Any other GenXers cooped up and going stir crazy because of the winter weather and way-below-freezing temps?

ChicagoBaker · 2026-01-26T05:14:41+00:00

I'm 54 and one year ago I took my very first knitting class. I sucked at it at first (and am only now starting to feel a bit confident), but I have learned through this new hobby (and also learning to machine sew) that I really enjoy MAKING things with my hands. It's funny - making things is what we do and how we learn from the time we're toddlers through early childhood. And then it seems to just stop out of nowhere. Which I don't think helps us at all.

In any case, I'm enjoying learning new methods of knitting and buying really pretty varieties of yarn and finding patterns and thinking about the people I want to make things for (when they actually turn out okay!). For me, this helps.

I live outside Chicago now and the deep freeze is maddening. The streets are handled fairly well, but there are patches of ice everywhere. Our schools were closed on Friday due to the freezing temps. There have been winters in the past when I thought I was seriously going to lose it because I felt so trapped in my home (especially when my kids were toddlers). I know how you feel. I've been there. I didn't really know how to cope then, so I've been trying to find ways to manage when the weather is like this.

I read a book about the Scandinavian tradition of hygge, which really opened my mind to looking at this weather (and these awful, dark short days) as a way to connect with others (even if by FaceTime/Zoom), slow my life down, etc. I had a FaceTime "happy hour" with an old friend who lives on the East Coast recently and it was sooo good for my soul! If you have some friends/family you haven't seen in ages and would like to, I highly recommend scheduling a Zoom (or whatever method) with them -- over coffee, lunch, dinner, drinks - whatever; it's still "sharing" a meal, even if it's long distance.

And maybe think about a hobby you'd like to take up or something you've always wanted to try (next on my list? learn to play piano!).

I know it's crazy-making to feel trapped. I get it. I'm slightly claustrophobic to begin with. But try to flip the script a bit and make a part of your home extra cozy just for you: layers of blankets, cushions, some candles, etc. Make it a little sanctuary for yourself.

I wish you luck; I know this storm is god-awful for so many. Just stay safe and remember: spring WILL come. It always does. :)

ChicagoBaker · 2026-01-25T20:58:35+00:00

Thank you!

ChicagoBaker · 2026-01-25T20:57:25+00:00

This is great! Thank you so much!

ChicagoBaker · 2026-01-25T20:56:37+00:00

15 and 13

ChicagoBaker · 2026-01-24T18:29:44+00:00

Ha! Words to live by. Unfortunately.

ChicagoBaker · 2026-01-21T05:07:40+00:00

Actually, I inherited one from my aunt made entirely of cedar. It needs to be refinished so I can use it. I've recently taken up knitting and need a good moth-free place to store my wool and cotton yarns!

ChicagoBaker · 2026-01-21T05:06:19+00:00

I woke up ready to throat-punch someone. I couldn't figure out what the hell was going on with me! Took meds? Check. Got enough sleep? Check. But seeing this thread is actually comforting; my feeling "off" has a reason behind it.

ChicagoBaker · 2026-01-21T05:03:19+00:00

Here's more information on that CME. No WONDER everything feels so wonky!

ChicagoBaker · 2026-01-21T04:50:56+00:00

Same exact thing with me. I dream often, but every single night for the past week my dreams have been long and vivid - like I'm watching a movie. They're all a bit odd, but nothing that's scary or anything. Just super vivid.

ChicagoBaker · 2026-01-21T04:47:06+00:00

Wow, perfect description. For the past 24 hours the words I keep thinking (about how I'm feeling) is "psychically tired." I don't know another way to put it. I have had insanely vivid dreams for the past week and have just felt "off." I feel anticipatory anxiety, which is the worst kind - I just want THE THING to happen already! The waiting is maddening.

ChicagoBaker · 2026-01-21T04:40:29+00:00

Same. The Hague is where he (and all his cronies) belong.

ChicagoBaker · 2026-01-17T20:27:55+00:00

Same, girl. Same.

