Sucide:How did the 2008/2009 recession effect you?

[FireFox]

Sucides did occur in the 2008/2009 recession and we are now entering another now.

In 2008/2009 recession i was in secondary school and i was 11/12 years old . I didnt even understand the word recession .Today i am unemployed gradaute loser with no clue what to do. Career wise i am pretty much finishsd( 23 years old). I do feel like my life really is over because of the recession. Dramatic but it is how i feel.

How did the 2008/2009 recession effect you ? Where are are you now?
More importantly how did it change you
Any tips to survive?
Tell us your stories?

 

[Nolye]

I was 18/19, fresh out of high school. I was expecting to find a job, be independent, leave my parents' house, live my life... those sort of things. However, employers were firing people left and right and most businesses shut down, it was horrible.

I couldn't find a job anywhere, no one wanted to hire me, so I started working... on the side. I didn't last long, though. My anxiety and depression became much worse (that situation did not help at all) and had to stop.

Now I'm almost 30, still living with my parents and no job. Last year I thought, "2020 is going to be my year! I'm going to nail down a job, finally live my life and not be a leech." ... That went well, didn't it?

Trust me, at 23 you're far from over when it comes to find a job and live your own life. I read your posts and trust me, you can still make it, even if you don't believe it.

Tips? The only one I have is to not give up, not yet. Hope is a pain in the ass, but it could also be a good thing. If everything goes to hell, at least we can say that we have a way out.

 

[last_tour]

I was 23, i coulnd't find a job because no one was hiring. Made me realize how corrupt and f'd up the world was. Made me look for alternative ways to make money which all failed miserably. I was around 25 when I decided i'll CTB and discovered things like helium tank method and the PPH. I browsed other CTB forums as well. I decided to stop trying to make money because it made me miserable and I'd just enjoy my life with whatever i had as much as possible doing whatever it is i always wanted to do. But it was more like me postponing what I should have done sooner because I was too scared to meet my fate. it was a lot easier to get things like N back then, I had more money, wasn't living my parents etc. Could have got everything together and be gone in a week. Today its probably 30 times harder for me to die, but the clock is ticking for me and ive pretty much exhausted all my methods to keep on living. I literally don't have the luxury to keep on going like i did when i was 25 but wish i had done it then because the suffering im going through now was not worth the extra 10 lives. Now i just ordered the last ingredient to my method and man was it nerve-racking but had to do it.

Tips: you don't want to end up like me. You still have a chance, you could be smart, and could arrange something to keep on living a good life. I think you just have to be clever, and figure out your own way to survive, unfortunately i wasn't clever enough.

 

[NoSuprises]

I graduated uni in 2011 when the job market in the UK still massively sucked. I really struggled to get a job apart from call centres and bar work, which combined with some other terrible life decisions led to me falling behind and my problems snowballed.

 

[Quarky00]

I was evicted in 2008 and wanted to ctb . Had total nervous breakdown (though not psychotic) . Became homeless . Later moved with ex. Overall was totally incapacitated for 8 months. Got a job later but things were never the same and by then I was totally broken. Things weren't perfect before but from that point on my anxiety was pronounced and I rarely coped. It was traumatic and an existential fear (not philosopical-- real threat to one's existence).

I don't remember the exact time but around 2007-2008 as austerity kicked in and salaries were cut , slowly lease prices , healthcare , and food went out of balance. I was stuck with abusive ex and medical bills and couldn't get a place on my own. Couple of years later the world wide 2011 protests came. Thought to myself "it wasn't just in my head".

Since then I rarely had a month where I wasn't on anti-depressants or anxiolytics. I was on meds before but never (a) several types , (b) for years .

I never felt real "life threat" before 2008.

I was in dangerous situations previously, I was homeless before, and all sorts of shit happened in the 90s and 00s --- but never felt such a deep sense of being obliterated like that. I always had some depression and anxiety, for example 20 years ago I couldn't get on a fucking bus and was scared to cross the road (had therapy). But previously when hardship came people around could help, in 2008 very few could because almost everyone were affected or at least feared the future. Previously I could have leased all sort of shitty places (which were fine) but now I couldn't anymore. Post 2007 owners everywhere wanted co-signers and guarentees. Job market was never the same. You had to fight for positions. 2007-8 was totally different compared to dot com or 9/11, things had now fundamentally changed.

----

I don't see things changing in 2020, same old, same old.

 

[Skyview]

2008 recession definitely took its toll , many lost their homes and retirement funds disappeared albeit in the following years some retirement funds became fluid as stock market gained impetus yet for some it came too late , they had lost everything.
How many people committed suicide , this we will never know due to zero coverage , suicide trending on social media is not good for politics as are the uncomfortable questions that follow especially when they vote to bail out the banks and the banks still foreclose on properties.
Foreclosure affects your credit score therefore some rental properties turn down your application and those who accept your application are not exactly in the most desirable areas , saving funds are dwindling with no job prospects you can see where this is leading especially if you have a family , move back in with the parents or in laws , no privacy just compounds the overwhelming stress .

I was fortunate in a way , being single I could cope though it wasn't easy and I lost finances and it takes years to recover . Banks are not your friend and I learned not to trust them then and now , paid off credit cards and no longer use them . If I need to purchase something online I use a pre-paid card . The recession taught me to view life in a cynical fashion, dog eat dog scenario and trust no one . People who beg on the streets would get angry if you didn't give them some money , this I encountered many times and I would reply " i'm not your fuckin personal atm " . There comes a point when you have no more to give !

I have read that some financial experts expect this recession to last into 2021 , if so , it's time to install suicide booths or make N available to all who desire it . You can survive the recession if you are willing to make sacrifices and are lucky enough to have a job which keeps your head above water , add in covid 19 to the equation and now it's a complete game changer , uncharted territory!

Those of us on SS have researched our chosen method and can depart this world when we choose to do so , for some the recession may well be the tipping point because they gave it their all and have nothing left to give .

 

[TheNorthernSilence]

I graduated in the early 2010s (Bachelor's degree). I really struggled with my mental health and couldn't find a job either. Now after almost 10 years later I'm so messed up that I really don't think I'm ever going to recover enough to be on the job market again (and no one hires a person with a 10 year gap in his CV anyway). I'm on disability for now and I'm afraid it's going to get harder now when trying to extend it. I can't deal with this shit again.

 

[Quarky00]

Any tips to survive?

Other than coping tools, there is nothing special, just to "plough through".

It's the persistent potatoes (normal idiots out there) that survive -- without thinking about their situation , consequences , past or future -- just keep going and doing things. Working at any odd job and just keep going at it. It's hard, there are no rules, and nothing is guaranteed.

I hope the world will revert back to a state where one does not need a "mega career" just to make an honest living, and that way you can at least do okay. It does not mean that life will be good for you but perhaps bearable. Perhaps you can survive, make it on your own, and not think about your title and rank. You are not defined just by your title (although it feels like it in today's world).

The lack of prospects is devastating, and I feel much the same. But being a graduate you're not a loser -- the world is a failure. Prosperity will come again and you're young enough to experience it. That's real. It's not a reason to live. But it's a shred of hope that is rational. There's wider criticism about the system, and I've never seen general eviction halt or cash handouts to citizens. I know it's not working well and not indicative, and I'm not very hopeful, but things might change. Being younger doesn't make it better, especially if you're disabled (mentally or physically), but it generally gives you bit more options and possibilities. And that extra 1% chance/possibility/future is significant.


Just plough through, plough through..



(Some ideas stolen from @Underscore :) )

 

[Deleted member 1465]

Other than coping tools, there is nothing special, just to "plough through".

It's the persistent potatoes (normal idiots out there) that survive -- without thinking about their situation , consequences , past or future -- just keep going and doing things. Working at any odd job and just keep going at it. It's hard, there are no rules, and nothing is guaranteed.

