When things break down...

@Bluesmum I’m sorry to hear you are having such a rough time . Pain can be so debilitating. 💐 for you .

So glad to know it’s not just me!

Grantanow

Part of the problem is we get so used to having a competent partner that we don't bother to learn how things work or how to get them fixed.

Speak for yourself Grantanow. 🌞 My lovely husband wasn’t a fixer of cars, I did any home decorating and the children referred to him as diy dad- disaster it yourself dad.

The car if it has anything wrong makes me feel quite deranged ! I’ve no idea why I feel so bad but always do and I also get very upset about anything mechanical or electrical indoors ….oh and dealing with insurance renewals!!! It’s all completely out of proportion - I think it must be an age thing and I’m only in my sixties !!

Iam64
Speak for yourself Grantanow. 🌞 My lovely husband wasn’t a fixer of cars, I did any home decorating and the children referred to him as diy dad- disaster it yourself dad.

Similar here - I call my husband a diy expert; destroy it yourself

As a single parent I have sorted most things out myself over the years though avoided electrics and plumbing for safety reasons. However what currently drives me crazy is technology. I have been fine with it since the early days but now find things so difficult!!! A simple job turns into hours of frustration. However (if you can find a phone number - which is never easy) it is sorted in minutes. Over the past weeks I am screaming at my SMART TV and printer which tell me there is no internet connection while showing 'connected' on the menus and with a strong signal. I do all the recommended stuff unsuccessfully and then randomly it starts working again. Aaaaaaargh!! Breathe........ Rant over.

MawtheMerrier, I was/am also a coper in life, but as we get older, anxieties creep in and I can only put this down to vast experience of life! When things wobble unexpectedly, I imagine what could go wrong, will go wrong and of course, I want to be in control not thrown out of kilter - in fact with every single problem my thoughts go up the tree and along every single branch until I settle on a twig on that tree, right at the very top where I might feel a little bit in control - but only if it doesn't snap. I'm trying harder to live in the moment. Not to think about what's gone before me......not to dwell what is in the future, but live for the present and don't forget to BREATHE......those long breaths that everyone is talking about.
Did you go through life at break-neck speed and cope with whatever life threw at you? Are you reluctant to ask other people for help? Things get a little more challenging as we get older (but in my humble opinion - only because we've had such interesting, challenging lives). I try to put things into context.....and look for the positives. A car is just a piece of metal. Brakes are important to get fixed, but hey Maw......I think you might be a little older than 32? A bus pass? There are two weeks before the car gets fixed. Don't dwell on what might happen, but look for the positives you can do in those two weeks. Fill the time with great things. Do different things that you wouldn't normally do with the petrol money you are saving. Of course, if any friends want to help out with lifts.....go for it. Where are they going? Could they drop you off? Have you got a bike? A skateboard?..........Just do one thing out of the ordinary and add to that lifetime of experience of coping. And before you know it.....the car will be back and a normal balance will be resumed. I have to say though, when my car goes up the shute (as it did quite recently).........I have apoplexy! Now get that skateboard out and have a g and t.

I have a silver bracelet with the words
‘You’ve got this’ engraved on it
Whenever I doubt my ability to cope I look at my bracelet & know I can cope
Why ?
Because we have to
Simple really xxxxxx

I find that when one thing goes wrong other things go wrong as well. We have had a problem with our car (which cost us a fortune) then the kettle, coffee maker, soup maker and hob. A very expensive few months which we could do without and at our age was very stressful

It's fortunate, then, that I have fewer things, now, to break down. No car, electric kettle, coffee or soup maker here. Although I love gadgets, I'll try hard not to rely on them - or replace them when they go. A good clear out, editing, minimising - and a simpler life should suit me as I get old and doddery.

Maw I also feel anxious and tearful when anything goes wrong. Ridiculous as I managed well even when DH was here but too poorly to do anything. But he was still there to support and mull things over with. I can hear a drip in the bathroom whenever I use water. The plumber has been and there is no evidence of a leak he will have to get the bath out and floor up , it’s making me very anxious.

I still live in the family home. My husband left many years ago. I really need to downsize but feel the enormity of the task is beyond me. Problems with my tv have made me realise the house needs rewiring. The garage roof and porch leak. I don’t really know where to start. I sometimes fantasise about living in the caravan I lived in in my hippy years!