Bear Down Wildcats

Many of us are struggling a bit right now. Worrying about our families, jobs, school, future, etc. I always have a manageable amount of anxiety but it's been getting worse and worse over the last month. Just thought I'd start a thread to see what kind of things are helping folks get by.

A couple things help me-

#1 Music. Been listening to lot of music.... specifically the music of my high school / college years. Brings me back to my simple carefree invincible days.

#2 Walks / Hikes - getting outside and going for a walk just me and my dogs helps me settle my brain down quite a bit. I walk my dogs usually 2 times a day and have been going to Sabino Canyon at least once a week (It's been super quiet and empty)

#3 Happy Hour Zoom Call with friends- We currently have an ongoing happy hour Zoom call every Saturday with a group of my best friends (People I've know since high school and college) I actually look forward to this call more than anything currently. It's people I love and we just have a good time, say inappropriate things and usually get drunk together. These are people now living all over the country (and Canada) and we are now actually talking more than we used to. It's been great.

Just wanted to share in case others are looking for ways to help them mentally right now. Let me know what things are helping you.

Happy hours on Zoom haven't worked for me because I can't attend to people on a screen while dealing with a 3 year-old. Every time I turn away from her she gets hurt or breaks something, and I'm trying to keep us out of the hospital and in a functioning household.

I do an hour-long walk at night after the kid is in bed. I can't imagine life without that. Totally renewing.

My wife somehow stays at home and hasn't left since March 15, except for the one time I took her on a drive through the foothills and she looked at her phone the whole time.

I do the Andrew Weil breathing exercises. Which I think is an amazing thing.

And I re-read the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius and the Tao Te Ching over and over again.

Been doing a once a week FaceTime call with friends who I used to see around once a month. Also been playing Conquer Club (like online Risk) with them as well. I think just being able to interact with them in any way is a nice change of mindset.

Taking up an instrument the past few days has also been a nice way to get my mind off things.

But to tell the truth, I’m struggling. Anxiety and a feeling of hopelessness have become my constant companions. I’m trying hard not to show that side to my family but with my grandmother dying it has been really really difficult.

LH- I understand the toddler thing not allowing for free time. I'm pretty grateful that my kids are teenagers and they want little to do with me!

Tell me about the Andrew Weil breathing exercises

Chi- Sounds like you and I are in a similar place. I try to cover it up as much as possible through humor... but its tough. I haven't picked up an instrument but I have started leaning Spanish through Duolingo

Oh, I'm right there with you guys. I'm thinking about adopting a policy where I'm not allowed to consider any other possibility than daycare opening by August and campus as a place that's safe for everyone to return to by then. Because I don't have a workaround for any other scenario.

Alieberman wrote: Tell me about the Andrew Weil breathing exercises

After you do it regularly for about a week, every time you do it it's even better than drinking.

Alieberman wrote:Chi- Sounds like you and I are in a similar place. I try to cover it up as much as possible through humor... but its tough. I haven't picked up an instrument but I have started leaning Spanish through Duolingo

I hadn’t thought about taking up a language, but that actually sounds like a nice idea. I’ve been threatening to learn Italian for years.

I’ve definitely tried to cover up my feelings with humor like you do but I also want my kids to know that it’s ok to be a human with feelings. These days there seems to be a thin line between Dad being ok and Dad being a total fucking mess, and it’s becoming harder to straddle it.

And the drinking isn’t helping.

I made one for myself, too.

Sadly my lifestyle has hardly changed.

azgreg wrote:Sadly my lifestyle has hardly changed.

At least take up sauntering.

"Dad? What are you doing?"

"I'm on my way to get another beer out of the fridge."

"Yeah but what are you doing?"

"Oh, this? I'm sauntering. I'm sauntering toward the refrigerator."

azgreg wrote:Sadly my lifestyle has hardly changed.