I hope the world will revert back to a state where one does not need a "mega career" just to make an honest living, and that way you can at least do okay. It does not mean that life will be good for you but perhaps bearable. Perhaps you can survive, make it on your own, and not think about your title and rank. You are not defined just by your title (although it feels like it in today's world).

The lack of prospects is devastating, and I feel much the same. But being a graduate you're not a loser -- the world is a failure. Prosperity will come again and you're young enough to experience it. That's real. It's not a reason to live. But it's a shred of hope that is rational. There's wider criticism about the system, and I've never seen general eviction halt or cash handouts to citizens. I know it's not working well and not indicative, and I'm not very hopeful, but things might change. Being younger doesn't make it better, especially if you're disabled (mentally or physically), but it generally gives you bit more options and possibilities. And that extra 1% chance/possibility/future is significant.


Just plough through, plough through..



(Some ideas stolen from @Underscore :) )

Oddly, the financial decline barely touched me to start with. It was gradual. First my pension got stopped, then we got enforced furlough leave, which was fine by me. Then we had to constantly dodge redundancy, it was like moving the deck chairs around on the Titanic. Then I finally got canned, after 14 years of faking it anyway.
Now I'm too young to quit, too old to hire and too I'll to work. Sounds like a bad country song.

 

[Arrow]

i was just sort of a kid then, i guess. didn't even know what a recession was or why it mattered. didn't find out there was a recession until much later lol.

 

[Jumper Geo]

I was fine then working in a good job but that was fait it was the bloody 2001 recession that really fucked up my life, I remember it well, I was younger happy just received my MCSE qualifications had them all coloured copied and ready to send out to companies and Employment Agencies with my glowing CV on expensive paper by recorded delivery, very proud and exited about what my future held and all the cash and homes I will buy, I sent them out on Friday 7th September 2001 and low and behold the terrorist attack happened on Tuesday 11th September 2001 and within a month all the 100k IT contractors jumped into the low paying permanent jobs, it was reported that even in America top IT analysts and programmers were working as cleaners to survive. What is worse if that attack never happened I would not have met the person who paid for my non smoking treatment bio residence which destroyed my life and now want to CTB.

My life would be so different just wish life was like the Microsoft time and calendar I switched it back to 2001 in a few seconds and all these memories came flooding back.

Cheers

Geo

 

[FireFox]

I graduated uni in 2011 when the job market in the UK still massively sucked. I really struggled to get a job apart from call centres and bar work, which combined with some other terrible life decisions led to me falling behind and my problems snowballed.

@NoSuprises I live in the UK too. What did you study at university? I hope things work out for you. Our prime minster is a clown the way he has handled this covid 19.

I hate the education system because it institutionises you to the point it becomes extremely difficult to create a life outside of the education system once you leave.

In the UK we start school at age of the 3. If you go through the university route straight after a levels you end up leaving the education system at 21/22.

Imagine being in a the same system since you are 3 years old and now leaving it.
Since graduating i just fell apart. I even get rejected for minimum wage jobs in retail, supermarkets etc.

There is so much pressure to find the next step and create a new normal. All this is why i want to kill myself primarily

I envy people who have repeat a year because they can stay a student longer and not have to deal with this pressure
Being a graduate sucks . I hate it so much. I dont tell people i graduated .
It not as great as it is made out to be.
Being a graduate there is no support on how manage all this
Yes there university careers services but mine are not really that helpful.
All they suggest is a masters degree or entry level jobs( most of these jobs want so much experience. In fact too much for it to be called fucking entry level).
Lose free prescpritions . My mum forced to go on universal credit so i get free prescriptons..i hate for them doing this
I started self harming because of all this pressure.
I am ulimately going to kill myself.
Feeling lost since graduting university and struggling to adjust is biggest reason i why will ctb as well as other things

I graduated in the early 2010s (Bachelor's degree). I really struggled with my mental health and couldn't find a job either. Now after almost 10 years later I'm so messed up that I really don't think I'm ever going to recover enough to be on the job market again (and no one hires a person with a 10 year gap in his CV anyway). I'm on disability for now and I'm afraid it's going to get harder now when trying to extend it. I can't deal with this shit again.

