Tag: Corona Virus

A Gen X Point of View Blog – 2021 Recap

Posted on by Karac Avalron

So another year is rapidly approaching its end. I think back on my life from time to time and for me my earliest clearest memory is from 1976 (yes I’m ancient) and being in the bicentennial parade. Nearly 50 years later here I am, a blogger. So 2021 was a good year for this blog. Let me be clear though, number of visitors was down 6% views were down 3% from 2020 so statistically its less but 2020 to me was an odd year as many people were forced to be home. We had way more online activity so it’s hard to use that as a metric.

To recap a bit, this blog is one person, me. I don’t have an editor, co-creators, contributors etc. I write all the posts myself, do the research, try to edit. For the most part I am happy with how 2021 played out for the blog. I took the blog in different directions this year with more health and finance pieces and those were largely successful. The focus of the blog still remained Anxiety and Mental Health and to be perfectly candid those posts had less traction then others.

I suspect it has to do with the fact that there is only so many ways to confer Anxiety as an issue, and or people are just sick and tired of reading about anxiety as it seems to be covered a lot more now than when I started a few years ago. My international viewership when up which is great, however the U.S. still remains as my strongest reader base. I am located in the U.S. so that isn’t surprising but it’s nice to know individuals from Australia to Zimbabwe read my blog.

I think 2022 will continue much the same as 2021 did. I will still commit to 3 blog posts a week but honestly that pace might have to slow down in the summer of 2022 as I anticipate work will pick up for me and it’s simply going to be much harder to muster the energy to create 3 unique blog posts a week. I do have a good body of work to pull from and revisit some posts but overall I don’t feel burned out just slightly gassed in the sense the well of material for anxiety posts is starting to run dry.

So what can you expect in 2022 from “A Gen X Point of View?”  Below is a glimpse of the topics I plan to cover.

  1. Anxiety – There will always be a place for this topic on this blog. There may be less in 2022 but not a lot less.
  2. Finance – As a 20+ year finance professional it’s a big part of my life so I am going to talk about it. As a category these posts were among the most viewed on my channel in 2021.
  3. Weight Loss – I haven’t done many posts on this but I did drop nearly 30 pounds since the pandemic and have kept it off. I was never really fat but never really fit either. I am now, at 51 not to shabby. I’m going to indulge myself a little more on this subject, I’m proud of it.
  4. U.S. History – On U.S. holidays I usually do a piece on this historical significance of the holiday. I think I am going to do more of that with the desired approach of NOT getting overtly into politics.
  5. Paganism – Or more likely mythology. Western culture has been converged and condensed for years. Christmas/Yule etc. I’m going to talk about this a little more.

Overall 2021 was nearly the same in terms of visits and views to 2020. I am taking that as a statistical win as 2020 was full pandemic mode. 2021 less so, but I do realize people are still at home and online more. I doubled my subscribers which is encouraging, I would like to hit 1000 of you by the end of 2022 that would be cool. Having goals in life is important IMHO, it’s just a number I realize that. Many of you have 10K plus subs, remember what it was like?

I intend on publishing Mon – Wed – Fri for the mid-term, should things become challenging for me writing wise I may cut back to 2 posts a week but for now expect the status quo. This Blog doesn’t exist without your support. Thank you for reading my content. Thank you for liking and subscribing, if you keep showing up so will I.

Karac.

Genetics

An article from India – Virus anxiety across the world

Posted on by Karac Avalron

It’s no secret that many of the readers of my blog reside in India. All of you are most welcome and thank you for years of support of my blog. As a result of my readership demographics I started reading more articles about India and its culture. I will never be an expert but I think as average everyday Americans go I might have a better understanding of how things are going there than most. I found an interesting article here that discusses briefly some of the anxiety pent up around the world over covid.

How this pertains to my Indian readers is very simple. You have resources/news outlets in your nation that are giving alternative perspectives to the current main stream narrative. I’m not sure if you understand how fortunate you are in that regard. In the states as an example we have strict hard lines drawn socially on covid in the media. There is no objectivity anymore, and people are polarized as a result of it.

