Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

I used to shop during those sales and got a smart tablet a couple of years ago and a smart TV. I haven't done this since COVID-19; it's too much work to keep myself out of panic mode when people are surrounding me in the store like that. So now if I see something online in the Black Friday sale, I will buy it that way, but standing in the 3 4 hours 4-hour-long lines, in my opinion, that's for the birds. #CPTSD #PTSD #MentalHealth #Anxiety #Depression #Trauma #ComplexPosttraumaticStressDisorder

How do you guys feel about dating whilst chronically ill? I have been suffering from Long Covid-ME/CFS for 3 years now, and from a mixed personality disorder (+ autism) for all my life. Even before Covid, my dating experience as a sick/neurodiverse middle-aged queer woman has been difficult. With the fatigue syndrome things haven't become any easier. What's making it worse is that according to mainstream society, disabled and chronically ill folks apparently aren't supposed to have a love life at all, nor to want one in the first place. I see little representation of sick and disabled people who are dating and/or sexually active apart from the occasional token (mostly still young and pretty) person in a wheelchair.

So it's easy to doubt whether I get to have a fulfilling dating experience, or at least a try at it. I have been on dating apps for many years and they used to work for me as long as I was still able-bodied, young(ish) and pretty by mainstream heteronormative standards. Now, even being well enough to actually meet somebody for a coffee is a challenge, and tbh I'm not sure about an accessible pathway towards sex and intimacy, given that the old models including partying and alcohol are no longer accessible to me. I've recently had to cancel a few dates due to bad health and it makes me wonder if (and how) I am still able to enjoy fulfilling intimate relationships or even casual encounters. How do you guys go about it? What helps you to approach dating in a way that is respectful of your needs and limitations? What helps you with acceptance if you find it temporarily inaccessible?

Couple of things:

I could’ve sworn I made a post on Sunday, but I don’t see it in my activity log. If it was real and I didn’t just imagine it, hopefully it wasn’t offensive or off topic or anything.

Second, I struggle with knowing whether someone is being helpful or is just being negative. So I wrote this in my journal yesterday: Constructive criticism is considerate. Inconsiderate criticism is complaining. Complaining is ok if you admit that you are un knowledgeable on the topic and need advice. Otherwise it can derail progress and maybe get others stuck too? Idk, just something that popped into my head.

Third, I think I’m gonna just start to post every other day, because it’s tough to write a coherent post every day. I don’t have to have a reason or related concept to justify this, but I think the philosophy of the tao is good for this. If I’m not misremembering, it advocates for following the path that is most natural, or going with the flow and not forcing or resisting to the universe’s path. After hearing about the concept of determinism, I was a bit distraught at the idea that we could be simply playing out a sort of movie that appears to us to be fully in our control. Of course, we can never actually know for absolutely certain the future before it unfolds. But to hear that the idea of the universe having a path of least resistance being an millennia old concept was amazing to me. All this to say I’m not forcing posts unless I have something to say lol. 😂

Lastly, I was reminded of the genre of music called “city pop” that blew up during covid on streaming platform twitch.tv. The genre for me evokes feelings of driving during a temperate autumn evening when it’s the golden hour.

Song is Baby talk - Himiko Kikuchi

Track: m.youtube.com/watch

Hi, my name is Megan. I've taken a LOA from work due to PEM (symptom of Long Covid and/or CFS) and possible mold illness. I'm not sure how to live life in my current state. The exhaustion is extreme. Any suggestions?

#MightyTogether #Anxiety #Depression #ChronicFatigue