@TheNorthernSilence You privately message me. I have a really crazy idea it might work for you if planned well. You have nothing to lose no partner, no children ,

You are an eu citizen have you ever considered moving to one of eu countries. Maybe try a neigbouring country like sweden.

Time to take advantage of free movement.

Find a eu country of your choice and start reseraching it. Please dont choose the UK. The people are lovely and i love the UK. Immigration rules are becoming a lot stricter this will nightmare for you. Next year january eu migrants will be excepted to have job offer if they want to work here, they will not be allowed to do certain low paying etc. What is your favourite eu country.

Money: Save up the welfare money and other savings. Ask mummy for help( if possible)

Find a european university to study or a job.
It is a crazy idea
Sorry what disablity do you have. I miseed that part out If it is severe then i am very sorry.
I hope you find a job too.
Stem is so in demand but lots of people struggle in stem to find work .
Take care and god bless

2008 recession definitely took its toll , many lost their homes and retirement funds disappeared albeit in the following years some retirement funds became fluid as stock market gained impetus yet for some it came too late , they had lost everything.
How many people committed suicide , this we will never know due to zero coverage , suicide trending on social media is not good for politics as are the uncomfortable questions that follow especially when they vote to bail out the banks and the banks still foreclose on properties.
Foreclosure affects your credit score therefore some rental properties turn down your application and those who accept your application are not exactly in the most desirable areas , saving funds are dwindling with no job prospects you can see where this is leading especially if you have a family , move back in with the parents or in laws , no privacy just compounds the overwhelming stress .

I was fortunate in a way , being single I could cope though it wasn't easy and I lost finances and it takes years to recover . Banks are not your friend and I learned not to trust them then and now , paid off credit cards and no longer use them . If I need to purchase something online I use a pre-paid card . The recession taught me to view life in a cynical fashion, dog eat dog scenario and trust no one . People who beg on the streets would get angry if you didn't give them some money , this I encountered many times and I would reply " i'm not your fuckin personal atm " . There comes a point when you have no more to give !

I have read that some financial experts expect this recession to last into 2021 , if so , it's time to install suicide booths or make N available to all who desire it . You can survive the recession if you are willing to make sacrifices and are lucky enough to have a job which keeps your head above water , add in covid 19 to the equation and now it's a complete game changer , uncharted territory!

Those of us on SS have researched our chosen method and can depart this world when we choose to do so , for some the recession may well be the tipping point because they gave it their all and have nothing left to give .

@Skyview thank you so much very insightful post.
"I am not your fucking atm" ouch that is brutal. I could never say such a thing. How did you feel when you said that. How did the beggars react too?

When i see beggers or homeless i feel bad for them . People a shouldnt have do this. I give a pound.

I take confort in the fact i have no children, live rent free at home, no partner.
My family are not wealthy though
All this makes angry. I hate how we have tolerate life as unfair
I am sick to death of hearing from my family
" life is not fair"
"Life is tough"
All i want to scream at them we should not have to put up with this bullshit at all.
If more cared about what was going on believe me the world would be a much better place.
This is why i never want kids and will have my tubes tied in the future.
Take care

 

[FireFox]

I was 18/19, fresh out of high school. I was expecting to find a job, be independent, leave my parents' house, live my life... those sort of things. However, employers were firing people left and right and most businesses shut down, it was horrible.

I couldn't find a job anywhere, no one wanted to hire me, so I started working... on the side. I didn't last long, though. My anxiety and depression became much worse (that situation did not help at all) and had to stop.

Now I'm almost 30, still living with my parents and no job. Last year I thought, "2020 is going to be my year! I'm going to nail down a job, finally live my life and not be a leech." ... That went well, didn't it?

Trust me, at 23 you're far from over when it comes to find a job and live your own life. I read your posts and trust me, you can still make it, even if you don't believe it.

