Unemployment and depression

[panader0]

I'm in construction and have been unemployed for way too long. I have a small general contracting business but there's nothing going on. It's never been this bad around here before. At first, being out of work was like a vacation. Then I was able to catch up on a lot of chores and honey-dos. I kept thinking the phone would ring as it always had before and I would be out earning money and feeling worthy. But the weeks go by, my business will probably go kaput, and the slow creep of depression is settling in. I'm lucky to have a great GF with a decent job, but I feel displaced. I sure hope things pick up soon. Through whining now.

[OhioChick]

1. Hang in there....

I hope that phone starts ringing for you really soon. :hug:

[roamer65]

2. We're on track to bypass all other post WW2 recessions very shortly.

I never thought I would see one worse than 1982 again, but here we are and its out of our control now.

Hang in there, eventually it will get better. At least you have people around you who care, a BIG plus.

[napoleon_in_rags]

3. I hear ya' man.

I've been there too. Here's something that helped me when I was in the same boat: If you can't find paid work, try and get out to volunteer. Maybe through a church or non-profit, whatever you get. It might just be for a couple of hours a week, but it makes a universe of difference on the depression front, at least it did for me. And sometimes it leads to paying work.

[FreakinDJ]

4. Do you think maybe your "Business Plan" is lacking some thing

Great time to be out knocking on doors / pressing the flesh making some sales calls

In other words get off your butt - your the one who claims to be "In Business" so I should not have to be the 1 telling you this

[Orrex]

7. Way to show some fucking humanity

A fellow DUer is reaching out during a time of hardship and vulnerability, and the best you can come up with is "get off your butt?" Where the fuck did you learn to communicate?


Very fucking nice.

[FreakinDJ]

9. Sympathy don't pay the bills

Solar companies are popping up all around the place. I've been quoting machining parts for solar panels positioning systems for over a month now

And yes - I rather have some one teach me to fish and not give me a fish to eat

[Orrex]

14. I suspect that he knows how to fish, to use your nauseatingly trite metaphor

It's sickening that in an economy like this--the worst in seven decades and perhaps longer--we can still find among so-called Progressives a loudmouth who trips over himself in his rush to blame the victim.

Way to fight the good fight, noble crusader. Fight on.

[EFerrari]

17. Who asked you for advice?

[Forkboy]

11. There's at least one in every thread like this.

[Orrex]

16. Agreed. Just like there's one at the end of every digestive tract.

[FreakinDJ]

21. Exlax for the mind

You want to "Via the Internet" give him a Hug - how cute

But right now he could probably use a little usefull advice and inspiration. Glad to see you have stepped up to the plate to offer real answers and advice the poster could actually use. I'm sure with friends like you ....

will I'm sure you get the rest

[Orrex]

22. Did anyone ask for your advice? Are you some kind of employment guru? I don't see it.

All you've offered is cliche stiff-upper-lip bullshit apparently calculated to make him feel worthless during a time of hardship.

Unless you're prepared to post your CV and show us how fucking brilliant you really are, maybe you should respond to what the OP is seeking rather than by posting your clever little Randian slogans.

[FreakinDJ]

23. Perhaps that is what was evident to me

That was the advice I was given in bad economic/high unemployment times such as Reaganomics/Trickle Down theory “lets use unemployment to control inflation” times.

Patting him on the head saying “Things will get better Ol’ Boy” just rings loudly of that “Good Ol’ Boy” pat on the back, smirk smirk, special treatment for the darkies crap.

Give the man some thing he can use and quit being part of the problem. Do you really think lulling him into another day of false security is going to cure his depression?

And absolutely no way in Hell a plan of action would help his emotional or financial dilemma - right

No he didn't ask me for advice nor did any one make you Judge Jury and Chief Opinion Editor of DU

[Orrex]

24. Right. I'm over-reaching because I called you on your insulting bullshit

That was the advice I was given in bad economic/high unemployment times such as Reaganomics/Trickle Down theory “lets use unemployment to control inflation” times.

No shit. That's the same advice everyone was given. I suspect the OP received that same advice, too. So that makes it okay for you to put him down? Did you read the OP? Do you understand that he was venting? If he wants some anonymous blowhard to tell him what he should do with his life, I'm sure he'll PM you. Watch for a subject line in the vein of "Hey, Blowhard, I need your advice."

Patting him on the head saying “Things will get better Ol’ Boy” just rings loudly of that “Good Ol’ Boy” pat on the back, smirk smirk, special treatment for the darkies crap.

If he'd posted to say "Please give me your advice," then you'd be correct. Instead, he posted to vent and to rant, perhaps in hope of finding support among his peers or perhaps to hear a few words of encouragement. Instead he gets a kick in the teeth from a blowhard. Have you ever in real life interacted with someone going through a hard time? Did you that person them how lazy and worthless he was for failing to turn himself around in accordance with your timetable?