Same. I never left the house or did anything anyway and I don't have kids or a wife so my day to day life really hasn't changed much

We call it "Goin' crazy out there at the lake." We're used to being a solitary team, but we're unused to any restrictions that originate outside of us. We take either a 3 hour hike daily or two 1.5 hour walks. Every morning we digest the online news' serious numbers and reset our tolerances. By the end of the day we're tired physically but weary mentally. I've cut back on wine because alcohol is a sleep wrecker in its own right, but ever since LH posted Weil's breathing technique I have used it as a pre-nap and pre-bed routine. I think it works so well because it approximates the respiratory cadence and oxygenation of yawning, only in a more elongated rhythm. I find myself yawning toward the end, and my mind clears nicely.

If my father wasn't making me insane with estate planning I would be bored in an unhealthy way.

Anyone keep a journal? Mine's more of a calendar log, matter of factly accounting for key, usually impersonal, happenings of each passing day. For instance: "Monday Feb 10: Back in office, trying to coordinate this upcoming labor contract. Mailed out postcards. Highlight was handing out nutri-grain bars to a pair of homeless huddled near the Bank of America ATMs."

Mostly predictable narration tied to daily routine.

But ever since COVID-19 imposed itself, I've had A LOT more to fill the pages with in terms of tracking the global headlines and contrasting it to the influence on my daily routine, how different work, shopping, getting around, and getting bored are.

The journal has helped me come to terms with, or at least anticipate, certain worries, especially finances.

I'm thinking of starting a Facebook or Twitter feed in which I read bedtime stories like the first Harry Potter, like Josh Gad or Daisy Ridley are doing.

I just need followers. Full disclosure: I am the PA and ad voice of the Phoenix Suns' G League team. So my voice work career had been the most popular prior to this whole virus thing.

So I don't know how many people might tune in. I know I'd enjoy it.

It's either that or I can start up a local grocery delivery service. This break has absolutely convinced me that I must change careers from teaching.

After taking a dump, and without irony, I rebuked myself out loud:

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Fold that up and save some for the next time! What do you think this is? A toilet paper fair?"

As someone who works in mental health I have definitely seen this effect my patients.
As for my own mental health I have been taking the kids for walks and hikes in my neighborhood.
I have also started reading books for fun again. Something I had stopped doing for a long time.
I also notice that my anger and stress goes up when I read the news or get involved in Facebook debates that I know will go nowhere. So I am trying to avoid that too.

OriginalAZ wrote:As someone who works in mental health I have definitely seen this effect my patients.
As for my own mental health I have been taking the kids for walks and hikes in my neighborhood.
I have also started reading books for fun again. Something I had stopped doing for a long time.
I also notice that my anger and stress goes up when I read the news or get involved in Facebook debates that I know will go nowhere. So I am trying to avoid that too.

Stay off Bear Down Wildcats! It's the death knell!

OriginalAZ wrote:As someone who works in mental health I have definitely seen this effect my patients.
As for my own mental health I have been taking the kids for walks and hikes in my neighborhood.
I have also started reading books for fun again. Something I had stopped doing for a long time.
I also notice that my anger and stress goes up when I read the news or get involved in Facebook debates that I know will go nowhere. So I am trying to avoid that too.

Good on you re: books. This is something I definitely wanted to pick up the pace on, but it didn't happen.

OriginalAZ wrote: I have also started reading books for fun again. Something I had stopped doing for a long time.

My wife is reading a shit load of books being that she doesn't have to work being non-essential.

Fortunately have use slow shipping on Amazon and have a lot $$$ in digital credits.

I need something to make me laugh. Truth is stranger than fiction right now, so not really into any drama/fiction books/movies.

Been watching Monty Python (Flying Circus and the movies) on Netflix and looking up old comedians (Robin Williams, Rodney Dangerfield) on the Tonight Show and elsewhere on YouTube.
Looking forward to Jerry Seinfeld's special coming out soon on Netflix.


I need a mindless game to waste some time. I downloaded Super Mario Bros. on my phone since I didn't have a Nintendo back in the day but it's hard to play without a real controller.

What's a good mindless game to waste some hours? In the past I've gotten hooked on Tetris, Minesweeper, Solitaire, and Angry Birds.

