Mind Over Apocalypse: Navigating Mental Health in the End Times

Hey there, resilient survivors and mental health advocates! Join me in this confident and casual exploration as we delve into the often overlooked aspect of mental health and how it intertwines with the challenges of the apocalypse. From Coping Mechanisms to Community Support, let’s unravel the complexities of maintaining a healthy mind in the face of unprecedented adversity.

1. Coping Mechanisms – Sanity in the Midst of Chaos: Picture the apocalypse as a whirlwind of chaos, and now imagine yourself casually adopting Coping Mechanisms to maintain sanity. It’s the ability to find solace in mindfulness, creative expression, or routines that turns mental health into a cornerstone of resilience in the face of the unknown.

2. The Social Fabric – Weaving Community Support: Envision the Social Fabric – a network of survivors offering mutual support and understanding. Picture yourself casually leaning on others and providing a listening ear in return, creating a supportive community that becomes a crucial component of mental health in the post-apocalyptic world.

3. Mindful Moments – Finding Serenity Amidst Turmoil: Delve into Mindful Moments – brief pauses to center oneself amidst the turmoil of survival. Picture yourself casually embracing mindfulness, whether through meditation, deep breaths, or connecting with nature, as a means to find serenity in the midst of the apocalypse’s challenges.

4. Emotional Resilience – Weathering the Apocalypse’s Emotional Storm: Embrace Emotional Resilience – the ability to weather the emotional storms that the apocalypse brings. Picture yourself casually acknowledging and navigating a spectrum of emotions, understanding that resilience lies in the capacity to adapt and endure through the highs and lows of the post-apocalyptic journey.

5. The Power of Connection – Fostering Meaningful Relationships: Recognize The Power of Connection – forging meaningful relationships as a cornerstone of mental well-being. Picture yourself casually building connections with fellow survivors, recognizing that shared experiences and support networks play a pivotal role in sustaining mental health in challenging times.



6. Psychological Adaptation – Thriving in the New Normal: Consider Psychological Adaptation – the process of adjusting and thriving in the new normal that the apocalypse ushers in. Picture yourself casually adapting to the changed circumstances, recognizing that mental health is not just about survival but also about thriving in the face of adversity.

7. Laughter as Medicine – A Resilient Sense of Humor: Acknowledge Laughter as Medicine – maintaining a resilient sense of humor even in the direst situations. Picture yourself casually finding moments of levity, understanding that humor can be a powerful tool to cope with stress and provide much-needed relief in the face of apocalyptic challenges.

8. Routine and Stability – Anchors in Uncertain Seas: Embrace Routine and Stability – establishing anchors in the uncertain seas of the apocalypse. Picture yourself casually creating daily routines that provide a sense of structure and stability, recognizing the impact of predictability on mental well-being in times of upheaval.

9. Personal Reflection – Navigating the Inner Landscape: Engage in Personal Reflection – navigating the inner landscape of thoughts and emotions. Picture yourself casually taking moments for introspection, fostering self-awareness, and understanding the nuances of your mental state amidst the apocalyptic landscape.

10. Collective Mental Health – A Shared Responsibility: Acknowledge Collective Mental Health – understanding that the mental well-being of the group is a shared responsibility. Picture yourself casually contributing to a supportive environment where open communication and empathy become pillars of maintaining collective mental health in the post-apocalyptic community.

Whether through coping mechanisms, community support, or a resilient sense of humor, the journey towards a healthy mind becomes an integral part of surviving and thriving in the face of unprecedented challenges.

So, fellow mental health navigators, may your strategies be diverse, your connections meaningful, and your resilience unwavering as you embark on the path of maintaining a healthy mind in the aftermath of the apocalypse. Happy navigating!

Being Black in Video Games

Being Black in real life isn’t super easy. Sure you always have company whenever you go shopping, even if you started alone. You’re more likely to have a living will or healthcare proxy (at least you should). Because Black folks are dropping dead like it’s Jim Crow again.

South Park’s new game recently introduced a slider that was labeled “Difficulty” and changed the character’s race. The darker you are the “harder” the difficulty. It’s funny because it’s true.

At least Fractured But Whole lets you be a person of color if you really want to. Or if you just really want to see a person of color as a hero in a video game. Continue reading “Being Black in Video Games”

Can't Live Without [June '17]

One-Punch Man

I recently crawled out from under my very cozy rock and discovered One-Punch Man. Actually, I was researching Anime Inspired Workouts on YouTube when I found a clip from One-Punch Man and decided I needed more of that in my life.

Light-hearted violence and dark humor are some of my favorite adjectives.  They’re also perfect descriptors for One-Punch Man. I could go on and explain what One-Punch Man is about but it really is self-explanatory.

Normally, being the lazy, easily distracted, C-student that I am, I avoid subtitled anime. If I wanted to read, I’d fall asleep with a book on my chest. I haven’t been able to find One-Punch Man dubbed, only subbed and lo and behold this has not deterred me. I get amped up watching (and reading) One-Punch Man on the treadmill.

Hyperbole has a real way of hyping me up. Continue reading “Can't Live Without [June '17]”

The Surge illustrates how beautifully the good intentions of corporations pave the way to Hell

The Surge from Maximum Games and Focus Home Interactive has it all: A teaser that opens with a corporate spokesman explaining how their company is going to no only save the world but also the people- by MAKING THEM BETTER,  glitchy feedback, space, robots, a desperation that can only lead to the most dangerous kind of progress.


Continue reading “The Surge illustrates how beautifully the good intentions of corporations pave the way to Hell”

Interview: The Vegan Zombie

I was excited to find out about The Vegan Zombie, a post-apocalyptic themed cooking show. Not jsut a cooking show, either – there’s a story to this baby.

While I’m not a vegetarian of vegan myself, I was for a while and I understand just how hard it is to find delicious, practical meals to make – and how much harder would that be post-zombie. It’s not just for vegetarians or vegans – all our followers who enjoy eating might find this useful. After all, ready-killed, skinned, cut and pre-packaged meat is going to be a bit thin on the ground.

For your delectation, an interview with Chris from The Vegan Zombie.

vegan zombies 2First off, tell us a little bit about The Vegan Zombie.

Well, I’m Chris, the creator and producer of The Vegan Zombie. Jon is the charismatic host of the show and Indy is the German Shepherd sidekick. Basically we do a vegan cooking show that is set in the zombie apocalypse. We prepare delicious zombie-free recipes that simple and easy to make.

What gave you the idea?

I got the idea one day while driving the back roads of upstate NY for work. I began thinking of a way I could mash up my love of the horror genre with my longtime vegan lifestyle in a cool way. That gave me the idea of The Vegan Zombie. I went home and began writing a movie script. I have always loved making videos and movies with my friends and family, especially horror. The script is a full-on zombie apocalypse story in which the infection originated through the meat and dairy that people were consuming. There is a twist at the end which will explain why we chose the name TVZ. To make a long story short, I put making the movie on the back burner and decided to start a youtube cooking series with the same concept. Jon is the lone survivor and is a little crazy. He’s always talking about zombies and making food. In some of our episodes he is fighting zombies and gets into some pretty tight situations.

How easy are the recipes to make? Could I make them while huddled around a fire in desperate fear for my life?

Yes, for the most part our recipes are really easy to make. There are some that are more labor intensive but we have something for everyone. We aim to make mostly vegan comfort foods to replicate that kind of foods that non vegans say they can’t live without. For example, we have a vegan version of cheesesteak called the No Killy Philly and we have pizza rolls and cheese sticks all vegan. We also have healthier raw foods for the health conscious folks. Yes, I said folks. Anyway, our show is for everyone. We have an non judgmental atmosphere and a lot of people make our dishes once or twice a week who aren’t even vegan.

Now for the questions we ask everyone:

What is the most likely apocalyptic scenario?

I’d say the most likely apocalypse would be of a viral origin. Kind of like 28 days later or WWZ. Something scientific that affected our brains and caused primal instinct to take over with no rational thought would be the most plausible out of the apocalyptic scenarios.

Any survival tips for our readers?

Stay away from populous areas. Aim for the head. Keep calm, you’re smarter than a zombie. Think about this, everyone associates zombies with brains. But unless someone’s head is cracked open they are most likely not gonna eat your brain. It’s too hard to get to. Your flesh and guts are what they will eat. Wear clothes that are not easy to bite through.

Are you OK with living under the benevolent dictatorship of myself or the other two ICoS ladies?

Well that all depends, I think we’d have to meet you all first before we answered that one. 🙂

Trust me, we’re great. Now tell us anything you want about anything you want.

We are currently doing a kickstarter for our cookbook, Cook & Survive, which will be out later this fall. It is full of our all vegan recipes and it will have a graphic novel that illustrates the adventures of TVZ. You can check that out here http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/theveganzombie/the-vegan-zombie-cookbook

You can follow us on youtube, FB, twitter, IG and other social media sites.
PHEED: TheVeganZombie

 

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What would a zombie attack look like in your neighbourhood?

UK market comparison website confused.com have a cute little answer for you on that question. [1. I have not been paid to write this article, though if confused.

com want to shove me £50 I won’t complain.]

Their Home Sweet Zombie mini-vid takes your address and uses it with images from googlemaps to simulate a zombie assault on your neaighbourhood. It’d be nice if there were a greater variety of zombie attacks to increase replayability, but you can’t have everything in this life, and perhaps expecting a lot of variety from an advert is a bit much. Still, it would be nice to see it go even further than a film on the website.

It’s cute and fun, rather than terrifying and serious, but it’ss till a fun way to spend a few minutes – and you can send zombies to your friends. While you’re on the website you can get a quote for any kind of insurance you could wish – except Zombies.

More insurance companies should consider Apocalypse insurance as an option – I’d buy it. And come on, even if a situation occurred that meant they had to pay out, the chances of an infrastructure that would FORCE them to existing is pretty slim.

Guaranteed money, I reckon. Maybe I should set some up… what do you say, for just £2.50 a month, I’ll insure you against all kinds of apocalypse (robots not included). (Payout require both parties to survive the apocalypse. Depending on apocalypse type, payout may be converted into a similar value in food, barter, armour or space in a survival compound)

Any way, if work is boring you this friday afternoon, or you’re trying to ignore a partner or housemate, give it a try here.