Same with Europe to a large degree and Australia? Have you read about what is going on in Australia? The more I read about India and its culture the more refreshing I find its candor. It’s by no means a perfect society but they seem to have this odd way of soldiering through these sometimes crippling social dynamics. I’ve come to appreciate it, I am not sure if it’s some form of macabre humor or their prevalence to be very self-aware (unlike many of your western friends).

Call it any name you want, Anxiety sucks.

The article itself does a decent job of illustrating the issue around the world that the virus (whatever variant/iteration you have currently) has become long in the tooth. Meaning, people are wary of covid and the residual effects of government lockdowns, society pressure etc. It’s an olive branch to the reader really. I took it as “we know it’s hard, take heart its hard everywhere”. I mean how refreshing is that to have your media not scold you on whatever side of the issue you are on and actually offer some empathy?

Maybe I am reading it all wrong, maybe I am super imposing my desired outcome on the article into some broad reaching social narrative that really isn’t there. I don’t know, I don’t live in India. In my neck of the woods? I live in a fairly libertarian part of the U.S. meyered in covid battles from the federal government all the way down to the day to day operations of mail delivery. It’s exhausting and everyone in my social circle (liberals and conservatives) have had enough.

What a wonderful thing it would be to see in the States a major publication takes a conciliatory view and throw everyone a bone like this article does (or what I think it does). I wish my readers and friends in India well, I hope wherever your path leads. I bow to the divine in you, or more simply, Namaste.

Thank you for stopping by and supporting my blog I really appreciate it. Want to see another post like this one? Click here. 

Christmas Week

Posted on by Karac Avalron

Hello dear readers. It is Christmas week and while I am a filthy unwashed Pagan at this time of the year I do take a break. I am not working this week (or next) and for the most part I spend a lot of time with my family. Yes covid and all we travel (we are all vaccinated). So there will be posts on the blog but some will be reposts, I have a few new posts ready to go but for today’s post I wanted to let you know what the blogs end of year is going to look like.

I wanted to also take this opportunity to thank you for all your support over 2021. It’s been a great year for the blog and I truly appreciate all your support. I am looking forward to 2022 and trying to expand to other topics that are new to me and hopefully you find interesting.

Please take some time off from the PC/screens sometime soon. The holidays are a great time to take a break. Whatever you do, I hope you are safe and in good health.

Your Pagan Friend,

Karac.

Comply or else

Posted on by Karac Avalron

They are coming for you. It’s not a matter of if it’s a matter of when. Your neighbors, people you trust, someone within 100 feet of you right now. Who are they? Normal everyday people. Many of them are genuinely friendly and nice but they hide a deep secret. What is it? They have rationalized a consequence for your choices based on their fears. We have seen this many times throughout history and it rarely ends well. You see the logic is unassailable “This is a dangerous act, so you should comply or else”.

What if you don’t think it’s a dangerous act? That no longer matters. You will comply or you will be cancelled, reeducated, shunned, chastised, ridiculed or worse. This is what modern western culture has come too. This mindset is prevalent everywhere, from Belgium to Australia to the U.S and everywhere in-between.

You are living in a modern “cultural revolution”. Sure that term isn’t being used at the moment but go ahead, take a look at its use in the past, I dare you. This particular “revolution” is at its peak at the moment, at least that’s my estimation, I hope I am right. You see it’s not enough to feel a certain way, but if others don’t feel the same or accommodate that feeling? BAM! People are tired of it.

The Party is over.

The historic pattern is the same. A fear proposition is offered to the masses. Empowered by numbers many begin to dehumanize you. You must offer coherent arguments to satisfy their fear, even when you explain it clearly, its not enough. They have already made up their mind, they are empowered, you are the minority. You become labeled as non compliant…. A problem. You are then categorized based on this designation, anything else you have done doesn’t matter, you are now “X”. In the past you were marked physically so you could be identified this has evolved to your electronic signature but the concept is the same. All of this leads to one horrible end, you are put in a corner. Your options become less and less, your hand is forced. “COMPLY OR ELSE”

In the past if someone was fearful, they protected themselves. Now? Everyone else has to change to accommodate their fear, regardless if its rational or not. I believe many, tens of millions, have had enough of this and are finding their voice and fighting back. Be wary of those who smile at you as they talk about taking away your liberty, they are extremely dangerous and most of them don’t even understand why.

Thank you for coming by and supporting my blog I really appreciate it. Want to see another post like this one? Click here.

New Variant, same packaging, more anxiety.

Posted on by Karac Avalron

Covid marches on. We now have a new variant that is making the news rounds just in time for the holidays (what a coincidence). At nearly 2 years in on Covid the battle lines are pretty much drawn at this point. There isn’t a lot of wiggle room out there so keep in mind the views I give on this blog may not necessarily be mainstream. Believe it or not, I can see both sides of the issue. I know *GASP* a moderate!!!!! KILL IT WITH FIRE… but seriously….

Here we are in the middle of the holiday season and we have another variant Omicron. You will start to see this variant pop up in every news story from now until the first of the year. It will be tied into xmas, inflation, gas prices, and any number of conservatives screaming about vax mandates or liberals screaming about canceling someone they don’t like. Meanwhile out here the real world where we have to live our life it’s another layer of anxiety heaped on us.

For those of us with anxiety Covid is a bludgeon. I get it, its serious people can get really sick and some die. I’m not dismissing it. The vaccine has been available now for nearly a year so anyone who wants it has it but there is no let up. So how do we deal with YET ANOTHER wave of covid inspired anxiety? I wish I had a great answer honestly, I don’t. I think we are eroding our social construct to the point that in 5 years I’m still going to be answering people if I got the vaccine or not (which I did).

Maybe a nice cup of tea will help?

In the end you have to still work hard to create the life you want. If that means getting vaccinated for you good. If it means not getting vaccinated and subjecting yourself to restriction and hostility, power to you. In the end as people with anxiety we have to begin to accept the fact that Covid and the current variant are going to be present in our lives for the long term. I envision a future where a covid booster is going to be pressed on us annually and the covid bludgeon will be used anytime the media and or politicians need a way to get the masses riled up.

It may or may not be a big factor in your anxiety journey I don’t know. What I do know is it’s not being let go. Meaning having a vaccine available and allowing those who want it to get it isn’t enough. So we will all still be consumers of the covid story, emboldened to shout at and argue with those who don’t agree with us. A convenient label to lump anyone with a singular view into a neat bucket so you can identify them, and market to them…. I digress.

Just remember anxiety is real and the more you consume covid news the more anxiety you are going to have. Be kind to others, respect others liberty, treat people the way you want to be treated and determine what is right for you and lead by example.

Thanks for coming by and supporting my blog I really appreciate it. Want to see another post like this one? Click here.

Genetics

Can Anxiety be inherited? (Repost)

Posted on by Karac Avalron

New Intro: I was looking back at some of my older posts and I thought this one was very good but didnt get a lot of traction. While I admit I am not a wordsmith, the bones of this post and the link info are very useful IMHO. Give it a read and let me know what you think, thanks again for all your support I really appreciate it.

Many of us who have anxiety or other mental health issues can give citation to someone in linage who had a similar condition. While we don’t have direct evidence yet that there are specific DNA threads where anxiety triggers live, it’s highly likely that the traits conducive to anxiety and mental health are heredity. Of course there are environmental, relationship, financial and a plethora of other reasons why you could have or get anxiety. It’s not an exact science, but it’s being worked on.

I found a good article here That discusses the notion of inheriting anxiety. I thought it was a very good article and certainly worthy of my time and hopefully yours.

From the article: “As with most things mental health-related, the answer isn’t cut and dried. Yes, anxiety and depression are heritable, according to the psychiatrists I interviewed. But environmental factors, like early childhood experiences, also play a role, interacting with your genes to influence whether you actually develop these disorders.”

Plastic destroys the environment
Hopefully your environment is clean and not full of clutter

Further: “Genetics seem to explain certain anxiety disorders — namely obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and panic disorder — more than others, Potash says. But research to identify the genes involved in these anxiety disorders is still ongoing, partly because recruiting the vast number of participants needed to yield definitive results takes time.”

Understanding where our individual anxiety comes from is paramount to understanding where we may end up, and how best to combat it. I know that’s part of the end game goal for all of us right? One of the exercises we can perform to reveal this is to look back at our immediate family life when we were younger and attempt to understand how things played out. Essentially what you want to do is recognize the adult realities of your childhood. Did you parents struggle? Why? Perhaps this has contributed to your anxiety.

Simply put, we can’t dismiss inheritance of anxiety and mental health issues from our immediate DNA relatives our parents and grandparents. Spending time attempting to understand their lives and why things played out the way they did might be one of the puzzle pieces you need to understand your situation. What were their environmental factors growing up? What was the social situation? Was there unrest and anxiety abound?

I imagine for kids today in 2020 they will be looking back when they are in their 50’s and saying “god my parents must have really been stressed out…”

Thank you so much for coming by and supporting my blog! Please leave a like or a comment to let me know you were here! Want to see more posts like this one? Click here.

Anxiety: knowing the problem hastens the solution

Posted on by Karac Avalron

That was the catch phrase from the original Zoloft commercial I remember seeing this commercial on TV years ago and thinking to myself at the time “ya that sounds like me” I have always been of the opinion that taking a prescription drug is like surgery or war, it should done as a last resort. I never have, and still don’t take a prescription for my anxiety and border line depression. I have discussed this with my Dr over the years she has offered to write me a prescription many times.

For me I always wanted to fight against my issues myself and to a degree I have succeeded. However from time to time I wonder “would it be easier if I just took a pill?” I imagine it would but I am thankful I do not have symptoms severe enough to seriously consider it at this time. I see more modern commercials, with sun light shining on happy smiling people and a part of me thinks that the marketing of these drugs has become sinister.

You see, if you are someone who suffers from anxiety or depression, regardless of degree, you at some point have experienced the very real desperation of “being in the moment”. These are the episodes where things are very brutal, you think the worse, feel the worse and your mind allows for all sorts of horrific outcomes. I sometimes feel when I see these new commercials that they play on these, for some, very morbid notions and offer an unrealistic outcome.

The Sun will come out again.

The sun breaks, you’re smiling with beautiful people… I mean maybe I am being overly cynical here but when I rewatch the original Zoloft commercial it’s a cartoon blob being followed around by a cloud. It wasn’t glamorous it was simple, you take Zoloft and the rain cloud goes away. I know that’s essentially the same thing that the modern commercials are doing but when you have an animation like this, it abstracts the outcomes enough to temper your expectations.

I know, spoken like a true believer… Anyway if you are on medication this wasn’t meant to offend or be judgmental. I’m lucky I’m coping on my own, but if you are not on medication and you think you might need to be that’s okay. You should check with your Dr ASAP and talk to them about your condition. Taking medication to address anxiety and depression is nothing to be ashamed about you should be commended for taking action to correct a situation.

As the original Zoloft ad said “When you know more about what’s wrong, you can help make it right”. Maybe medication is for you, but don’t let the commercials inform you exclusively, talk to your dr !

Thank you for stopping by and supporting my blog I really appreciate it. Want to see another post like this one? Click here.

The Importance of Sleep

Just Relax

Posted on by Karac Avalron

From time to time it’s prudent to take a day and relax. Call in to work, cancel an appointment, shut the screens off. Go outside, maybe go to a river those are always soothing. Maybe take a nap? Maybe you can cook your favorite meal.

This is a short post, because I want you to shut the PC/phone off and stop looking at the screen. Go ahead take a day for yourself. No apologies, no regrets just relax.

Your Pagan friend,

Karac.