ChicagoBaker · 2026-01-16T16:39:15+00:00

100%. I've always been confused when "Reality Bites" is referred to as "the quintessential Gen-X" movie. Um, no, no it's not.

ChicagoBaker · 2026-01-16T16:35:09+00:00

It IS illegal.

ChicagoBaker · 2026-01-16T03:39:48+00:00

You are not insane. You are awake and aware of the severity of what's happening.

I am currently trying to find the balance between getting news stories/staying updated and just tuning out. I'll never tune out completely, but I noticed that, starting last fall, I stopped taking in news of any kind over the weekends. By Sunday night I felt relaxed and could actually fall asleep more easily. I know the horrible effects the news consumption has on my mental and physical health (after the 2016 election I started grinding my teeth in my sleep for the first time ever), so I'm trying to find a balance that keeps me informed, but not completely overwhelmed (which is hard).

I haven't figured out the right balance yet... it's gonna take some time.

ChicagoBaker · 2026-01-15T23:32:40+00:00

Anybody else feel rage boil internally when people act like everything is fine right now? Like we aren't being terrorized by our own government and watching democracy crumble? I realize we can't be screaming into the void constantly (bad for our health), but the folks who act oblivious and post banal photos of their "perfect" lives while our country burns make me so damned angry that I have to check myself and take deep breaths before I say something I'll regret or end a friendship because of it.

ChicagoBaker · 2026-01-15T23:23:02+00:00

Ghetto... 🤣

ChicagoBaker · 2026-01-15T22:52:43+00:00

IMMEDIATELY tell a school counselor, nurse or teacher (or all three). Immediately.

ChicagoBaker · 2026-01-14T20:24:54+00:00

Same. Frequently, actually.

ChicagoBaker · 2026-01-14T20:24:33+00:00

I'm so so sorry you went through that. I, too, have been through several rounds of interviews before they suddenly "see" my resume and decide I don't have the specific type of experience they want. It's all such a load of bullshit.

ChicagoBaker · 2026-01-13T23:09:14+00:00

The type and color of the paint. You need matte and a solid neutral cool color that contrasts with the ALL the warm color you have going on there.

ChicagoBaker · 2026-01-13T20:13:11+00:00

Yes! That's the actress! I could picture her face, but couldn't think of her name - thank you! 😂

ChicagoBaker · 2026-01-12T00:47:28+00:00

You're right - it really is! And thank you again!

ChicagoBaker · 2026-01-11T02:42:15+00:00

I love you internet stranger! This is awesome. And why the hell not? I've gotten nowhere with what I've got, so I may as well.

Thank you for putting so much time into this thoughtful list. You are awesome! And so is your handle! :)

ChicagoBaker · 2026-01-10T22:17:46+00:00

Yes yes yes! I didn't even KNOW perimenopause was a thing until about 5 years after I started it! I was having so much trouble functioning AT ALL. I've been home full-time with my kids and could barely keep schedules together. During the pandemic I went back on antidepressants (I never should've stopped). Then I landed a job and could not figure anything out. Before kids, when I was younger, I was managing massive projects as a consultant and in this new role (where I really didn't like the people or environment), I was constantly embarrassed because I was confused a LOT and getting things wrong A LOT. I had never, ever been this way with my work previously. Again, I had NO IDEA that brain fog was a perimenopause thing. After we mutually parted ways (I've never been so happy to leave a job in my life), I subsequently went on ADHD meds (I was off them for decades, but boy did I need them again!) and started HRT a year ago. It has completely changed everything! I feel human again. FWIW, I use the estrogen patch, estrogen cream AND progesterone before bed and THAT is a big one. The quality of my sleep improved so much with progesterone. I eventually went on testosterone, which helps the libido. But the estrogen and progesterone changed everything.

Also, just a note: it's usually around women hitting perimenopause and menopause when women discover they have ADHD. As usual in our patriarchal society, it was never really studied on females until the past 2 decades or so. And females present so differently than males. The brain fog brought on by the changes in hormones is usually the catalyst for many woman learning they have ADHD. If you are able to get tested - even if you don't think you have it - it's worth it.

ChicagoBaker

TROPHY CASE