Wait… Is that community run by Gerald Holmes?

http://www.l8r.net/geraldholmes.freeyellow.com/ (a 25 year-old, very likely satire site)

I babysat a brother and sister in the early 90s and we played Mousetrap properly after dinner to kill time until bedtime. Worst babysitter ever.

Then I let them stay up past bedtime while we figured out the most cursed modifications/add-ons. Best babysitter ever.

(In truth, I remember that I had talked with the parents beforehand about “stated bedtime” versus “real bedtime”.)

This was my first thought, too.

I started taking antidepressants a few months ago to treat ADHD-related anxiety and depression. (The doctor suggested that I could try ADHD-specific meds, but pointed out that I’m already a relatively successful adult, so clearly I’ve built coping mechanisms over the years.)

I’m surprised by how much more rational I’ve become when dealing with stuff.

I first really noticed it when I was crossing at an intersection and a driver turning right didn’t see me and almost hit me. She slammed on the brakes and waved her hands in a clearly startled and apologetic way. Before the meds I probably would have flipped her the bird and had my heart pounding in my ears for the next half hour as I seethed with anger. Now, my thought was “She made a mistake. I’m fine. She knows she made a mistake and she’ll certainly be more careful next time. It’s okay.”

That’s not to say that I don’t get angry anymore. I just get angry about stuff that matters or where I can change something. It feels a lot healthier.

Standard disclaimer: I’m not a doctor. This is not medical advice. It’s just my anecdotal experience. Maybe talk to your doctor about getting tested for depression and/or anxiety. (I had never thought to before this year, because in my youth I was just called “disorganized”, “lazy”, and “scatterbrained”.)

If you get married or start dating in the new country, it’s worth being aware of how much more culture shock your partner is likely to experience when visiting your country of origin.

I kind of made this mistake after leaving my home country for many years, getting married, and moving home(-ish) with my spouse. I needed time to readjust to the surroundings, but it was mostly digging up old memories. (Also, it wasn’t exactly where I came from, so some things were different.) I mistakenly fooled myself into assuming that things that I remembered would be natural for my spouse, which was obviously stupid.

I was dumb. Don’t be dumb.