with a positive mental attitude,the survivor deals with problems as they occur.Without it every problem compounds the dispair untill the victim looses the will to eat rice and beans,lays down and dies.Now barring boot camp,how does one develop that positive mental attitude that'll keep us alive no matter what happens?

-- zoobie (zoobiezoob@yahoo.com), August 01, 1999

Answers

Start taking Sam-e!!

http://www.iherb.com/iherb/sam.html

Better start taking it now. Stock up for those that haven't prepared because they aren't going to be so nice to live with.

Penda

-- Penda Zone (PendaZ@excite.com), August 01, 1999.

I'm looking for more of a developable mental quality rather than an induced drug/herb state of consciousness.More the state of mind that allows army rangers to keep going no matter what happens,rather than the inpenetrable fog that keeps a pothead from worrying/carring about anything

-- zoobie (zoobiezoob@yahoo.com), August 01, 1999.

Weight training works for many people. It really does have a mental/emotional effect. Makes you more energetic and self-confident.

Its a combination of two things, I think. One is the physiological (hormonal?) effects.

The other is that everytime you train, you try as hard as you can to do better than last time, and you usually suceed. This is especialy true for beginners.

-- biker (y2kbiker@worldnet.att.net), August 01, 1999.

Zoob,

For most folks in most cases it's a conscious decision, an exercise of will. So anything you do, preferably constructive, that strengthens the will is 'good training.' Knowing yourself, knowing your foundations, and being adaptable are critical. You can do pretty much what you will yourself to do. Once you know that it is enough.

I have had a number of occasions to talk at length with former POWs who spent some time (years) in what would charitably be described as harsh conditions. I asked that same basic question: essentially, what got you through it? It was different things for different people, for some a determination to get back to a beloved wife and family, for some strong patriotic feelings, or religious beliefs. I think one in particular made it out of sheer orneryness (and he still makes me smile when I think about him). But all of them kept faith with something or someone, all of them looked beyond their immediate situation into a future they perceived as desireable. In many cases people who didn't do this, died.

There are several good books on the subject. I particularly recommend James N. Rowe's _Five Years to Freedom_, which is still available in paperback as far as I know.

It's a good question, well worth thinking about.

-- Lee (lplapin@hotmail.com), August 01, 1999.

zoobie, In part, for me it is a question of realizing there is a choice and that you can choose to rise above despair. Also, think of all the people who have lived in totally impossible conditions who not only rose above it, but who considered their circumstances irrelevant to the real situation, which was conducting their lives.

I think that when we start with an image of how our lives are "supposed" to be, we get in trouble. Like we all have had pretty good lives materially, I would imagine, for the most part. Soon, having little might be a grave shock. But the worst of it will come from a feeling that the new circumstances are "wrong" rather than that this gives us something new to work with and find out about ourselves from.

Human beings are comfort seekers and comfort addicts and we 20th century Americans have indulged our addiction to the max. The start of the 21st century may well find us unable to feed our comfort habit. But that won't necessarily make it impossible to live.

I was thinking just today of how some people will go out of their minds because they won't have junk food, sugars, candy, and such. It will take their bodies a while to purify of all that.

Much of our new lives will be an adjustment. But we can remember that our lives aren't without purpose simply because our electronics are gone. We are the real enegetic apparatus on this planet. And as a species we aren't all that destructable.

-- Mara Wayne (MaraWayne@aol.com), August 01, 1999.

An interesting observation from Eric Berne on winners and losers. It might help sort out how you're feeling.

"A winner knows what he'll do next if he loses, but doesn't talk about it; a loser doesn't know what he'll do if he loses, but talks about what he'll do if he wins."

Zoobie, you've posted lots of imaginative, practical and useful stuff on TB2K old and new; I'd say you fall in the first group. Don't worry about it, you have what it takes to survive.

-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), August 01, 1999.

I think its an attitude that you have developed in your life time. I was raised by my mother that its 'better never to try, than fail'. I followed that attitude until I was 30 and was getting absolutely no where. Took a good hard look at things and did a 180. Within a year, I discovered I was really quite bright, had a lot of common sense and there was no stopping me from then on. I became an achiever, much to the surprise of my family. On the other hand, my brother stayed at the first flunky job he ever got, until he retired. Never did more than was expected of him and probably never had a merit raise in his life. Because I traveled, made good money, did lots of interesting projects, had research grants, did some work for the UN, etc., my brother thought I was a person who couldn't hold down a job. We are both on SS now and while he is sweating the roll over as its his ONLY INCOME, for me its a 'bonus' and won't make a real difference if the check quits coming. So its all attitude, and like most things its developed. Is your cup half empty or half full? Until I was 30 it was half empty. Since then it has always run over. And I did it myself, as I never married until I was 53. I can still stand on my own two feet, thank you.

Taz

-- Taz (Tassie@aol.com), August 02, 1999.

I think biker makes a good point in suggesting weight training. I am doing exercise now, more seriously. It's not weight-training, but it is activity that puts me to the test. "Can I make it up that hill? Just go a little more... don't give up! You can do it."

There's a powerful pride-building effect in physical training that is appropriate for me for y2k, and that supports my mental state of mind. We're talking increased endorphons here, too.

Besides that, surrounding myself, whenever possible, with visionary, courageous, intelligent people is additional impetus to keep on keeping on.

-- Sara Nealy (keithn@aloha.net), August 03, 1999.

zoob

for me, a positive mental attitude starts with physical and mental exercise, every day. speaking as someone who has wrestled with depression, i know it's a daily thing.

every day i walk at least a mile (unless it's pneumonia-type weather) for what i think are called the endorphins.

every day i spend some time thinking of, first, five things i am thankful for (something original and specific, not just health or friends), and second, five things i have accomplished in my life (again, being specific, what, when, how, why, etc).

works for me!

-- Cowardly Lion (cl0001@hotmail.com), August 03, 1999.