Give the man some thing he can use and quit being part of the problem. Do you really think lulling him into another day of false security is going to cure his depression?

Who the fuck are you to decide what he needs? You're an anonymous blowhard on a public internet forum. He's not asking anyone to cure his depression; he was looking for the place/chance to vent. And you've latched onto it and turned it into your own little narcissistic soap box. I guess you're the most smartestest person in the country, if you've figured out how to solve the unemployment crisis. Perhaps you should send a note to the President to share your wisdom.

And absolutely no way in Hell a plan of action would help his emotional or financial dilemma - right

If that's what he was asking for, then you'd be right to offer it. But since he wasn't asking for it, then you're just going out of your way to make him feel worse about himself.

No he didn't ask me for advice nor did any one make you Judge Jury and Chief Opinion Editor of DU

So anyone who disagrees with your bullshit is a self-appointed Judge, Jury, and Chief Opinion Editor of DU? That's quite a zany little persecution fantasy you've assembled for yourself.

[FreakinDJ]

25. Wow - you put all that effort in defending your being a Blowhard

I'm trully impressed

You really need to get out more

BTW: show me where "Everyone gave him the same advice" - Blowhard

[Orrex]

26. Forgive me--if I'd realized that you were a twelve-year-old, I'd have taken it easier on you

Now, all that's left for me to decide is whether to ignore you or to Ignore you.

Decisions, decisions.

[FreakinDJ]

27. Ba Bye IDIOT

Love it when Morons like you put me on their ignor list so I can trash their threads and they don't even know it

[EFerrari]

20. True. Like cR@p you have to walk around on the sidewalk.

lol

[prolesunited]

12. Yes, he's just lazy

and should just pull himself up by his bootstraps.

[Orrex]

15. A dose of Horatio Alger would solve all of his problems

[Carni]

29. karma sucks

Given your response, you have earned some....enjoy *thinking outside of the box* when the bell tolls for you.

[babylonsister]

5. Hi.

Have you checked out what's going on with the stimulus money and plans in your area? Every state is getting them so maybe you can benefit, too. I hope so. :hug:

[Forkboy]

6. I hope things pick up for you, too.

Even if you're not working though try to find things to keep you busy. The depression gets even worse if you don't, and once it settles in it can be almost impossible to do anything, even things you normally enjoy. Trust me on this one. x(

Hopefully construction will pick up soon (Spring usually sees a pick up, but with things the way they are I realize it's not guaranteed).

Good luck to you, and your post isn't whining at all.

[Demobrat]

8. A great way to use the extra time on your hands

is to exercise, preferably outdoors. Run, walk or ride a bike. It's free and you'll feel better, both physically and mentally, very quickly. Not saying it's a cure-all, but it really does help in so many ways.

[tech3149]

10. Hope things get better for you too

For me it was the reverse. I spent the last 15 years killing myself for a company that seemed dead set on committing suicide. My profession had been rendered all but obsolete (electronics repair) and the manufacturers wouldn't share enough information to let you do your job effectively. By the summer of 2002, I decided I just couldn't do it any more. Especially in today's business environment. I'd like to be working again, but it's not so much the job I do but the quality and ethics of the company. Not easy to come by a company that truly values their employees and customers. I'm not the sort to start my own business because actually running it would drive me nuts.

[GoesTo11]

13. Sometimes you just get depressed

and you gotta go with it. Do what you can to take care of yourself - exercise, make plans, but hey, if you're depressed, what the hell, stay in bed a while, watch some crap on TV, eat some crap, have a few drinks and bitch about stuff. Just don't be that way too long.

[EFerrari]

18. I hear that. I've worked since I was 12 and haven't had full time work

in too long. It's disorienting. Hang in, my friend. Looks like there will be at least small spike in real estate. Maybe we'll both get some work. :hug:

[MrSlayer]

19. I'm right there with you.

I'm patiently waiting for the building to pick up again. With the stim money being released it should be turning around soon. Hang tough.

[Lisa0825]

28. It is a strong correlation.

I was an employment counselor before I got into recruiting, and one of the first things they taught us, in assisting people who have lost jobs, is the relationship between depression or self-worth, and losing a job. Your feelings are normal. Try to fight letting it get you down. Remember that a large chunk of the population is going through this, and it has nothing to do with your VALUE.

I sincerely hope you get a lucky break soon. But keep this in mind, just to be realistic.... unemployment is a lagging indicator. That means it could take a while to pick back up, even after the stock market, housing, spending, etc have picked up. Don't let it get you down if everything else has looked up and you are still looking. Be patient and stay positive.

:pals:

[FlyingSquirrel]

30. I'll be with ya shortly

Good luck.

:hug: