User talk:Bacrito/questions/stress

{{helpme}} I'm hoping you don't get strange questions like this everyday, but: I need guidance as to whether there are any resources, anywhere in Wikipedia's documentation or guidelines, or even outside Wikipedia, or any listing, if one exists, of any Wikipedians who may have indicated availability to help other editors who are feeling emotional stress in regard to dealing with complex issues on Wikipedia. Mentoring, hand-holding, counseling of an informal nature, anything.

Don't worry: I don't mean that I or anyone needs some instant crisis intervention -- but I need guidance regarding aspects of this environment and the ways it may impact or be impacted on "real life" that I simply can't express on people's talk pages etc. So if there's any kind of project or group of volunteers that you know of who might simply be available to me to pose some really awkward questions involving another editor, so I can try to find a way to help that editor with problems he's causing the encyclopedia, without: 1) driving myself further into an increasingly negative mood, and 2) without my having to worry about everything I say instantly getting fed back into the situation that's causing the stress.

I'm willing to make my email available to anyone who might be able to offer insights or advice if I explain the specifics to them, but I don't know if that's possible or permissible within the rules of wikipedia.

I want to emphasize that I do not feel in any way threatened or harassed by any editor. or anything like that. -- but I have been in way over my head in trying to navigate through unpleasant behavioral issues on the part of another editor that find me simultaneously wanting to help him somehow and wanting to just give up on wikipedia altogether. It's so difficult for me that simply picking an admin to ask for help is potentially too "dangerous" in some ways. (dangerous in the sense of possibly making things worse rather than better)

Just taking a break from editing for a few days, a week, a month etc will probably be a suggestion that might come to mind -- but I really want some guidance that could keep me contributing somehow without feeling my head is going to explode.

As a first step, go to your preferences provide your email address and then put a check in the box for "Enable e-mail from other users". This does not make your email address public. It only allows people to email you through the link. People will only get your email address if you email them.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 03:46, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

Thanks! I knew it was in there, but the prefs page wasn't clear to me on that point. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Bacrito (talk • contribs) 03:59, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

I'm not an admin, but I am quite an experienced user, and I'm happy to try and help, if you want - just email me.  Chzz  ►  04:28, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

Thanks Chzz. I really appreciate that. I'll do that tomorrow. It helped me a lot just to ask for help, you know what I mean? That's how "stuck" I've been feeling with all this. I have no idea whether I should let the help tag sit there, or remove it myself. Anyway, I guess you folks have your system for tracking issues, so I'll let it be.

Good night or good morning wherever you are. Bacrito (talk) 04:49, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

I'll null the tag for the moment. By the way Chzz, something going on with your email. It's not showing up as enabled. As you wouldn't have provided the link if it wasn't normally enabled, you should check if some cosmic ray knocked an electron loose and changed your preferences.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 04:53, 14 October 2009 (UTC)