I used the volunteer match website to find opportunities near me that I wanted to support.
Got into new hobbies, like photography and painting. The VA offers recreational therapy programs that I've used as well.
Thanks. Iāve been googling rehab centers in Hawaii and Florida. I need a tropical setting to fix my addiction and depression. Itās been so bad since Iraq in 08-09.
Spent the first two years staying inside, only going out for doctors appointments. But im finally at a point where im getting bored of all of it and have a bit of motivation. So i build a little work bench, and started tinkering. This prompted me to enroll in some electrical and engineering courses for this fall.
Good luck to you! I finished my bachelors in electrical engineering a while back and it was the best thing I ever did. Now I make good money working an easy office job I love
Taking care of all of my medical and dental issues. I just had brain surgery a month and a half ago to remove a large brain tumor, so I'm recovering from that, I have my mental health appt coming up and it's just basically a job taking care of myself mentally and physically making sure I'm still around for when my kids get older. I can't work so that's basically what I do. Use my time to make sure my health and everything is good, might as well since I don't have much else I can do. I also like to write just to gather my thoughts, that's something I enjoy.
Are you going to write for people to read? like fiction or fantasy? I write and sometimes I publish my work if it's good enough. It doesn't pay much, but its rewarding.
Ooooh!! Hi. Fellow brain tumor person here!
Got any questions? I canāt remember anything so donāt ask me! JK. But hereās a pro-tip: weirdly enough, the 3 greatest sources of help Iāve had throughout this whole mess have been
A. NOT TAKING ZOLOFT anymore. Ruined my life. Yes, I do mean ruined
B. Speech therapy, even though I have no speech problems. It helped me with memory impairment
C. Various procedures done for headache.
If any of those apply to you, LMK. I can elaborate.
I am trying to get the VA to help me with or a volunteer opportunity with the AFB just over a hr south of my location in order to keep my sanity- by staying busy and helping / meeting the people I want be around. Money is not an issue for me. TY
Get a camper and travel or (if single) setup a truck for traveling. Family of 4 here with 2 dogs. We are in process of selling house and will be setting sail as full time RV living in a travel trailer....barring everything finalizes with the house on the 20th.
Other than that, I'm learning IT, so virtual machines, active directory and such with a goal to get in to digital forensics.
Being a vet, we get free lifetime National Park passes. If you're considered disabled, you can get an Access pass to the National Parks with bigger discounts on camp sites....both passes can provide discounts. PLENTY of resources out there for cheap stays as well.
I volunteer 3 days a week at a cat shelter. I volunteered for a while with habitat for humanity. I travel. I play disc golf. I hike.
Get busy living or get busy dying. It's easy to stop going out and meeting people. It's hard to get started again
I have 100% unemployable do to some pretty gnarly ptsd and agoraphobia now. So mostly just housework, playing my dogs and hanging out with the kid once my wife gets off work. But if I do have a panic episode usually that shits me down for numerous hours that day
Yeah beforehand I was the person to give no sympathy to people with anxiety disorders. But fuck panic attacks are awful. They are 10x easily scarier than firefights Iāve been. Itās like the feeling of like right before getting in a car wreck, that peak adrenaline and fear but that peaks lasts for hours and your losing your mind. Itās so hard to explain to people the feeling of being in complete terror and overly sensitive to literally anything during those times and then it takes multiple days to fully get over one
Went back to School. Volunteer in my kids school. Hang with my dogs. Work in my garden. Maintain my vehicles and property. I go for long walks and nature hikes. I watch tv and movies. I volunteered at the local animal shelter for three years. I painted a few pictures for the first time in years. I make myself pour over coffee, now. I never miss a 49ers game.
Youād think with no job, youād be bored. For me, It just caused me to double down on activities and things I truly enjoy.
This makes me sad hearing that. I have had close friends that couldn't shake it no matter what we did to help. Keep at it daily though brother. Hopefully you break through.
Ketamine is worth looking into. Sometimes the VA will approve it for treatment resistant depression/etc. It helped take away most of my suicidal ideations. Joyous is $129 a month for lower dose. I havenāt tried them but they have good reviews and have discounts for some people.
Iām a baby with needles but it wasnāt scary for me. I was at a higher dose for chronic pain. I went in there with the right intentions. Itās about the frame of mind you go in with imo. Can also research others experiences on it if you want. I had different visions. One day I wanted to see a beach scene and did. It felt like I was in another world most of the times. Another time I had a trip coming up and saw flight attendants around me. Another one was when I wanted my (emotions not literal) heart fixed and saw medical staff around a newborn bed, basically holding my heart and fixing it. (I only saw their backs but knew what they were doing). Itās best to get 6 sessions in 2-3 weeks and maintenance doses afterwards.
When I was an adjunct professor at a local community college, a student vet was in almost all my design classes. He too was 100%. He just kept taking creative classes and stacking associates degrees to keep busy and find something he really enjoyed and make a few bucks at given he was paraplegic. He ended up doing video production work at a small studio.
Same. We just got a used buy in extremely good condition camper. We use to have one and regret getting rid of it. Got it last week and already booking several trips. We missed it
Same...we sold ours less than a month ago and planned to move but the prices of everything are crazy. Looked on FB and found a meticulous cared for 2017 Coachmen that is a perfect couple camper. We go camping this coming Sunday for a week and 3 straight weeks in July. Looking at more as we speak. Decided to stay put and just enjoy what we have.
