sappho [she/her]
Why do you dislike talking on the phone? For me it’s because I use more cognitive energy trying to understand speech due to auditory processing issues. It also really stresses me out to be expected to spontaneously socialize at the moment my phone erupts with an alarm. I like video calls better because reading lips helps me understand speech, and I prefer pre-scheduled calls near the end of the day so there’s a generally consistent expectation of how long the call will last. I also make sure I have stuff nearby to fidget with because it helps me ground/regulate while socializing.
If I can suggest a resource for one of these problems - COVID - for people like me who can’t take on the risk of (re)infection/are already too disabled by COVID to do anything in person. Basically try joining a mask bloc or similar from the directory here, the people there should understand better than most your need for protection from plague https://linktr.ee/COVIDAdvocacy
Also DIY fit test your mask if you haven’t:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRCZ8Qnf0Z0
https://mathburritos.org/fit-test-kit-v1/
And bring a HEPA air purifier if you’re going to someone else’s home.
If you don’t have access to nasal sprays or aren’t comfortable with the quality of the evidence, you can also do a saline rinse after potential exposures to mechanically remove virions from your nasal passages.
Might be helpful to you:
Since you’re still masking, have you considered intentionally connecting with others who are? There’s a disproportionate number of neurodivergent people in covid-conscious spaces because, broadly, we’re less likely to make decisions based on social pressure and what everyone else is doing. You might be able to find people to meet up with in person as well as local covid-conscious events on covidmeetups.com and also through Facebook groups with the prefix “Still Coviding”
I do a lot of online socializing with the covid-conscious community (people who are actively avoiding infection, staying up to date on the research, advocating for masking/air filtration). There are regular Zoom events, various Discords, Facebook groups. The community is overwhelmingly left, often queer and neurodivergent, lots of people disabled and chronically ill - so it’s a good fit for me. Possibly not a good fit for you depending on how you’re reacting to COVID.
I don’t think so. I’m a very fast reader and I still kinda “hear” words in my head when I go at a relaxed pace. It’s just that at a certain level of literacy, your brain has the ability to visually recognize words faster than you can mentally enunciate them, and it can also recognize words faster than you can mentally process for comprehension. I realized this when of my relatives started to play a game with me where he would flash me a paragraph on his phone for just a second or two, and then I would somehow be able to recite it back. You can deliberately make yourself read at this speed but it’s not very fun, requires focus, and again, is often so fast that you start losing full comprehension of the content.
See the speed reading subsection here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subvocalization - in summary: everyone seems to subvocalize to varying extents, unless you deliberately train yourself not to, which you can, but you shouldn’t, because it sucks.
Is it possible to overdose on weighted blankets?
Everything says stick to 10% of body weight but I just got a 25lb to layer on my 15lb and, honestly. I think I need more
It warms my heart to know my one comment actually helped you. It’s odd for me as well to look back on that conversation now. I’m also feeling remarkably numb in comparison. My long covid is substantially worse, but I’ve given up on convincing the people I care about to avoid infection. Things don’t feel as raw, painful, and urgent as they once did. It’s like I boxed up some of my pandemic feelings and put them neatly aside, and I can’t tell if that’s acceptance or suppression. But maybe there isn’t a “correct” way to emotionally process something like this.