Am I just a wuss, or are there others?

Two or three years ago, I used to come to this site all the time. Heck, even last year. Multiple times a day.

Now, I might log on twice a month. The reason? Because every time I come onto the site, it gets more depressing than the last time. Reading these stories about all the papers shuttering and the jobs being lost, I get sick to my stomach. The whole thing is just mind-numbingly soul crushing. And I have a job that theoretically seems quite secure, at least comparatively.

People have told me "You've got a job. Don't worry about other people's problems. Just worry about yourself and everything will be fine."

I just don't know though. It seems a bit too narrow-minded to think about yourself when everyone else's world is crumbling. Even when you're on prime real estate, how long before the ground crumbles beneath you?

But I am just wondering if anyone else out there finds themselves frequenting the premises, well, less frequently, as a result of knowing that no news you'll see around here is good news. Maybe it's a bit childish to try to insulate myself from reality, but it seems like the only way to stay sane.

 

It's damned hard to avoid depression when you're seeing the industry you love die and so many of your friends losing your jobs.

 

Yeah, that advice is dumb (the original, not lono's -- sorry, got beat by a post there.) As a journalist, your first job is to keep your eyes and ears open (and that includes about news within the industry).

I don't click on all the layoff threads anymore, especially the ones where I don't know anybody. We had that discussion on mustang's thread last week about whether it's worth it to compile all the bad news in one place, which I think -- at least for me -- makes it easier to digest. I get numb clicking on the Lexington thread, then the Atlanta thread, then the Houston thread, then the Rocky thread, then the P-I thread ... and on and on and on.

That said, I tend to follow Satchel Paige's advice here:

"Ain't no sense in worrying about things you can control; if you can control them, there's no sense worrying about them. And ain't no sense worrying about things you can't control; if you can't control them, there's no sense worrying about them."

Easier said than done, of course.

 

When he pitched for the Astros while they were involved in their first serious divisional race, Joaquin Andujar said he wasn't worried about Atlanta or Los Angeles or Cincinnati. He said the only thing you should worry about is staying alive, "because if you're dead you can't do anything." You gotta love pitchers and their philosophies.

 

Hey, youneverknow.

 

The most important word in the English language.

 

I follow buck's approach. If I might know someone or it's a well-known paper, I'll check it out, but it's too depressing to click on every thread. You have to be aware of what's going on around you and in the industry. You just can't let it worry you sick. But that's definitely not easy.

I definitely find that I'm spending more time on the Sports/News and Anything Goes boards these days.

 

A good friend of mine used to say, "This is a very simple game. You throw the ball, you catch the ball, you hit the ball. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, sometimes it rains." Think about that for a while.

 

It's not like work is all rosy and happy until you stumble onto this site. Every day it's a different paper, until it's your paper, and potentially you. It's morbid, but not coming here isn't going to change much ...

 

I come to watch the fiddlers as Rome burns. (Insert your what-a-cliche groan here.)

 

Yes, to answer the original question, I avoid coming here due to all the doom and gloom. Most days I have enough of problems of my own that I don't need to pile on.

 

I stay off the Politics threads. Has probably extended my lifespan.

I come around less these days, mainly, because I spend more time on Facebook.