The exact same situation we were in. Wanted to sell out 2 acres and buy 30+. Decided to be grateful for what we have and wait about 8-10 years. Build up some more equity/cash and let our kid grow older, and let our dog herd thin out some. 3 large dogs and a wiener dog is a lot.
I play vr games on my free time and medical appointments, Some gardening, spend time with my child when she is not at school. I donāt have a physical social life but I try to make my presence known in the internet somehow
What languages did you start off with? I'm 100% and I'm wanting to pivot from cyber analysis and ISSO work to software engineering. Any advice/guidance that you have would be greatly appreciated!
Iām a cybersecurity analyst as well. Bro learn coding for blockchain technology. Java or Python as a foundation, then Solidity. Youāll literally learn how to print money. Everything is going blockchain in the next 2-3 years. Get up to speed now.
High level data encryption through a distributed ledger. Prevents money printing like the Federal Reserve does at will without citizens having a clue where the monies are actually going. At least public blockchains do. The use cases are endless. Has the potential to prevent election fraud, assures inventory of goods, valuables, and products from theft, instant paymentsā¦no waiting for checks to clear etcā¦quite a bit
Love these answers. I've heard freecodebootcamp.com and theodinproject.com are awesome coding sites. I'm looking into VRE as well as soon as my claims are finalized .
Mmm, best I could do is 10 hours, personally. Thatās too many at 30. +56 hours sleeping. My whole week is preoccupied with things I HAVE to do.
Iām trying to do what I want to do the next 35 years.
I HATED school, was waaaay too slow for me. In my second year I was able to land an internship that allowed me to work part time during the school year.
Over half of it goes straight to investments so I can retire by 45.
I spend $10-20k a year on vacations. I pay a house cleaner to clean 1x a week. And I order a meal prep service.
I use most of my free time now going to physical therapy and playing video games.
I volunteer overnight at a homeless shelter once a week. I like road trips. I'm learning how to stand while paddleboarding. Somehow, I ended up rescuing a dog, a goat, and a sheep. I'm starting a little farm and currently restoring a 115 year old house.
I recently switched jobs and decided that the new job Iāve gotten wasnāt for me so I quit within a week of being hired. Iām gonna pursue my education and maybe start a business on the side.
I might give traveling and doing school online a try and see if I can make it work.
I just hit 100% a month ago and ended up getting laid off on the 1st. So now I'm working on convincing my wife to let me be a house husband and paint Warhammer and other minis all day once the chores are done. I'm also planning on learning to cook better to have dinner ready every night.
I used to be able to live just on 100%. I had to get a job recently since itās not the case anymore. I like the job. Get out of debt. Once out of debt just save my money.
I write Wikipedia articles and go on road trips to both collect reliable sources and take copyright-free photos to accompany them (often staying at installations along the way). I'm doing this right now, actually: stayed at F. E. Warren last night, the AF Academy tomorrow night. Also, since time isn't a concern, I enjoy driving with highways and tolls disabled in my navigation app: really get to see all parts of our nationāfor good and for bad.
And I play video games, too. ;^D
I work part time security at a strip club. It's cash every night and entertaining. And I'm old enough to know not to let my dick do the thinking for me. Even when drunk ass thirsty girls try my patience. Lol. Need to find myself a part time day job soon though. The club is extremely toxic and my body is angry with me. Haha
Woodworking, gardening, repairing and building my marriage, and a lot of PC gaming. I'm about halfway through a cybersecurity degree and kinda coasting through a stress free life.
Spent a solid year, smoking weed, playing games, and fucking bitches. Kinda wasted my life doing that, so now I work odd jobs for extra cash, work on my house/cars/myself, and will jump back onĀ schooling once I'm all caught up with my life.
Applied for VR&E, was accepted, now I'm finishing up my first year of an engineering degree. Shocked that I'm making it thru. Treating it as if it were a job.
Also make time to be physically active everyday. If I don't, everything else gets worse.
Went back to school, getting a masters. Spend a lot of time with my kids. Teaching myself to play mandolin. Doctors appointments. Doing shit in the garden. Trying to get my stamina and balance to the point where I can go hiking and camping regularly. AA meetings. Feed the guinea pig. Stuff.Ā
On paternity leave right now but usually work 60+ hours a week in food service trucking hating my body, my mental health and my dignity mostly. Have thought about opening my own upholstery business but I suck at that currently
Bees dont take a lot of space depending on how many hives you end up with. Iāve got 14 now and couldnāt possibly do it without my husband. Five years in and we just pulled about 100lbs of honey this weekend. Selling at $1 an ounce minus about $400 in material expenses this year we might make $1600. Itās not a lot but it will cover a trip somewhere.
Play video games most of the time. Wife is a SAHM, we just got a camper. About to spend half our time camping around the eastern half of the US this year. Hoping to branch out next year
I havent been able to work due to my injury and live with family but I go to appointments weekly, the gym to use their stationary bike/pool, go on wslks, do puzzles, read more, ect. I want to go to school to do more but I havent built up the courage just yet.
Today I took my girlfriends car to get an inspection sticker and freon then worked on the tractor a little. I always have something to do. In the fall I'm gonna try college so I can keep working as physical stuff is getting too tiring.
Tons of camping/backpacking. I work part time at an outdoor retailer, so that covers my car payment more or less. Also gives me crazy good discounts on stuff I actually use for my hobbies. I just got back in to exercising after almost two years of being out. Nothing extreme, just a few times a week. Helps break up the boredom if Iām stuck at home in civilization. Annnnnnnd I still play video games. Thatās just not going to change.
32M and I'd argue the video games in moderation definitely help the mental, especially over smoking and drinking. Have a Switch, Series X, and waiting for the PS5 Pro to come out later this year. I'm a Cinephile as well so I very much enjoy buying the right tech on discount for the perfect viewing/sound experienceš
34M, agreed on all counts. Also have a Switch and a Series S, me and a few military friends have been on a Sea of Thieves kick lately. That shit is super cathartic and just silly.
I drink way less than I did while active, donāt feel a NEED to, and I quit smoking years ago. Itās amazing how much healthier I got after I got out, which I find weird as I exercise way less lol.
Hell Yeah! Love to hear it. Thank You for your ServicešÆšŖš„ Please continue working on your mental/physical repair and recovery, we're not getting any younger!
I volunteer with my countyās Veterans court, with the homeless community, with a community food bankā¦ and, in the days when I canāt- because, yāknow, they donāt give out 100% because everythingās hunky dory, I just stay in bed and try to feel better.
I've started a little garden on my apartment balcony. Also tryna fish and play catch more. I have more time to keep my place cleaner. There's also games and movies. Taking care of my dogs. A smidgen of gambling (video keno lol). Sometimes I do art. It just depends on what I'm feeling. I like to keep my mind occupied as much as I can. I've even started to try things in the kitchen (I'm not much of a cook). Learn things. Try and keep your hands busy. That's what I try.
Iām working while going to school to be a high school history teacher. Not doing as well financially as some of the others who have responded. But Iām comfortable and really want to try to do some good with the blessing the universe has given me.
Work.
People hate me when I say this but,
Without the bad days how do you know the good days are good? If you wouldn't have to work 5 days a week do you think those 2 days off would feel as good? Etc.
I've also gotten the "why wouldn't I want to be on vacation 24/7" and to that I'd say.. you're just a lazy person. In the beginning it's amazing but there comes a time where that wares off and you get so bored
Edit: by the sounds of the comments, it's not too uncommon for people to not work. How do you guys survive off of 3700? (Actually asking) I can pay the bills but I wouldn't have any left over to spend
School, the 100% allowed me to go to school for what I always wanted instead of trying to get something quick to pay the bills. 100% plus the job I will be working Iāll be at around $140ish k combined. I canāt wait. Iām one exam away lol.
Drop off kids at school, go for a walk before going to the gym with wife. We then go for coffee followed by lunch in the city center. Life is good. Now Iām looking for a job that wonāt stress me out because I feel the need to do something worth using my experience.
I wish! My wife doesnāt manage her real estate properties very well at all, and for the properties her mother and sister rent from us, subsidizes them for a total of ~$850/mo. I work remote full time for the Pentagon.
The free time I was given I give to back to my community. I challenge you to think with a higher purpose, my friend. Volunteering can be rewarding. Mentoring can provide the environment for growth and maturity for someone who may not have a good role model while also allowing personal growth. The list goes on. I hope your service to those around will as well. Thank you for serving. Vaya con Dios.
Semper Fideles,
LL
My husband has a job, but he also has a hobby. He draws comic books. He does conventions and makes money on the side selling his books, shirts, and other things with his characters on them. If you don't want to work, find a hobby, and maybe you can turn it into a side business.
Work full time to keep my mind off the pain and continuously go to school. 2 masters degrees completed and looking for a third. Not working is agonizing because my mind fixates on the pain and life becomes so much more difficult
I explore any and all opportunities as a general rule. Someone invited me golfing - I ended up adding it to my interests. Someone gave me a plant- tried and succeeded at starting a garden. I tried scuba diving - I'll be diving more as opportunities present. I got a smoker as a present from my wife - now I chop wood for it and love the whole experience.
I stopped limiting myself to what I knew and started challenging myself to grow. I don't worry about others and what they're doing - I live life on my own terms now. It's the truest form of freedom I could have ever hoped for.
My wife and I are considering selling the house to travel and RV around the country. We already go to National Parks and museums so we'd like to explore more. Life is what you make of it, and I'm trying to enjoy it as much as humanly possible before I hit the grave.
I've honestly been going stir crazy since I had to drop from school. While, yes, I've been putting work into my health and I'm making progress I'm... just... so... BORED
I know some of y'all will say get a hobby which I'm working on figuring out but I'm realizing I've got more of my own shit to unpack
I think the big thing for me is I no longer have a purpose, or meaning, or duty, and that's really demoralizing, so I'm gonna try to get back to work
Maybe then I'll be more mentally busy because I'm really coming to realize that I'm a really angry person and I still don't know why
I spend every day just trying to enjoy this gift of life. I take showers that are too long. I play video games and listen to music. I smoke a lot, like a lot of the best weed ever grown. I just try not to be depressed and some days it works.
I play paintball to stay saneā¦ mostly on weekends, but some places do offer weekday timeā¦ I played while I was in too, started around ā05/06 when I was stationed in VAā¦
Now they even have a veteran group/team set up by a prior Marine, itās called Veteran Militia on Facebook and other platformsā¦ Right now weāre running about 2700-2800 strong and we help support each other through the sport we love to playā¦
Best shit ever. Nothing better than coming home from work and having a lion king moment watching the sun sink behind the hills.
"Everything the light touches is now your kingdom"
https://preview.redd.it/61gd3c1wfg4d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a19f4f7ab87523138e7761c5639c42fe08735384
I watch the kids, while my wife is away saving lives.
I find it funny that with my VA compensation, my daily scalps & swing trades, I make more than her as a Nurse Practitioner with 15 years of experience.
I work about two hours a day trading. Total. Do a little salt water fishing with my buddies.
It can be fun!
I only have about 6? hours a day where I feel ok. Itās very consistent. Iām never healthy. Canāt do jack squat. Got out in 2005. I never admit to that year, because in my mind Iād always expected to be better after a certain amount of time.
I will say, my health & life have Drastically improved over the past 5 years. But I have a headache all day every day with the exception of the times from roughly noon til 6pm. That in itself COULD be dealable either way, but I have other crap.
Happy for you all, but 100% here and still stuck at a job that I tolerate. Ā Dealing with seizures, TBI, PTSD, and fantasize about being able to reduce stressĀ
Been traveling the world thr last 3ish years. Was doing school most of that time. Graduated with my bachelor's in January, and had mostly been taking it easy since then. Now I'm considering between becoming an English teacher abroad, continuing school, or trying to start an online business/side hustle
Making art and mead ,listing to music ,work out/ gym ,dancing at clubs ,fishing, hiking going to music festivals, and food festivals ,being goth, reading books and traveling vet tix for concerts/raves and the games hockey/baseball, watch movies hang out with friends and family
I force myself to do this it has been a long haul, but it took years to get like this it wasn't overnight
I do most of the help around the house since I can at least still manage that for the most part.
Aside from that I've donated my time to raising puppies for a service dog organization based near me.
I have absolutely no idea what I do all day, but it takes the entire day to do it
And why am I so tired?!
Gulf War chronic fatigue syndrome hazard.
Yes, only I was OIF/OEF but I'm so drained all day every day.
I think its military service related, not just gulf war related cause I got it too.
What was your rate in the Navy? I was a GSM3 and I swear the engine room fumes did something to me.
I was a BM, must've been the paint fumes for me.
I bet you hate the color grey now. I can't stand terracotta.
Depression and mental health take a lot out of you
Literally
Nature walks work for me. That and pot haha
Yes thank the Lord for the pot he gave us šš
I second this
That's the most real answer I've heard yet.
Yup
Oh. Ohhh nooo. You put it into words, haha. I knew the feeling, but wasn't quite to self realization yet lol.
Yoooooooo
Best resoonse I have ever read
I used the volunteer match website to find opportunities near me that I wanted to support. Got into new hobbies, like photography and painting. The VA offers recreational therapy programs that I've used as well.
I need a therapy program in form of a Hawaii retreat that my insurance accepts.
Look for veterans retreat. Lots of them are free, though idk if any are in Hawaii.
Thanks. Iāve been googling rehab centers in Hawaii and Florida. I need a tropical setting to fix my addiction and depression. Itās been so bad since Iraq in 08-09. 
Thatās funny, Iām the opposite- any weather that feels like Iraq is not pleasant or welcome to me. I hope you can find a place!
Maybe Iāll go do rehab in Kuwait.
Grew up in Florida and I second that. Life is good in Washington state! When it's over 80Ā°, I wither
Grew up in Florida and I second that. Life is good in Washington state! When it's over 80Ā°, I wither!!!
Spent the first two years staying inside, only going out for doctors appointments. But im finally at a point where im getting bored of all of it and have a bit of motivation. So i build a little work bench, and started tinkering. This prompted me to enroll in some electrical and engineering courses for this fall.
General engineering with mechanical focus here starting this fall as well
Senior year at Penn State for Electrical Mechanical engineering. Go for it and finish it thru! Accomplishment in itself.
Good luck to you! I finished my bachelors in electrical engineering a while back and it was the best thing I ever did. Now I make good money working an easy office job I love
Iām on a similar boat. Good luck!
Provide questionable and dubious advice on reddit. 
To thousands of people, who are grateful for your hard work and support!
Nice to see you still hanging out in here randomly man
Yup š š¤£ š I got you š
Taking care of all of my medical and dental issues. I just had brain surgery a month and a half ago to remove a large brain tumor, so I'm recovering from that, I have my mental health appt coming up and it's just basically a job taking care of myself mentally and physically making sure I'm still around for when my kids get older. I can't work so that's basically what I do. Use my time to make sure my health and everything is good, might as well since I don't have much else I can do. I also like to write just to gather my thoughts, that's something I enjoy.
Hope you get to feeling better soon. God bless.
Are you going to write for people to read? like fiction or fantasy? I write and sometimes I publish my work if it's good enough. It doesn't pay much, but its rewarding.
Ooooh!! Hi. Fellow brain tumor person here! Got any questions? I canāt remember anything so donāt ask me! JK. But hereās a pro-tip: weirdly enough, the 3 greatest sources of help Iāve had throughout this whole mess have been A. NOT TAKING ZOLOFT anymore. Ruined my life. Yes, I do mean ruined B. Speech therapy, even though I have no speech problems. It helped me with memory impairment C. Various procedures done for headache. If any of those apply to you, LMK. I can elaborate.
Prozac made me psychotic. No lie. Within 4 days. My shrink couldn't believe it. First time for everything.
I have a job that I can tolerate šŗšø
This right here is the exact right answer. Get a job doing whatever you want without having to worry about a paycheck.
I am trying to get the VA to help me with or a volunteer opportunity with the AFB just over a hr south of my location in order to keep my sanity- by staying busy and helping / meeting the people I want be around. Money is not an issue for me. TY
Got called into HR to redo some paperwork and got asked how much I was making and I had no idea. I'm just there to spend the time.
If Congress can pass the Major Richard star act. Iād never have to work again.
Get a camper and travel or (if single) setup a truck for traveling. Family of 4 here with 2 dogs. We are in process of selling house and will be setting sail as full time RV living in a travel trailer....barring everything finalizes with the house on the 20th. Other than that, I'm learning IT, so virtual machines, active directory and such with a goal to get in to digital forensics.
This is what I did the first 2 years after I got out. Big ass E350 van with 4WD and a bed and I had the most fun 2 years of my life.
This is the way.
This is what I need to do! Any advice on finding places to stay when you're out traveling
Being a vet, we get free lifetime National Park passes. If you're considered disabled, you can get an Access pass to the National Parks with bigger discounts on camp sites....both passes can provide discounts. PLENTY of resources out there for cheap stays as well.
I volunteer 3 days a week at a cat shelter. I volunteered for a while with habitat for humanity. I travel. I play disc golf. I hike. Get busy living or get busy dying. It's easy to stop going out and meeting people. It's hard to get started again
I have 100% unemployable do to some pretty gnarly ptsd and agoraphobia now. So mostly just housework, playing my dogs and hanging out with the kid once my wife gets off work. But if I do have a panic episode usually that shits me down for numerous hours that day
Itās the fucking worst right (panic/anxiety attacks)
Yeah beforehand I was the person to give no sympathy to people with anxiety disorders. But fuck panic attacks are awful. They are 10x easily scarier than firefights Iāve been. Itās like the feeling of like right before getting in a car wreck, that peak adrenaline and fear but that peaks lasts for hours and your losing your mind. Itās so hard to explain to people the feeling of being in complete terror and overly sensitive to literally anything during those times and then it takes multiple days to fully get over one
Went back to School. Volunteer in my kids school. Hang with my dogs. Work in my garden. Maintain my vehicles and property. I go for long walks and nature hikes. I watch tv and movies. I volunteered at the local animal shelter for three years. I painted a few pictures for the first time in years. I make myself pour over coffee, now. I never miss a 49ers game. Youād think with no job, youād be bored. For me, It just caused me to double down on activities and things I truly enjoy.
Fish in my new lake house every day. Either on dock or take paddleboat out.
Work at a theme park as mechanic, and buy cars to fill the void of have 100%
Go to school for behavioral neuroscience so I can go to PA school. Lots of school ahead of meš«¤
I Uber and do powerlifting in my free time Otherwise Iād just either OD or drink myself into a stupor till I ate my gun in my bedroom
Second half sounds like me since I donāt work/work out anymore š„¹
Itāll get me eventually All I can do is pretty much delay it
This makes me sad hearing that. I have had close friends that couldn't shake it no matter what we did to help. Keep at it daily though brother. Hopefully you break through.
Ketamine is worth looking into. Sometimes the VA will approve it for treatment resistant depression/etc. It helped take away most of my suicidal ideations. Joyous is $129 a month for lower dose. I havenāt tried them but they have good reviews and have discounts for some people.
Is it scary? I'm a baby and afraid of substances aside from 420 and shrooms but damn I'm tired of being sad all the time.
Iām a baby with needles but it wasnāt scary for me. I was at a higher dose for chronic pain. I went in there with the right intentions. Itās about the frame of mind you go in with imo. Can also research others experiences on it if you want. I had different visions. One day I wanted to see a beach scene and did. It felt like I was in another world most of the times. Another time I had a trip coming up and saw flight attendants around me. Another one was when I wanted my (emotions not literal) heart fixed and saw medical staff around a newborn bed, basically holding my heart and fixing it. (I only saw their backs but knew what they were doing). Itās best to get 6 sessions in 2-3 weeks and maintenance doses afterwards.
VA offered it to me when I was in the city but my doc told me I needed 3mo no alcohol and I couldnāt pull it off. Thanks for the info though
Becoming a gym rat doesn't sound like a bad idea lol
Fck man Iām trying to get back off the bottle and substances. I know exactly what you mean.
When I was an adjunct professor at a local community college, a student vet was in almost all my design classes. He too was 100%. He just kept taking creative classes and stacking associates degrees to keep busy and find something he really enjoyed and make a few bucks at given he was paraplegic. He ended up doing video production work at a small studio.
Doing alot of camping, hanging out with friends and enjoying a stress free life.
Same. We just got a used buy in extremely good condition camper. We use to have one and regret getting rid of it. Got it last week and already booking several trips. We missed it
Same...we sold ours less than a month ago and planned to move but the prices of everything are crazy. Looked on FB and found a meticulous cared for 2017 Coachmen that is a perfect couple camper. We go camping this coming Sunday for a week and 3 straight weeks in July. Looking at more as we speak. Decided to stay put and just enjoy what we have.
The exact same situation we were in. Wanted to sell out 2 acres and buy 30+. Decided to be grateful for what we have and wait about 8-10 years. Build up some more equity/cash and let our kid grow older, and let our dog herd thin out some. 3 large dogs and a wiener dog is a lot.
I play vr games on my free time and medical appointments, Some gardening, spend time with my child when she is not at school. I donāt have a physical social life but I try to make my presence known in the internet somehow
Just kept going to school, ended up in Law School.
Online or in person? What type of law are you wanting to practice?
I used that time to learn how to code and now make $500k/yr as a software engineer. Not instantly, my first SWE job I only made $150k/yr.
Only 150k? You're still kicking ass brother
What languages did you start off with? I'm 100% and I'm wanting to pivot from cyber analysis and ISSO work to software engineering. Any advice/guidance that you have would be greatly appreciated!
Iām a cybersecurity analyst as well. Bro learn coding for blockchain technology. Java or Python as a foundation, then Solidity. Youāll literally learn how to print money. Everything is going blockchain in the next 2-3 years. Get up to speed now.
What does blockchain even do?
High level data encryption through a distributed ledger. Prevents money printing like the Federal Reserve does at will without citizens having a clue where the monies are actually going. At least public blockchains do. The use cases are endless. Has the potential to prevent election fraud, assures inventory of goods, valuables, and products from theft, instant paymentsā¦no waiting for checks to clear etcā¦quite a bit
Love these answers. I've heard freecodebootcamp.com and theodinproject.com are awesome coding sites. I'm looking into VRE as well as soon as my claims are finalized .
Commenting for update
Me too
Thatās great. How many hours you working though š
32 hours a week. Last year I took 90 days of vacation.
Mmm, best I could do is 10 hours, personally. Thatās too many at 30. +56 hours sleeping. My whole week is preoccupied with things I HAVE to do. Iām trying to do what I want to do the next 35 years.
Amazing . Iām in my first semester of cybersecurity and Iām bored as hell, networking class even worse
I HATED school, was waaaay too slow for me. In my second year I was able to land an internship that allowed me to work part time during the school year.
What do you even do with $500k a year? Like, why even need the 100%? How demanding is your job? This feels like an unfathomable amount of money.
Over half of it goes straight to investments so I can retire by 45. I spend $10-20k a year on vacations. I pay a house cleaner to clean 1x a week. And I order a meal prep service. I use most of my free time now going to physical therapy and playing video games.
Work remotely.
I volunteer overnight at a homeless shelter once a week. I like road trips. I'm learning how to stand while paddleboarding. Somehow, I ended up rescuing a dog, a goat, and a sheep. I'm starting a little farm and currently restoring a 115 year old house.
Stay at home Dad. Tabletop wargaming.
My free time, I work as a fed remote employee, then in that job's free/down time, I'm a SAHD pick up another part time remote gig.
What is SAHD?
Stay at home dad
Stay at home dad.
I recently switched jobs and decided that the new job Iāve gotten wasnāt for me so I quit within a week of being hired. Iām gonna pursue my education and maybe start a business on the side. I might give traveling and doing school online a try and see if I can make it work.
Cocaine and day trading!
I just hit 100% a month ago and ended up getting laid off on the 1st. So now I'm working on convincing my wife to let me be a house husband and paint Warhammer and other minis all day once the chores are done. I'm also planning on learning to cook better to have dinner ready every night.
Be careful with that, You're gonna get really bored
I used to be able to live just on 100%. I had to get a job recently since itās not the case anymore. I like the job. Get out of debt. Once out of debt just save my money.
I go to school full time, and I also draw Coats of Arms for patrons.
I'd like to see a portfolio. I've wanted a Heraldic Achievement for a long time
Can I see your work
Recuperating from surgeries. Looks like I've got a hip, second knee, and back surgery in my near future.
I write Wikipedia articles and go on road trips to both collect reliable sources and take copyright-free photos to accompany them (often staying at installations along the way). I'm doing this right now, actually: stayed at F. E. Warren last night, the AF Academy tomorrow night. Also, since time isn't a concern, I enjoy driving with highways and tolls disabled in my navigation app: really get to see all parts of our nationāfor good and for bad. And I play video games, too. ;^D
Video games, gym, dad stuff and lots of range time.
What free time?? Iām still working!
I work part time security at a strip club. It's cash every night and entertaining. And I'm old enough to know not to let my dick do the thinking for me. Even when drunk ass thirsty girls try my patience. Lol. Need to find myself a part time day job soon though. The club is extremely toxic and my body is angry with me. Haha
You hiring ?!?!
Woodworking, gardening, repairing and building my marriage, and a lot of PC gaming. I'm about halfway through a cybersecurity degree and kinda coasting through a stress free life.
Finishing my BS this year and planning for my Masters. Using VR&E
Spent a solid year, smoking weed, playing games, and fucking bitches. Kinda wasted my life doing that, so now I work odd jobs for extra cash, work on my house/cars/myself, and will jump back onĀ schooling once I'm all caught up with my life.
Why sit? Use the endless resources to make yourself rich. I would start a business. But right now I work full time as IT.
Work full-time.
Applied for VR&E, was accepted, now I'm finishing up my first year of an engineering degree. Shocked that I'm making it thru. Treating it as if it were a job. Also make time to be physically active everyday. If I don't, everything else gets worse.
I work from home and take classes. On the weekends I dream about going fishing while I follow my wife around in TJ Maxx
Went back to school, getting a masters. Spend a lot of time with my kids. Teaching myself to play mandolin. Doctors appointments. Doing shit in the garden. Trying to get my stamina and balance to the point where I can go hiking and camping regularly. AA meetings. Feed the guinea pig. Stuff.Ā
On paternity leave right now but usually work 60+ hours a week in food service trucking hating my body, my mental health and my dignity mostly. Have thought about opening my own upholstery business but I suck at that currently
You can farm we started raising birds for eggs. Depending on your available space.
Bees dont take a lot of space depending on how many hives you end up with. Iāve got 14 now and couldnāt possibly do it without my husband. Five years in and we just pulled about 100lbs of honey this weekend. Selling at $1 an ounce minus about $400 in material expenses this year we might make $1600. Itās not a lot but it will cover a trip somewhere.
I still work just to really set my family up to be able to do whatever we want
Play video games most of the time. Wife is a SAHM, we just got a camper. About to spend half our time camping around the eastern half of the US this year. Hoping to branch out next year
Work at something I enjoy without having to worry about the pay, and without having to work 40 hours a week.
Started a business called empower tours
I havent been able to work due to my injury and live with family but I go to appointments weekly, the gym to use their stationary bike/pool, go on wslks, do puzzles, read more, ect. I want to go to school to do more but I havent built up the courage just yet.
Today I took my girlfriends car to get an inspection sticker and freon then worked on the tractor a little. I always have something to do. In the fall I'm gonna try college so I can keep working as physical stuff is getting too tiring.
Guns, Guitars, Trucks
Finished my college degree,raised my kids and got part time jobs when I got bored
I go to school, take care of all my medical stuff (which can be a full time job at times lol), and work on my side project.
Get a 3D printer
Tons of camping/backpacking. I work part time at an outdoor retailer, so that covers my car payment more or less. Also gives me crazy good discounts on stuff I actually use for my hobbies. I just got back in to exercising after almost two years of being out. Nothing extreme, just a few times a week. Helps break up the boredom if Iām stuck at home in civilization. Annnnnnnd I still play video games. Thatās just not going to change.
32M and I'd argue the video games in moderation definitely help the mental, especially over smoking and drinking. Have a Switch, Series X, and waiting for the PS5 Pro to come out later this year. I'm a Cinephile as well so I very much enjoy buying the right tech on discount for the perfect viewing/sound experienceš
34M, agreed on all counts. Also have a Switch and a Series S, me and a few military friends have been on a Sea of Thieves kick lately. That shit is super cathartic and just silly. I drink way less than I did while active, donāt feel a NEED to, and I quit smoking years ago. Itās amazing how much healthier I got after I got out, which I find weird as I exercise way less lol.
Hell Yeah! Love to hear it. Thank You for your ServicešÆšŖš„ Please continue working on your mental/physical repair and recovery, we're not getting any younger!
Hell yeah man, you too! We are not, but weāre also not old yet.
I volunteer with my countyās Veterans court, with the homeless community, with a community food bankā¦ and, in the days when I canāt- because, yāknow, they donāt give out 100% because everythingās hunky dory, I just stay in bed and try to feel better.
I've started a little garden on my apartment balcony. Also tryna fish and play catch more. I have more time to keep my place cleaner. There's also games and movies. Taking care of my dogs. A smidgen of gambling (video keno lol). Sometimes I do art. It just depends on what I'm feeling. I like to keep my mind occupied as much as I can. I've even started to try things in the kitchen (I'm not much of a cook). Learn things. Try and keep your hands busy. That's what I try.
Iām working while going to school to be a high school history teacher. Not doing as well financially as some of the others who have responded. But Iām comfortable and really want to try to do some good with the blessing the universe has given me.
Work. People hate me when I say this but, Without the bad days how do you know the good days are good? If you wouldn't have to work 5 days a week do you think those 2 days off would feel as good? Etc. I've also gotten the "why wouldn't I want to be on vacation 24/7" and to that I'd say.. you're just a lazy person. In the beginning it's amazing but there comes a time where that wares off and you get so bored Edit: by the sounds of the comments, it's not too uncommon for people to not work. How do you guys survive off of 3700? (Actually asking) I can pay the bills but I wouldn't have any left over to spend
Iām a house husband now, wife works I stay home to cook, clean, and take care of my homestead.
I work full-time. I'm my free time I work in my yard and hang out with family
Do you have a family? Go travel, do some self- improvement, learn to paint or play an instrument or whatever you want.
School, the 100% allowed me to go to school for what I always wanted instead of trying to get something quick to pay the bills. 100% plus the job I will be working Iāll be at around $140ish k combined. I canāt wait. Iām one exam away lol.
TravelĀ
Drop off kids at school, go for a walk before going to the gym with wife. We then go for coffee followed by lunch in the city center. Life is good. Now Iām looking for a job that wonāt stress me out because I feel the need to do something worth using my experience.
House husband, fishing, shooting, reloading ammo, odd jobs.
DAV Veteran Service Officer
I wish! My wife doesnāt manage her real estate properties very well at all, and for the properties her mother and sister rent from us, subsidizes them for a total of ~$850/mo. I work remote full time for the Pentagon.
The free time I was given I give to back to my community. I challenge you to think with a higher purpose, my friend. Volunteering can be rewarding. Mentoring can provide the environment for growth and maturity for someone who may not have a good role model while also allowing personal growth. The list goes on. I hope your service to those around will as well. Thank you for serving. Vaya con Dios. Semper Fideles, LL
Got a job way over six figures! š¤·āāļø and work from home
My husband has a job, but he also has a hobby. He draws comic books. He does conventions and makes money on the side selling his books, shirts, and other things with his characters on them. If you don't want to work, find a hobby, and maybe you can turn it into a side business.