Do you play cribbage? There's some good cribbage apps. Also a lot of like brain puzzle apps too.

More than half way through my boxed set of The West Wing.

UAEebs86 wrote:What's a good mindless game to waste some hours? In the past I've gotten hooked on Tetris, Minesweeper, Solitaire, and Angry Birds.

Not exactly “mindless” since it’s a strategy game, but me and some friends have been playing Conquer Club which is essentially online Risk.

I don't have time to read or watch TV during this unless I'm doing something else at the same time, but I have enjoyed The Last Dance while cooking and cleaning up.

Good stuff fellas. I'm definitely prone to high anxiety so I can get a little wound up with fear and loathing. My 20yo daughter is in lockdown residence with me so it's been nice to have her around otherwise I'd be totally alone.

I'm fortunate to be able to work from home right now and have been generally very busy during all of this (commercial real estate finance). I've learned that I'm orders of magnitude more productive, effective and efficient working from home without the distractions of the office. I've decided offices are a waste of commercial real estate - which of course is a concern going forward in our business. Again though, I don't have any distractions at home - very peaceful, much better concentration (on calls and reading/analysing/drafting documents), and 99% of what I do can be done digitally. They're going to be hard-pressed to get me back in the office.

I fear, however, my fitness and all the hard work I've put in the last couple of years is definitely suffering. I've been walking for an hour or more every night to reset and clear my head, but I haven't been getting any real vigorous workouts in. I'm hesitant to hit the trails or the greenbelt on my mountain bike because everyone is out in full force trying to stay sane. It's more crowded than ever out there and I remain a little nervous to be amongst the huffing and puffing riff raff on crowded trails. My daughter's been doing some YouTube yoga which I should try and thanks for posting the Andrew Weil breathing exercise - I will definitely explore. Nothing calms you down and reduces anxiety like good breathing/meditation exercises. I haven't had a drink since early January, but I did make a trip across the Oregon border before this happened and am well-provisioned in the green sense. Although you have to be careful with that too because certain varieties can be very anxiety-inducing. I've also noticed it's bad for sleep (as noted by some sleep expert I saw on Joe Rogan's podcast a while back).

I'm also listening to a lot of music. Watching The Office from the beginning (never really watched it before). I turned my daughter on to the Lonesome Dove mini-series after which she read the novel. Very proud moment for me. I'm in the middle of re-reading the entire Lonesome Dove quadrilogy (in chronological order not publication order). Thus, I've just finished Deadman's Walk and Comanche Moon. I will crack the first pages of Lonesome Dove this weekend for the first time in more than 30-odd years. The Streets of Laredo will follow.

Lastly, I've started looking for a house to buy. It's been a long financial recovery and I haven't actually owned my own home since I got divorced 11 years ago. I'm pretty excited about that, and nervous. I hope to take it slow, make a sound decision for the long haul, and to do so without a lot of unnecessary stress or anxiety.

Be well guys.

I've been walking on the greenbelt almost every day. We are in SE Boise so it's not too busy. I see lots of cyclist on the other side of the river. My walks have been keeping me sane. When I get my bikes up to Boise, I'll be getting some vigorous exercise

My walks are so important to my mental health. Glad others are finding the same. It's starting to get hot in AZ so getting up earlier is a must even though I don't want to get out of bed.

Also- my dogs help me so much right now. If you are stuck at home and have thought about getting a dog, now is the perfect time!

Alieberman wrote:My walks are so important to my mental health. Glad others are finding the same. It's starting to get hot in AZ so getting up earlier is a must even though I don't want to get out of bed.

Also- my dogs help me so much right now. If you are stuck at home and have thought about getting a dog, now is the perfect time!

Rent-a-puppy: it's been a fantasy business of mine

Alieberman wrote:Also- my dogs help me so much right now. If you are stuck at home and have thought about getting a dog, now is the perfect time!