Tips? The only one I have is to not give up, not yet. Hope is a pain in the ass, but it could also be a good thing. If everything goes to hell, at least we can say that we have a way out.

Thank you so much
I hope things work out for you too. I want you to make it too.
At least we are in the same boat.

 

[alizee]

2009 was around ending high school year for me. Nobody could find a job that was somewhat secure from what I remember. Most people in my age group were just trying to start college while trying not thinking about the recession. I think what's happening now will hurt people in USA tremendously compared to 2009. Might take a year of job hunting for people to land something with their new degree.

 

[andy69]

I lost my career. I got a PhD and there were cut backs where I was working.. I couldn't find anything and hade to give up. It seems it everyone else was okay, but I guess I am a failure who did everything wrong.

 

[TheNorthernSilence]

@TheNorthernSilence You privately message me. I have a really crazy idea it might work for you if planned well. You have nothing to lose no partner, no children ,

You are an eu citizen have you ever considered moving to one of eu countries. Maybe try a neigbouring country like sweden.

Time to take advantage of free movement.

Find a eu country of your choice and start reseraching it. Please dont choose the UK. The people are lovely and i love the UK. Immigration rules are becoming a lot stricter this will nightmare for you. Next year january eu migrants will be excepted to have job offer if they want to work here, they will not be allowed to do certain low paying etc. What is your favourite eu country.

Money: Save up the welfare money and other savings. Ask mummy for help( if possible)

Find a european university to study or a job.
It is a crazy idea
Sorry what disablity do you have. I miseed that part out If it is severe then i am very sorry.
I hope you find a job too.
Stem is so in demand but lots of people struggle in stem to find work .
Take care and god bless

You're right that I don't have none of those. But some things keep me here at the moment, like psychotherapy. It's a group form of psychotherapy and I have kind of committed to the thing for at least 3 years. I know that I sound like a hypocrite because I want to CTB too, but still.

I have thought about countries like Sweden in the past, yes. And about UK too because they also had some customer support type jobs for people from the Nordic countries, too bad for the whole Brexit thing. But my mental state has always been so crippling that the thought of going to a new culture scares me too much.

My disability is because of my mental health problems and it's 100% invalidity. Now I'm in the worst state that I've ever been so working or studying even here where I live is out of the question.

Thank you for your support nonetheless, I appreciate it.

 

[Timetodie90]

I remember lots of people where I was a painting and decorating apprentice being laid off at the time. I was sent back to college as the firm where I was gaining experience at couldn't afford to pay me £70 a week anymore. I eventually quit my apprenticeship as they wouldn't let me have my 18th birthday off. Plus those who finished their apprenticeship couldn't find any work doing painting and decorating due to the recession. I was then unemployed quite while afterwards. Till I found something else after about a year and that didn't last long.

I left school in 2007 and since leaving the UK had the 2008 recession. Then austerity started in 2010.

 

[FireFox]

I remember lots of people where I was a painting and decorating apprentice being laid off at the time. I was sent back to college as the firm where I was gaining experience at couldn't afford to pay me £70 a week anymore. I eventually quit my apprenticeship as they wouldn't let me have my 18th birthday off. Plus those who finished their apprenticeship couldn't find any work doing painting and decorating due to the recession. I was then unemployed quite while afterwards. Till I found something else after about a year and that didn't last long.

I left school in 2007 and since leaving the UK had the 2008 recession. Then austerity started in 2010.

The recession and worry is why i cant enjoy life and sleep at night.

How are you now jobs wise?

 

[TooLate2582]

Bought a house in early 2008. Tightened the belts and kept trucking. Used skills I have to side hustle. Finances have never been a motivator for me.

 

[Timetodie90]

The recession and worry is why i cant enjoy life and sleep at night.

How are you now jobs wise?

Try not to worry and live in the present moment. Try to take life day by day if that is hard try hour by hour. Also read Marcus Aurelius's "Meditations" and Lao Tzu's "Tao Te Ching" these books I have found very helpful.