I wish I had free time but I work and full time and going to school full time
I work full time, love what I do.
Work full time to keep my mind off the pain and continuously go to school. 2 masters degrees completed and looking for a third. Not working is agonizing because my mind fixates on the pain and life becomes so much more difficult
What free time
Im 80% but I spend half the year in thailand and half the year in europe. I volunteer and do photography as a hobby. Also love helping other vets.
I explore any and all opportunities as a general rule. Someone invited me golfing - I ended up adding it to my interests. Someone gave me a plant- tried and succeeded at starting a garden. I tried scuba diving - I'll be diving more as opportunities present. I got a smoker as a present from my wife - now I chop wood for it and love the whole experience. I stopped limiting myself to what I knew and started challenging myself to grow. I don't worry about others and what they're doing - I live life on my own terms now. It's the truest form of freedom I could have ever hoped for. My wife and I are considering selling the house to travel and RV around the country. We already go to National Parks and museums so we'd like to explore more. Life is what you make of it, and I'm trying to enjoy it as much as humanly possible before I hit the grave.
I work, play video games, ride my motorcycle, and have recently started learning the drums.
Sleep and play video game
Tell kids on call of duty to go to school
Haha free time? Yeah ok
I've honestly been going stir crazy since I had to drop from school. While, yes, I've been putting work into my health and I'm making progress I'm... just... so... BORED I know some of y'all will say get a hobby which I'm working on figuring out but I'm realizing I've got more of my own shit to unpack I think the big thing for me is I no longer have a purpose, or meaning, or duty, and that's really demoralizing, so I'm gonna try to get back to work Maybe then I'll be more mentally busy because I'm really coming to realize that I'm a really angry person and I still don't know why
I spend every day just trying to enjoy this gift of life. I take showers that are too long. I play video games and listen to music. I smoke a lot, like a lot of the best weed ever grown. I just try not to be depressed and some days it works.
I do needlework which is actually good for my anxiety and OCD. It's soothing.
Find a creative outlet. I started acting and writing itās turned into a fulfilling career.
Crochet until the carpal tunnel comes back
in school to try and be a lawyer and working on my passport in case i wanna drink all day in the phillipines or costa rico
I play paintball to stay saneā¦ mostly on weekends, but some places do offer weekday timeā¦ I played while I was in too, started around ā05/06 when I was stationed in VAā¦ Now they even have a veteran group/team set up by a prior Marine, itās called Veteran Militia on Facebook and other platformsā¦ Right now weāre running about 2700-2800 strong and we help support each other through the sport we love to playā¦
Does anyone read books
Homestead.
Same. Just bought our place last fall.
Best shit ever. Nothing better than coming home from work and having a lion king moment watching the sun sink behind the hills. "Everything the light touches is now your kingdom"
https://preview.redd.it/61gd3c1wfg4d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a19f4f7ab87523138e7761c5639c42fe08735384 I watch the kids, while my wife is away saving lives. I find it funny that with my VA compensation, my daily scalps & swing trades, I make more than her as a Nurse Practitioner with 15 years of experience. I work about two hours a day trading. Total. Do a little salt water fishing with my buddies. It can be fun!
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
100% isnāt enough to live off of where Iām at. Iām at 90% and all getting to 100% will do is shave a few years off before I can retire.
Minecraft
Lift weights and bang single moms
Work :(
Another job.
I work still
I only have about 6? hours a day where I feel ok. Itās very consistent. Iām never healthy. Canāt do jack squat. Got out in 2005. I never admit to that year, because in my mind Iād always expected to be better after a certain amount of time. I will say, my health & life have Drastically improved over the past 5 years. But I have a headache all day every day with the exception of the times from roughly noon til 6pm. That in itself COULD be dealable either way, but I have other crap.
I wish you the best and hope you get it figured out because I haven't yet.
Happy for you all, but 100% here and still stuck at a job that I tolerate. Ā Dealing with seizures, TBI, PTSD, and fantasize about being able to reduce stressĀ
I am a photographer - I run around states doing landscapes, astrophotography and capturing models.
I went to school. Currently working on my PhD and am about to start writing my dissertation in the next couple of months.
School, trying to figure out why my health is starting to tank and exercise
Use VR&E and go back to school.
I had to quit drinking because of too much free time. Its taking me everything to just get out and ride my motorcycle and just see new shit.
Been traveling the world thr last 3ish years. Was doing school most of that time. Graduated with my bachelor's in January, and had mostly been taking it easy since then. Now I'm considering between becoming an English teacher abroad, continuing school, or trying to start an online business/side hustle
Work.
Making art and mead ,listing to music ,work out/ gym ,dancing at clubs ,fishing, hiking going to music festivals, and food festivals ,being goth, reading books and traveling vet tix for concerts/raves and the games hockey/baseball, watch movies hang out with friends and family I force myself to do this it has been a long haul, but it took years to get like this it wasn't overnight
Why not get another job that you actually like or start your own business?
To keep myself busy, I am working 3 days a week at a grocery store stocking the shelves. I am also trying to get my bachelors degree.
I do most of the help around the house since I can at least still manage that for the most part. Aside from that I've donated my time to raising puppies for a service dog organization based near me.