My dogs sure like my wife and I being home. We have been taking them on walks pretty much every noon.

dovecanyoncat wrote:

Alieberman wrote:My walks are so important to my mental health. Glad others are finding the same. It's starting to get hot in AZ so getting up earlier is a must even though I don't want to get out of bed.

Also- my dogs help me so much right now. If you are stuck at home and have thought about getting a dog, now is the perfect time!

Rent-a-puppy: it's been a fantasy business of mine

During normal times my wife does run a program on campus called "Dog Days with the Dean" where they bring in pups for students to play with as a stress reliever!

Alieberman wrote:

dovecanyoncat wrote:

Alieberman wrote:My walks are so important to my mental health. Glad others are finding the same. It's starting to get hot in AZ so getting up earlier is a must even though I don't want to get out of bed.

Also- my dogs help me so much right now. If you are stuck at home and have thought about getting a dog, now is the perfect time!

Rent-a-puppy: it's been a fantasy business of mine

During normal times my wife does run a program on campus called "Dog Days with the Dean" where they bring in pups for students to play with as a stress reliever!

The campus I work at (Cal Poly SLO) has a program where some organization brings in dogs on a weekly(?) basis for the students to pet in the University Union.

84Cat wrote:I've been walking on the greenbelt almost every day. We are in SE Boise so it's not too busy. I see lots of cyclist on the other side of the river. My walks have been keeping me sane. When I get my bikes up to Boise, I'll be getting some vigorous exercise

Welcome 84! Are you new to Boise? Man, I drove up 8th Street in the Jeep last Sunday, around Hyde Park, Pole Cat area out on Cartwright and trailheads and parking areas were packed! Way too many people. I'm just west of downtown and access the greenbelt at Esther Simplot/Whitewater park and it's been pretty busy lots of people.

BearDown89 wrote:

84Cat wrote:I've been walking on the greenbelt almost every day. We are in SE Boise so it's not too busy. I see lots of cyclist on the other side of the river. My walks have been keeping me sane. When I get my bikes up to Boise, I'll be getting some vigorous exercise

Welcome 84! Are you new to Boise? Man, I drove up 8th Street in the Jeep last Sunday, around Hyde Park, Pole Cat area out on Cartwright and trailheads and parking areas were packed! Way too many people. I'm just west of downtown and access the greenbelt at Esther Simplot/Whitewater park and it's been pretty busy lots of people.

Can one of you guys send me a Guido's pizza?

dovecanyoncat wrote:

BearDown89 wrote:

84Cat wrote:I've been walking on the greenbelt almost every day. We are in SE Boise so it's not too busy. I see lots of cyclist on the other side of the river. My walks have been keeping me sane. When I get my bikes up to Boise, I'll be getting some vigorous exercise

Welcome 84! Are you new to Boise? Man, I drove up 8th Street in the Jeep last Sunday, around Hyde Park, Pole Cat area out on Cartwright and trailheads and parking areas were packed! Way too many people. I'm just west of downtown and access the greenbelt at Esther Simplot/Whitewater park and it's been pretty busy lots of people.

Can one of you guys send me a Guido's pizza?

Still the best around here for sure Dove.

BearDown89 wrote:

84Cat wrote:I've been walking on the greenbelt almost every day. We are in SE Boise so it's not too busy. I see lots of cyclist on the other side of the river. My walks have been keeping me sane. When I get my bikes up to Boise, I'll be getting some vigorous exercise

Welcome 84! Are you new to Boise? Man, I drove up 8th Street in the Jeep last Sunday, around Hyde Park, Pole Cat area out on Cartwright and trailheads and parking areas were packed! Way too many people. I'm just west of downtown and access the greenbelt at Esther Simplot/Whitewater park and it's been pretty busy lots of people.