Jobs wise I lost my last paid job 6 years ago due to being dismissed on health capability. How ever since then I have gained a level 2 in Maths and English, a level 1 in IT and gained a Spiritual Coaching Qualification.

Currently I'm volunteering at a good organisation so I have a good reference and experience when applying for jobs. I've been volunteering there for three years and highly recommend volunteering there. If you private message me I will tell you the organisation and how to apply. There is more than likely a local branch where you live.

 

[FireFox]

I lost my career. I got a PhD and there were cut backs where I was working.. I couldn't find anything and hade to give up. It seems it everyone else was okay, but I guess I am a failure who did everything wrong.

@andy69 a phd that is so cool. What did you do your PHD in by the way.

 

[Skyview]

@Skyview thank you so much very insightful post.
"I am not your fucking atm" ouch that is brutal. I could never say such a thing. How did you feel when you said that. How did the beggars react too?

When i see beggers or homeless i feel bad for them . People a shouldnt have do this. I give a pound.

I take confort in the fact i have no children, live rent free at home, no partner.
My family are not wealthy though
All this makes angry. I hate how we have tolerate life as unfair
I am sick to death of hearing from my family
" life is not fair"
"Life is tough"
All i want to scream at them we should not have to put up with this bullshit at all.
If more cared about what was going on believe me the world would be a much better place.
This is why i never want kids and will have my tubes tied in the future.
Take care

Hi ,
should have explained that my anger was directed towards scam artists who have a $50,000 vehicle parked on another street and it's by word of mouth that we find out about it , this was happening more and more because of the recession. Other times filling the car with gas you get approached and given a sob story that they need gas to get home and i'll ask them where is your car and to bring it to the pump and i'll Fill the tank , no problem , and the reply is always the same " can't you just give me the cash" . If someone cannot be honest with me they get nothing !
In Vegas out walking with my dog just west of the strip on wasteland ( desert) we had been driving most of the day and he needed to stretch his legs . Half a dozen homeless people were sitting and my dog loves to meet people , they didn't chase him away and his tail was wagging , I went over and started talking and asked when did they last eat . Nearby was a fast food place and bought them all a meal each , next door was a liquor store so I bought a 24 pack of beer to go with the meal . Others arrived and got more meals and another 24 pack . No alcohol for me and we all were having a good talk or what is commonly referred to as " shooting the breeze" then the cops arrived though they didn't get out of the car so I went over to talk to them and explained that I had bought lunch and we were just talking , their comment was this " we'll come back and find you with your throat cut" .
I'm not an American , and when I said my goodbyes to everyone they wished me well and hoped one day that they could visit my country , it's moments like this when I wish I could wave a magic wand and make changes to people's life's, it's the empty feeling inside when I leave people because I can't do anymore for them , this is what hurts the most .

When I see someone sitting with their dog with a sign asking for help , you can tell they sleep outside and are genuine, sometimes within me which is difficult to explain, it's like a gentle whisper , a feeling if you like , i'll pat the dog and give the money I have folded so no one else can see it and keep on walking , takes a few moments before they realize what has happened. I don't care what it is spent on , I know the dog will be well fed for a while and I only judge people who try to pull the wool over my eyes .

They are those who are driven by money and are materialistic , not the sort of people I wish to associate with and to be fair i'm not the type of person they would like to associate with ..lol

Totally agree with you that the world would be a better place if more people cared yet I fear the quota of caring people of which they are many , has been reached , it's a sign of the times as many are struggling to keep the wolves from the door .
In years gone by , communities looked out for each other and if someone lost their job or was ill and couldn't work others would cook meals for them and their family , people cared about each other . In today's world it's survival mode for many and I shudder to think what it will be like in 10 yrs time , dystopian society , cashless and chipped where your finances are withheld if you break a social norm by stating your angst on social media . Thankfully I will not be around much longer , enough is enough of this world .

Take care FireFox