Folks Of Interest Hot Rods/Customs and Mental Health

I've tried women's undewear on... could use some room for the family jewels... but hey they looked good on me. Of course only in front of the lady with her approval...

 

I got my '59 Ford 3 weeks after my late wife passed with cancer in 2014. I needed something to keep the mind and hands busy. I had visions of sticking my head in the gas oven and worse. It was the therapy I needed and friends pitched in. I was at the point where I was able to do things RIGHT for once. A lot of non-car folks would never understand my vision and the journey that went with it.

 

Unfortunately this is all too prevalent in the world today.
I try not to be judgmental about it, and realise that I don’t know their background, upbringing or genetic makeup or whatever is currently going on in their lives, so just accept people as they are.
Not my job to change them, that’s their choice/responsibility.

Social media and the HAMB are not immune from it either.
There are a few in every walk of life, ( including on this board ), who are constantly negative in their attitude and act as though superior to others.
Maybe they have bigger problems than the rest of us. ( or maybe they just don’t care who they offend ).

 

I’ve really been struggling with mental health issues since my wife passed 3 years ago. The Covid lockdowns started two weeks after she passed which didn’t help. It helps me immensely to be able to work on something with my own two hands being that I’m a creative type person and also mechanically inclined. Both my doctor and consellor encourage me to keep it up. What I’ve learned is that practically everybody is dealing with something. You can’t tell just watching them or seeing them pass by, but we should all be cognizant that we all have our struggles and good days and bad days.

 

Well said.

 

Are you Nuts? We all are OK !

 

I'm stuck in this endless loop of working on this car is one of the few things in life that I get to really do what I want to do, and because of my wife's health issues, we're down to one mediocre income so working on my usually doesn't take priority.

I just need to find some insurance loophole where I can get my car costs covered as some kind of therapy

 

That is a cool cartoon,,,,,,,by George Trosley .
I always read Car toons when I was a young teen ,,,,,,man those were some fun times in my life
I guess my favorite was Krass and Bernie,,,,,,and I loved all the others as well .

You could always tell a Trosley cartoon by looking at the characters facial expressions .
What a talent !

Tommy

 

Rule 1. Don't sweat the small stuff.
Rule 2. It's ALL small stuff.
If you are happy with your truck, that's all that matters. Remember, it's YOURS.
I've been building "Roadkill" type crap for 40+ years. Not because I can't build better, but because that's what floats my boat. Some folks don't "get it". Sucks to be them.

 

Is this thread about ...."disparaging remarks made out loud about others cars or abilities." ???



.

 

Not even a little bit….

 

about Drinking or a hangover ?

 

I never expected this thread to last so long so I haven’t commented it though I’ve attempted many times.

Mental health is serious. If you are the kind of person who feels the need to call someone else a “snowflake” or that they’re being “woke” because they are struggling with literally any troubles at all in their life, then you are contributing to the problem. And there is a lot of that in the car community and it makes it very hard or impossible for many to participate.

The cliche saying of ‘you don’t know what the other person is going through’ has a lot of merit and you have no right to judge if their struggles are any more or less important than yours or anyone else’s.

the car community is a really rough place to hang out if you are any kind of atypical. Speaking first hand. Cars are cool but people can be really awful. My livelihood and hobby are all centered around these stupid machines and I question it daily.

 

"Stupid" machines ???

 

I’m glad it’s a subject that you can make jokes about, for some of us it’s the reality of life. It’s easy to say just be happy or don’t let stuff bother you, those who get it don’t say stuff like that. If you don’t struggle with it then you can’t understand, some sympathize but you can’t truly understand. This applies to any thing it life not just old cars.

 

I don't want to start an argument, so I will only say that the following works for me. One thing that helps me is to replace the word "cant", with "wont", that gives me some impetus, or perhaps motivation, to actually change. I have had to change my way of thinking a lot, to be better in my dealings with others and so on. I have actually had to learn, to be happy. It takes some work, every day, but in the end is well worth it. I cannot rely on others to make me happy, it has to come from within, requiring effort from me. I also have issues with the behavior and attitudes of others, easily blaming them for my behavior, and have to constantly be on guard over that. So in my case, I have found that the results of my efforts, outweigh the misery I once allowed my self to wallow in. Just my opinion, wishing all of you the best each day.