Yeah, we just moved here 2 months ago. Our daughter moved here after college and she just had her first baby. We were looking to move out of Tucson so we thought we would move here and give her a hand. We live a half a block away from the greenbelt at Bown/Parkcenter so we can just walk there and it hasn't been too busy

BearDown89 wrote:

dovecanyoncat wrote:

BearDown89 wrote:

84Cat wrote:I've been walking on the greenbelt almost every day. We are in SE Boise so it's not too busy. I see lots of cyclist on the other side of the river. My walks have been keeping me sane. When I get my bikes up to Boise, I'll be getting some vigorous exercise

Welcome 84! Are you new to Boise? Man, I drove up 8th Street in the Jeep last Sunday, around Hyde Park, Pole Cat area out on Cartwright and trailheads and parking areas were packed! Way too many people. I'm just west of downtown and access the greenbelt at Esther Simplot/Whitewater park and it's been pretty busy lots of people.

Can one of you guys send me a Guido's pizza?

Still the best around here for sure Dove.

We used to come down out of the Idaho City RD after a 10 day stretch of work, kill a pie and a bottle of red and go take a nap in the truck.

After a bear of march, I was restarting my training for mt Shasta, which was awesome. Then I found out yesterday they finely closed the mountain for the rest of April may TBD, so that’s likely out.

If a weird way I channel all my stuff Into side projects and have really enjoyed working on this with other docs in my professional society, has been like our own support group.

But I’ve been tired. And is insomnia which I have never had before, is really challenging to deal with.

Thanks for the breathing exercises those are good.

I lose it when I have to go to a regular supermarket, as opposed to Whole Foods or Trader Joe's. Just a war zone. Out of everything. No precautions for the safety of employees or customers. The customers look really unhealthy.

I get back home and have to recover from the shock and depression.

I still haven't figured out where to buy toilet paper or paper towels. Do you need to Costco membership, and that's just that?

Longhorned wrote:I lose it when I have to go to a regular supermarket, as opposed to Whole Foods or Trader Joe's. Just a war zone. Out of everything. No precautions for the safety of employees or customers. The customers look really unhealthy.

I get back home and have to recover from the shock and depression.

I still haven't figured out where to buy toilet paper or paper towels. Do you need to Costco membership, and that's just that?

I was just at Costco a couple days ago and they didn't have any TP. You really need to ask a manger when they are planning to get their next shipment in and plan accordingly.

And speaking of Costco... it was fucking packed and I was under the impression that they were limiting customers but it was totally gross.

Longhorned wrote:I lose it when I have to go to a regular supermarket, as opposed to Whole Foods or Trader Joe's. Just a war zone. Out of everything. No precautions for the safety of employees or customers. The customers look really unhealthy.

I get back home and have to recover from the shock and depression.

I still haven't figured out where to buy toilet paper or paper towels. Do you need to Costco membership, and that's just that?

Last couple of times I've been in Fry's they've been pretty much fully stocked with everything but cleaners and paper products. All food was fully stocked.

Longhorned wrote:I lose it when I have to go to a regular supermarket, as opposed to Whole Foods or Trader Joe's. Just a war zone. Out of everything. No precautions for the safety of employees or customers. The customers look really unhealthy.

I get back home and have to recover from the shock and depression.

I still haven't figured out where to buy toilet paper or paper towels. Do you need to Costco membership, and that's just that?

CVS had toilet paper when I was there on Thursday. (The one on Broadway and Prudence).


We started shopping at the Albertsons on Harrison. Not very many people compared to Frys, using shields at the registers at least

Longhorned wrote:I lose it when I have to go to a regular supermarket, as opposed to Whole Foods or Trader Joe's. Just a war zone. Out of everything. No precautions for the safety of employees or customers. The customers look really unhealthy.

I get back home and have to recover from the shock and depression.

I still haven't figured out where to buy toilet paper or paper towels. Do you need to Costco membership, and that's just that?

100% of people in the line at Trader Joe's had face masks on.

I had to go to Lowe's yesterday, and maybe 50% at most. 100% of the Lowe's employees did.

No shortage here for TP, no idea why. Plenty at Costco, and at the local grocery stores.

My daughter in rural NC said she is finally able to get TP, but just the Harris Teeter house brand.


Paper towels from Walmart in stock now as I type this https://www.walmart.com/ip/Bounty-Paper ... XGcQbZdbwg" target="_blank

{Makes mental note} Bring toilet paper from UAE

Fucking ridiculous. The US is a third world country.

