimension. If you get too focussed on one disaster, you get blindsided by another. All that said, you're way ahead of the pack. Take a breath, lower your heart rate, have massive amounts of sex with the spouse and budget your continuing preps. You've got to be in for the long haul.

Re: Anyone else here just getting exhausted???
 

Don't forget - We're ALL on YOUR SIDE!