janeerie
Normie quokka
User ID: 713
janeerie
1yr ago
I'm healing up from my first bout with COVID (vaxxed+boosted, had what felt like a mild flu for one day), and thinking about long-COVID. As somebody who has long had an anxiety disorder, the list of long COVID symptoms sounds pretty much like how I feel most of the time. And guess when my anxiety disorder got a lot worse!
I caught COVID on a work retreat to NYC and it was totally worth it. Getting to spend time talking to people, working with people, being immersed in a city where so much is happening, was amazing. There is nothing worse for our mental health than spending all our time in our houses on our computers.
I completely believe that there are people who have bad post-viral reactions. That's always been the case. But I also believe that much of this is uncontrolled anxiety and we need some kind of mass CBT/SSRI intervention.
janeerie
1yr ago
I am mystified that you can't reach your own butt! (I also don't keep tabs open)
janeerie
1yr ago
Not OP, but considering the educational polarization happening in America (where the less educated are more likely to be on the right), it seems reasonable to think that superstitious beliefs will cluster on the right.
This is of course not universally true. There are plenty of nonscientific beliefs cherished by the left. But in my anecdotal experience living in red states, you're going to see a lot more distrust of "mainstream" science and medicine on the right. These people love their CBD oils and naturopaths.
janeerie
1yr ago
We had to coach my 6-year-old at every single house to remember to say "trick or treat" and "thank you." I think some kids just get so excited that their little brains shut down.
janeerie
1yr ago
Yeah, the taco thing was BS.
With that episode, I was just left wondering how much of a presence Mexican food and culture has in the UK. I feel like this episode would have made much more sense in the US.
janeerie
1yr ago
I am rapidly moving into the "remote work is terrible for our mental health" camp.
The trade-off, of course, is that I now live in a beautiful part of the country where my son is thriving, but there are absolutely no job opportunities for somebody in my field. If that were to change, I would be back in the office in a heartbeat.
janeerie
1yr ago
Galileo's Middle Finger by Alice Dreger. Parts of it read like a good mystery story, and I appreciate that it doesn't retread the usual culture war arguments. It's been a great read!
janeerie
1yr ago
I made a cheesecake for my family even though I hate cheesecake (I made brownies on the side for myself).
janeerie
1yr ago
If it doesn't have chocolate, it doesn't count as a dessert. But yes, I am truly a hero.
janeerie
1yr ago
I'm just fundamentally grossed out by cream cheese in all forms. This one was a Basque cheesecake, so a little different from regular cheesecake, but still a base of cream cheese.
janeerie
1yr ago
Yeah, according to my ideals he should be let back on, but I am not looking forward to the daily hysteria over whatever crap comes out of his brain.
However, you should probably be more specific about which part of red tribe doesn't want him back on. I believe politicians don't, but the average red triber is going to be thrilled to have him back on there owning the libs. I know there are blue tribers like Matt Yglesias who think his being back on will hurt his (and other Republicans') political chances, but I'm quite skeptical of this. Attention gives him life and energy, and it gives his supporters energy.
janeerie
1yr ago
Women tend to score higher on conscientiousness than men, and voting is a boring activity that requires planning and deferred gratification.
I know in my house, my husband’s mail-in ballot would never make it out the door without my prodding (even though I know his vote will undo mine).
janeerie
1yr ago
I think this is what has bothered me most about the people rushing to defend Musk. It's "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" mindset, and it's quite silly. There is no need to pick a side here. Both Musk and the people getting hysterical about Musk are acting like children.
janeerie
1yr ago
I'm curious what is going on in your mind when you are feeling tense. Are there particular thoughts you keep returning to? How do you respond mentally when you have these feelings?
Anxiety feeds on itself, and one of the main drivers is rumination. Rumination is a choice and there are ways to train yourself away from it. You mention a lot of behaviors you are changing to deal with anxiety, but you might also want to think about thought processes you need to change.
janeerie
1yr ago
Albion's Seed. Scott Alexander's essay about it really stuck with me, and the book is just as interesting as he makes it sound. Every night I bombard my husband with fun facts about how crazy the Puritans were.
janeerie
1yr ago
What are the actually useful applications of ChatGPT? I see a lot of people playing around with it and having fun, but I'm having trouble thinking of anything good this tool could actually provide to us. The downsides are quite obvious (a big one for me is that now I will always be wondering if the text I am reading was generated by a bot).
janeerie
1yr ago
The writing manages to be pretty straightforward without feeling dry. It’s organized around discrete topics, so there isn’t really a narrative, but it reads quite smoothly.
janeerie
1yr ago
Yeah, the last thing I think about in relation to Elon is trans issues.
That said, these days I'm mostly just disappointed in Elon. I wouldn't boo him, but I wouldn't cheer him either.
janeerie
1yr ago
My favorite book is Jane Eyre, but I was really confused about how to say her name for a while.
janeerie
1yr ago
I had this problem when I was a teenager, and then one day just decided to act as if every service worker liked me and was my friend. Previously, I had gone into these interactions assuming everybody didn't like me and acted accordingly, which just makes things awkward.
It's basically just a matter of playing pretend for a bit, until it becomes natural.
janeerie
1yr ago
There is no "the one." You just decide to commit yourself to this person to build something bigger than yourselves. There will probably be times when you doubt your choice, but then you just have to recommit and move forward.
The whirlwind emotions you describe, while nice, are not the foundation of a marriage. It sounds like you and this woman would build a lovely life together.
janeerie
1yr ago
I just applied for a job that included this beautiful pronoun selection question (skipped it). Then further down the page there was another blank field to enter my pronouns (skipped it)!
I kind of want to know what the hell "Fae/Faer" is, but also kind of don't. Is that for people who identify as fairy folk? I can see that giving you an advantage on your job application!
janeerie
1yr ago
Well, that was one I had to Google!
It's amazing to me that my mother-in-law, who barely understands what's going on around her at any point, has every relative and friend's birthday memorized. It has really never occurred to me to become a person who remembers birthdays, but maybe that would be a nice thing to be!
I have the same experience. Exercise actually makes me feel very anxious, but I still do it every day. It's just a totally sucky thing that I have to get through.
I do it because I want to continue to be able to do everything else in my life for a good long time.
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