On a side note, I have a level of anxiety about traveling right now that has only been exceeded the night before I taught my first university class. When I talk to my colleagues, I feel like that jaded lifer in Blackhawk Down who after surviving the Mogadishu debacle was explaining to the young soldier why he’s girding up, resupplying and going back in to the chaos while everybody is getting the fuck out of Dodge. I keep hearing, “Are you sure this is the right decision?” No, I’m not fucking sure—but what choice do I have? Gotta come home and rescue my cats and stare down the hoards of psychotic radicals in the local grocery store. Good times.

ByJoveByJingle wrote:{Makes mental note} Bring toilet paper from UAE

Fucking ridiculous. The US is a third world country.

On a side note, I have a level of anxiety about traveling right now that has only been exceeded the night before I taught my first university class. When I talk to my colleagues, I feel like that jaded lifer in Blackhawk Down who after surviving the Mogadishu debacle was explaining to the young soldier why he’s girding up, resupplying and going back in to the chaos while everybody is getting the fuck out of Dodge. I keep hearing, “Are you sure this is the right decision?” No, I’m not fucking sure—but what choice do I have? Gotta come home and rescue my cats and stare down the hoards of psychotic radicals in the local grocery store. Good times.

Good luck BJBJ. And if you get stuck somewhere I'll babysit your Lotus.

UAEebs86 wrote:

ByJoveByJingle wrote:{Makes mental note} Bring toilet paper from UAE

Fucking ridiculous. The US is a third world country.

On a side note, I have a level of anxiety about traveling right now that has only been exceeded the night before I taught my first university class. When I talk to my colleagues, I feel like that jaded lifer in Blackhawk Down who after surviving the Mogadishu debacle was explaining to the young soldier why he’s girding up, resupplying and going back in to the chaos while everybody is getting the fuck out of Dodge. I keep hearing, “Are you sure this is the right decision?” No, I’m not fucking sure—but what choice do I have? Gotta come home and rescue my cats and stare down the hoards of psychotic radicals in the local grocery store. Good times.

Good luck BJBJ. And if you get stuck somewhere I'll babysit your Lotus.

Thanks. If I die, you can have it. As long as you take the cats, too.

ByJoveByJingle wrote:

UAEebs86 wrote:

ByJoveByJingle wrote:{Makes mental note} Bring toilet paper from UAE

Fucking ridiculous. The US is a third world country.

On a side note, I have a level of anxiety about traveling right now that has only been exceeded the night before I taught my first university class. When I talk to my colleagues, I feel like that jaded lifer in Blackhawk Down who after surviving the Mogadishu debacle was explaining to the young soldier why he’s girding up, resupplying and going back in to the chaos while everybody is getting the fuck out of Dodge. I keep hearing, “Are you sure this is the right decision?” No, I’m not fucking sure—but what choice do I have? Gotta come home and rescue my cats and stare down the hoards of psychotic radicals in the local grocery store. Good times.

Good luck BJBJ. And if you get stuck somewhere I'll babysit your Lotus.

Thanks. If I die, you can have it. As long as you take the cats, too.

My wife is allergic to cats. I would miss her

Longhorned wrote:I lose it when I have to go to a regular supermarket, as opposed to Whole Foods or Trader Joe's. Just a war zone. Out of everything. No precautions for the safety of employees or customers. The customers look really unhealthy.

I get back home and have to recover from the shock and depression.

I still haven't figured out where to buy toilet paper or paper towels. Do you need to Costco membership, and that's just that?

I hate to break this to you LH, but:



TP available most early mornings (before noon) I've checked. New shipment of wipes came into most Arizona stores on Saturday.

The one in Camp Verde I went to Thursday, I scored a huge bottle of hand sanitizer from the "store supply." Pick your spots, but this place has really come through on the stuff in short supply nationally.

I've limited my outings into the world to once per week. Last 6 trips to the store and no paper towels. Down to 1 roll.