@voidstrike @JonahTheBard Thank you very much for your appreciation of my thoughts, and even including them in this thread.
And I’m not disappointed about my topic being closed, because you can reach way more people and my intention, to help anybody all around the world with mental health issues, is now included here so thank YOU for your work!
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Thank you for sharing… I know it’s not always easy to open up, especially to strangers, but always feels good when you know your story has helped another person. Hugs.
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@Sarah2 this is an excellent piece of advice! Mental health issues are considered an “Invisible Disease” as you cannot see it. However, if you communicate with your alliance members, regularly, you should, hopefully by now, have some sense as to whether someone is struggling mentally (ie: depression). As an alliance leader I have to use extra caution with what I say as I also go through depression. That said, I Never post anything negative in chat. I try to keep check on members, joke with them & remind them that we are all in this together. I’ve gone as far as providing my phone number to any alliance member who needs to talk, vent, cry, scream, etc. Bottom line, we need to be empathetic to everyone, not only through this crisis, but always. May you all be safe! God bless! 
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@Mothra You totally hit the nail on the head here. Media hypes every piece of news they share hence those in panic mode. Shut the news off & go to a reputable website, like the CDC or WHO, to get up to date information that is straight forward & not hyped up.
As for E&P, in my humble opinion, if you’re in that panic mode & like myself, home alone all day, see if anyone is either on the game you feel comfortable talking with OR get on the forum. More often than not, I’ve found solace in knowing I’m not alone & I hope others made that connection via gameplay so they can reach out to others. As always, praying everyone stays safe!
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This is where I struggle.
But that aside, I just want to let everyone here know that this thread and all who are contributing to it, are very much appreciated. I needed support today, and here I found it. May your blessings be never ending.
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Sometimes… you stumble upon a thread that’s like opening a box filled with smiles. Wishing you well. 
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I’m so glad that this thread is being helpful. The whole point is to try and combat the lies our minds tells us when we’re sinking to that dark place.
To be honest, I am pretty sure right now I need to go through all this as well to pick myself up and dust myself off as I’m also in melancholy gray state teetering through the pangs of depression, apathy and anxiety.
I hope this continues to be a resource for people on the forums as we continue to be in a different global state right now with Covid-19.
Thanks again to all the leaders, contributors and queries in here for sage advice and compassionate hearts.
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In these trying times it is hard to maintain both social distancing and social support. We are all suffering in different ways. It’s good to be able to share like this, and is helping me to cope with it all. This whole forum is helping, even the Nerf Telluria thread (it is entertaining sometimes).
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Finding myself in that dark place and forgetting there are others suffering the same or more, or even worse. I know it is only my silly head telling me lies so trying to look for the joy and laughter to be found here and in real life. Once again you and others here bring me to focus. Blessings and thank you!
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I find myself reaching out and trying to be social. I am stumbling a bit, like learning to walk after a debilitating accident. Knowing that makes it somewhat easier to face rejection, which is naturally unavoidable since one cannot expect everyone to like you. Still, I am so grateful that the opportunity even exists.
Just wanted to shout out a hello and thank you all again for this thread. Stay safe.
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So with merited (or unmerited) vitriol running rampant through the forums with a plethora of items dividing and frustrating the player base, I wanted to re-visit this thread and see if anyone wanted to discuss how the current global climate in light of the Covid-19 pandemic may be wreaking havoc on the players’ mental health & well-being. Furthermore I wanted to see if the potential extended periods playing times due to the lock-down are contributing to an accelerated game fatigue and frustration (coupled with poor developmental decisions).
Finally, just re-bumping this thread to advise people that there are still many options to receive help via therapy, counseling, etc. Even if you think I’m not doing anything I’m just stuck at the house in lock-down, that may be having adverse effects on you which you may not even be cognizant of but is a detrimental force in your new normal/day-to-day functions.
If you are struggling, please know that you are not alone. The forum maintains a list of resources here:
Suicide Prevention & Mental/Emotional Health Crisis Resources
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Thank you. Your thoughtfulness and kindness are much appreciated. Blessings.
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So whether it’s been noticeable or not on the forums, I’ve substantially reduced forum time even for just jovial banter…my play time has been substantially reduced and to be honest apathy has kind of set in for me in the midst of everything for Empires & Puzzles.
Part of this can be attributed to what I deem as poor game development/progress and part of it is due to the social/mental/financial/spiritual ramifications of Covid-19. I have firmly discovered that I am extroverted and respectfully isolating myself (which I will continue doing until this pandemic subsides) has very much detrimentally affected my mental well-being which has seeped into my game interactions.
My biggest disappointment from my personal burgeoning apathy is not maintaining or regularly updating or discussing new mental health challenges within our community during this time.
- The financial strains of rampant unemployment or jeopardizing one’s safety to keep doing one’s work grind in person to meet financial obligations to care for one’s self/family.
- The health and death ramifications from a pandemic that seems to see no immediate end in sight.
- The social isolation leading to various toxic thoughts to constantly reverberate in one’s own head.
