Everyday Addiction
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My #ThemeSong Today is
Money
by Pink Floyd - love that sax (and the use of jingling change as an instrument).
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So... I have been off Facebook (for personal posts) for 10 weeks now. Though I still look people up, check in on friends from time to time, and post fact-based info I think others should know about, I have to say I've done a good job of not posting personal pics and thoughts on the time-sucking platform. Most interesting has been the diminishing absence of the sporadic jab of anxiety that accompanies each impulse to check my notifications or post a new thought or photo. Having this blog has helped a lot. It takes more time to post a blog article in one sitting (even one that contains only links), but it takes far less time than posting on Facebook spontaneously throughout the day. As I get used to things, I'm reminded a lot of when I quit smoking over twenty years ago. You're glad it's gone, but you miss it like a toxic friend.
The blog hasn't been my only crutch. You'd think I'd have used the time I was saving off Facebook to finish my novel or earnestly search for an agent, but Nope. During my intermittent free times, I returned to Plants versus Zombies - that is, until my Xbox Live Membership expired last week and I determined, once again, not to renew it. After Plants versus Zombies, I turned my attention to my Roth IRA, which has accumulated a large enough sum to make day trading interesting. By day trading, I don't mean I'm shuffling thousands of dollars between stocks. Oh no. I mean buying 40 shares of Asia Pacific Wire and Cable at $4.00 a share one day and selling it at $4.44 a share later that day or the next. I'm only making $17.60 all up; but that's a gain of 11%, no small thing for a 3-day investment. Here are the returns from my obsessive-compulsive trades last week:
It's like playing the penny slots in Vegas, except instead of losing my money outright, I may get stuck with stock; and I don't buy any stocks I'm not okay being stuck with for a while - I can't take my Roth IRA earnings out (without penalty) for nine more years.
My stock-market OCD has been a relatively harmless and low-risk way to make some (long-term) pocket change, which has made it easy to rationalize. At first it was a fun diversion. But my stock-market check-ins have gone from 10 minutes between daily commitments to 40-50-minute trips down the wormhole several times a day, sucking up my time and replacing the stress that getting off Facebook had reduced. Just because it stands to make me money doesn't mean it's good for me (or my loved ones). Besides, the stock market, on the whole, has been on a rally. Don't think I don't recognize the transient juju here. So today my stock-market OCD stops too. (Of course, it's a Saturday and the stock market is closed.)
I'll use the extra time to scour the Internet for ways I can get a hold on my addictive personality, starting here: https://www.verywellmind.com/things-to-stop-doing-if-youre-an-addictive-personality-21942. And then I'll start researching agents ;-).
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[In case you missed it above, here's the link to an article about toxic friendships that really spoke to me: https://www.healthline.com/health/toxic-friendships. My husband and I have had rough times in this regard, but so far we've managed to convince each other that our marriage is worth saving; and I do believe we have finally turned the corner and started walking toward one another again.]
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P.S. I highly encourage you to contribute to your (and your working kids') own Roth IRA's, as it could save you tens of thousands of dollars (maybe more) in the long run. My next post summarizes my thoughts and advice on the matter: http://www.melissarooneywriting.com/blog/2021/03/regarding-roth-iras/.
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