Enough

It’s now completely US vs THEM

Posted on by Karac Avalron

Government provides and enforces rules that are ideally made to benefit the broader public. There comes a time when the implementation of those rules become punitive and penalize the very citizens it’s supposed to help. There is no shortage of examples of this in history and we are now in the middle of the current iteration. It’s very simple, Covid has become political. It’s no longer about keeping people safe, it’s an ideological fight now.

Simply put, there are vaccinations available for anyone who wants them. It’s reasonable to assume the people who wanted them got them, but it’s not enough. Now we are at the point where many feel it’s imperative to force those who don’t want it to get it or face harsh penalty. No work, no travel, fines on and on.

We have to be honest and examine why? Why are we to the point where it’s not enough for us to feel safe but we have to impose on others to do something? Fear is a great motivator, and so is trying to win and or beat down those whom you don’t agree with. It’s a dangerous slippery slope. Why? Because life is cyclical and the next iteration of this, you may be on the other side.

You better work on getting a thick skin, you’re going to need it.

All those people who were shamed, harmed, penalized for not doing what you think they should you think they are going to forget it? Do you think if they have an opportunity to do to you what you did to them they won’t take it? You’re a fool if you think there aren’t millions of people out there pissed off that government is forcing them to take the poke, and people are going after them aggressively. You’re a fool if you think they won’t remember who said what, who did what.

A vaccine is available, everyone who is eligible should get one. I am no anti vaccier, I got my shots. I don’t however try and go after people who chose not to. I respect the notion of “my body my choice” some, sadly only employ that logic when its convenient. So if you got this far in the post, thank you. One last piece of wisdom here, careful when you are active about how other people should behave. There is no hiding any more, anonymity is an illusion. The world is smaller now, you appear in more places than just your safe small town.

Someday you might be the one whom doesn’t want to comply and those whom you gave no quarter to now? They will come after you, just like you came after them.

Thank you for coming by and supporting my blog I really appreciate it. Want to see another post like this one? Click here.

When you know more about what’s wrong, you can help make it right.

Posted on by Karac Avalron

That was the catch phrase from the original Zoloft commercial I remember seeing this commercial on TV years ago and thinking to myself at the time “ya that sounds like me” I have always been of the opinion that taking a prescription drug is like surgery or war, it should done as a last resort. I never have, and still don’t take a prescription for my anxiety and border line depression. I have discussed this with my Dr over the years she has offered to write me a prescription many times.

For me I always wanted to fight against my issues myself and to a degree I have succeeded. However from time to time I wonder “would it be easier if I just took a pill?” I imagine it would but I am thankful I do not have symptoms severe enough to seriously consider it at this time. I see more modern commercials, with sun light shining on happy smiling people and a part of me thinks that the marketing of these drugs has become sinister.

You see, if you are someone who suffers from anxiety or depression, regardless of degree, you at some point have experienced the very real desperation of “being in the moment”. These are the episodes where things are very brutal, you think the worse, feel the worse and your mind allows for all sorts of horrific outcomes. I sometimes feel when I see these new commercials that they play on these, for some, very morbid notions and offer an unrealistic outcome.

The sun breaks, your smiling with beautiful people… I mean maybe I am being overly cynical here but when I rewatch the original Zoloft commercial it’s a cartoon blob being followed around by a cloud. It wasn’t glamorous it was simple, you take Zoloft and the rain cloud goes away. I know that’s essentially the same thing that the modern commercials are doing but when you have an animation like this, it abstracts the outcomes enough to temper your expectations.

I know, spoken like a true believer… Anyway if you are on medication this wasn’t meant to offend or be judgmental. I’m lucky I’m coping on my own, but if you are not on medication and you think you might need to be that’s okay. You should check with your Dr ASAP and talk to them about your condition. Taking medication to address anxiety and depression is nothing to be ashamed about you should be commended for taking action to correct a situation.

As the original Zoloft ad said “When you know more about what’s wrong, you can help make it right”. Maybe medication is for you, but don’t let the commercials inform you exclusively, talk to your dr !