- Suicide ideation that develops or festers when everything is feeling bleak and hopeless in the world with further sadness perpetually added on.
There’s a lot going on beyond frustrations in the game. I hope as I write this post, this thread is bumped up at the right time for someone in the community.
If you feel you’re struggling these days with any of the above or anything else, first let me say well done. Where you may see struggle I see survival. Thank you for surviving another day. I believe you can survive the next one…and the next one…and the one after that.
You are bigger than your adversity and your problems are smaller today than you realize, it’s just challenging to see it when you’re in the thick of it.
Your life is important.
You are loved.
Getting help is courageous and commendable not something to be shamed or ridiculed.
Community members are available to talk and direct you to resources well-equipped to navigate this season in your life.
If you are struggling, please know that you are not alone. The forum maintains a list of resources here:
Suicide Prevention & Mental/Emotional Health Crisis Resources
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Thank you for bumping this!
I’m sorry that you’ve been feeling so down lately. I wish there was a way that I could help bring back your jovial mood.
I do joke a lot on here, but in all honesty, that’s mostly a coping mechanism. At the back of my mind, I’m actually worried about many things right now. I just try to keep those worries in the very far back of my mind for as long as I’m able to.
The day may come where I can’t do it myself anymore, but until that day comes, I’m willing to talk or listen or whatever with anyone else here who needs to vent. 
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Dearest @voidstrike,
Thank you for this thread. I’ve been struggling a lot with grief & depression over the past few years. I give this game community credit for being one of the reasons I’m still here (God, family, church, friends are others).
I was just starting to see a new normal on the horizon -maybe -when quarantine hit. My job is on hold indefinitely & my 23 year-old son, who has autism, is now home full time as his work program can’t go into the community. It has been four years of struggling to climb up only to get knocked down again.
It’s a crap shoot every day re: how my body & mind will take it. Many days I see quarantine as a much-needed enforced break. When my son feels depressed & isolates, it can feel hopeless.
Friday I made a big sign & put it where I can see it first thing in the morning. It says FIGHT BACK. It helps a bit.
Thanks to you, yesterday I very specifically checked in with my alliance. A couple are feeling burned out. It opened things up a bit. We talked about how to make the game more fun for us. One was sharing strategies. I ditched Telluria altogether & am going back to teams that are fun for me. Simple but liberating.
Just so very grateful for this community. I can hate the RNG & shake my head at decisions SG makes, but here I find people I can laugh and cry with and banter over a game.
There is no expectation we will ever see each other, so I don’t have the longing in the pit of my stomach as I do with friends & family.
Whew this is long.
Bottom line, @voidstrike I just wanted to thank you.
Virtual hugs if you want them. I’m praying for us all.
Deep sigh. 
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Old thread revived. Came here because it was linked.
Little known fact: I have throughout my life suffered from various levels of depression, anger issues & anxiety.
Okay maybe that’s not a little known fact. Much of it probably comes through in my posts.
Look, here’s the reality. I’m an oddball. I know I am. I’m not always a happy-go-lucky guy. That’s a persona I choose to adopt because it feels good. And I don’t like feeling bad. I don’t like getting angry, I don’t like arguing with people on here, etc. It makes me feel bad when I feel like people don’t like me. But at the same time, I’m used to people not liking me, and I get over it. Eventually. I’m thick skinned enough to survive all the attacks. But not so thick-skinned that they don’t bother me. They do.
But like I said. I’ll get over it.
My alliance is totally welcoming to anyone who is dealing with depression, anxiety, other issues like that. We’re all a pretty understanding bunch who are here to support each other all the time, through the good times and the bad.
Empathy is a quality that is sorely lacking in this world. The world would be a much better place if it were more common.
In the meantime. I’ll continue to vent and rant and grunt and moan and make silly memes, whilst also supporting and defending my alliance mates whose hearts are usually always in the right place. Otherwise I wouldn’t have invited them to join me in the first place.
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Wow Jerry Springer looks so kind and unassuming in that picture!!!
I have a strong memory of JS:
I am a child development specialist who does parent support and in-home therapy with babies at risk for developmental delays. One day, I visited a new client. The mom was very young, shy and overwhelmed. She invited me in, gave me a glass of water, and turned on the tv, putting on the Jerry Springer show!!!
I share this because I think of her often. We all have different love languages and ways of expressing care for one another. One person’s love language may be another’s nails on the chalkboard!
I love all of the different ways the Forum shows care: helping one another with game tips, encouraging one another to keep slogging & farming, trying to make the game better with suggestions, silly games, making each other laugh…
There are places here where one’s heart is safe and nourished. Thank you @TGW, @voidstrike, @Rook, @JonahTheBard, @Guvnor, @littleKAF, @Saphirra, @princess1, @Sarah2, @Math4lyfe, @NotVixx …and so many others for what you do to make it that way.
Blessings on everyone!!!
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I’ll vouch for that.
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indeed. kudos to all here who show empathy and kindness and give a bit of support to others. a little goes a long way
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