Many products including soda, of course, use high-fructose corn syrup.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2020/08/12/iowa-derecho-corn-damage/

Corn syrup, cornstarch

The USPS brings Rx meds; paychecks, unemployment and stimulus checks (if there is another one)  for those without direct deposit; and Christmas cards.

I’m stocking up on baking supplies so I can give gifts of cookies, rye bread, fruitcake, etc.

In early March, a close friend told me “ ‘They’re’ just making everybody panic. There’s no need to panic.”  I am a voracious consumer of news and had started taking precautions in late January. She gets depressed by the news and seldom pays attention to it. I didn’t press the issue because I am non-confrontational and knew that reality would sink in very soon. She contracted COVID in April after a supermarket visit and is still experiencing post-viral syndrome. When we last emailed in mid- to late June, she said that if her husband weren’t there to take care of her she would probably be in a home.”

What other cookbooks are on the Apocalypse list?

Freeze it. It lasts at least a year. Share/barter. Christmas present for bakers.

This isn’t weird and I’ve been doing it for years: I’m a cruciverbalist — I do crossword puzzles. They’re fun, a great distraction from everyday cares and pandemic-level anxiety, give you a sense of mastery upon completion, teach you random facts, etc.  They’re digital and hard copy. I subscribe to the N.Y. Times puzzle section ($40/year). A new puzzle every day at 10pm ET.  Monday is the easiest puzzle, and the difficulty increases each day. The Sunday puzzle is the biggest, but the level of difficulty is akin to a Thursday puzzle. First month is free. PLUS! ~ 24 years of archived puzzles = 8760! I often do one or more during the day when I need a break from reading the news. A crossword puzzle is the mental equivalent of sorbet. I’ve also printed out a lot of puzzles in case I lose power. I also keep puzzles, pens, and a few books and magazines in the car. 

I know what it’s like to be in the throes of a serious depression, so I won’t pretend that my comments can address your dilemma to any meaningful extent. I share your feelings about the failure of our government and society. Two things that help keep me on somewhat of an even keel: prepping and focusing on one day at a time. I’m easily prone to contemplating months if not years of worst-case scenarios, so I remind myself to focus on what I can do today and to enjoy something about the day. Nature helps.

Remembering how I coped during the 1984 earthquake in California and after 9/11 in NYC has helped me grapple with COVID anxiety.

I miss NYC! Back in the Midwest now and starting to prep in my apartment. I converted the coat closet near my entry door to a pantry. (Moved the coats, etc. to other closets.) A shelving unit holds food and cleaning/laundry supplies. Paper products go in my storage space, which is 50 feet down the hallway from my apartment. Summer tornados and winter blizzards/ice storms are seasonal occurrences that I consider in my planning.

I keep an extra pair of glasses in the car and another one in the house. I have a bad knee so I carry a folding cane in my tote bag. In winter I put on an ice tip to navigate slippery surfaces. I only needed the cane once but I was very glad to have it.

I read a thread on Twitter a while back that suggested you write down all your fears, anxieties, and specific issues you might confront, e.g., how to take care of a sick person in the household without infecting others, supplies to stock (food, water, medicine, first aid kit, etc.), preparing a will/power of finance/power of attorney. Those are just a few. Write down in detail all your fears about each issue. Imagine worst-case scenarios. You may feel less emotionally burdened after putting things on paper. Next, create an action plan for each item. Prioritize the steps. My primary concern was how to take care of myself if I got ill (I live alone). I developed a plan whereby I would check in with a friend every day if I got ill. If she didn’t hear from me, she would call a family member of mine who lives nearby and has keys to my apartment. I stocked up on food, water, and OTC medications for cough, cold, pain, etc. I already had a thermometer, pulse oximeter, and blood pressure cuff. I haven’t yet procured an emergency response system, but it’s on my list.

I am in an apartment, so the idea of converting my entry “coat closet” to a pantry is great. I already use the under-bed area.

This thread is important, and both the first post and your eloquent reply bring to the forefront what more than a few of us are feeling, I think. Reducing stress is a topic that can’t be stressed enough.

Here’s a fun and practical gift idea: buy the biggest package of toilet paper you can find (now) and wrap it. Tape a Christmas card with your preferred amount of $1 bills on top.  Of course, this works best for an in-person gathering or when you can safely drop off the package on the porch or outside the apartment.

I’ve read “The Gift of Fear and Other Survivor Signals That Protect Us From Violence” by Gavin De Becker twice in the last 10 years. It was one of relatively few books that I kept when I needed to pare down my possessions for an interstate move. Highly recommended. Last year De Becker popped up in the news as Jeff Bezos’ security consultant at the time of the cellphone photos incident.