 

Also very well spoken and great advice on what to work towards.

 

………..the thread title may give you a little insight …………

 

I love the traditional hot rods and such, my cobra is not exactly HAMB perfect, but it has been the best therapy there is when the world ain't perfect. I've found car folks are the best of the best, made many good lasting friends because of a 'car'

 

I've also struggled with mental health, and I know how important it is to find something that brings joy and peace. It's unfortunate that people sometimes make disparaging remarks or contribute to others' struggles. We should all strive to be more understanding and supportive, just like we wouldn't call everyone coming out of a therapist's office crazy. Moreover, my therapist just recommended I use serenity prayer to overcome an addiction. I'm not a psycho.

 

I've recently had a diagnosis which accounts for my executive dysfunction. But it's all interrelated: being creative with old automotive technology is my primary happy place, but that exacerbates my executive dysfunction with respect to anything else. My executive dysfunction — along with a chronic lack of cash — means that my creativity with old automotive technology remains largely in the realms of daydreams. My executive dysfunction also contributes to the lack of cash, though social structural factors probably contribute more than some would like to recognize. Then, my daydreams staying daydreams year after year leads to fears that the world will have gone to hell in a handbasket before I get to build something.

As to this last, it's often good to step back and see the bigger picture, see it in its social context. Conative marginalization is a huge problem in society today. A lot of pervasive social ills stem from an environment structured to prevent any sense of creative agency, any awareness that the products of your hands or mind contribute meaningfully to the world we inhabit. Everything wants to turn us into hotel guests when all we want is to be artisans.

We can hope. I'm not ready to stop dreaming just yet.

 

I hadn't seen this thread until today, thanks for sharing Fargo. I don't get that far north very often, but hopefully I run across you one day.

As evidenced by this thread, some just don't understand what struggling with mental health means or feels like. That has been my experience in my life, and I regularly see a therapist to help combat the struggles of daily life. Still to this day, I have family members that think mental health struggles are something you can just "get over" and "stop thinking about", which of course we know just isn't true for those in the battle.

Sometimes when I'm out with one of my vehicles, I just want to be alone with me and the vehicle, doing whatever I'm doing. I don't mind curiosity but I've had enough frustrating comments that I just would rather not deal with it some days.

For me my cars are a time machine. I was watching something recently where someone stated this. When you're driving down a road, looking over the hood, it's essentially the same view as 50 to 100 years ago. Sure the roads may have changed and the car may have had changes, but that view across the hood can transport you to a bygone era when things were simpler and provide a moment of zen. Where I live, I have hundreds of kilometers of paved back roads at my disposal. Taking off for an hour or two to lose myself with just me, my car, and the road allows me an incredible escape. I like working in the garage, but it doesn't do it for me as much as driving. This is part of the reason I attend less shows now and do more driving on my own.

Working on anything mechanized has long been my safe space, but it won't ever replace therapy for me. They're different but both important.

This isn't a topic that is discussed openly in this hobby, thank you for facilitating it.

 

executive dysfunction?

 

Well crap! I thought it was just me being me . Seriously, it's a real problem. I, too, have to make a serious effort to stay on track in the garage. I'll start one thing and find myself doing another. If the Moderators want to delete this, so be it but, we are an aging population on this site, and I'd be willing to bet that more of us are affected than are willing to admit. Personally, I'm taking what my wife refers to as a "happy pill" which allows me to focus and not get mad when I can't get something right that I know I've done hundreds of times, whether it's wrenching or cooking. Another thing that helps me is this site and the inter-action between me and people I've never met in person. Without this place, I'd be a more miserable, cantankerous SOB than I am now.

 

well... according to that explanation i have it too haha

 

Maybe it's because of your age and where you live?

 

It's easy to re wire a car if you don't like it or think it will cause problems in the future.........can't do that with humans. Sometimes if you're lucky you can find a work around or not put too much of a load on the circuit.....either way the problem still exists buried inside.

 

@05snopro440 i get down that way several times a year, I’ll try to remember to set something up next time I’m down!

 

ive been diagnosed with a couple things, namely adhd is the big one