thumbsupemoji's recent activity
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Comment on What is the process for adult ADHD diagnosis? in ~health.mental
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Comment on What is the process for adult ADHD diagnosis? in ~health.mental
thumbsupemoji LinkSo I have always felt like something was off about me; I've taken the online tests for all sorts of things, talked with doctors, everyone has said "well you don't seem depressed," or "you did...So I have always felt like something was off about me; I've taken the online tests for all sorts of things, talked with doctors, everyone has said "well you don't seem depressed," or "you did really well in school, you're not 'hyper,' you can't have ADHD," all that. Also "you are so smart, but ___"—it was never really a positive, more like unlived potential to be ashamed of.
After feeling a lot of similar feelings (I am trapped, circling the drain, why don't I enjoy any of these things, did I ever enjoy them), I took some time off this summer from trying to fix it, and really stopped trying to do much of anything. I played through some video games I had been putting off, and it honestly felt pretty great—and then I was done and couldn't figure out what to do next. Because secretly, even though I had told myself "I am taking this time off to do things I really enjoy," I had just converted playing a game into another task to complete.
So I was telling someone all of this, like "it was great, but I don't know what to do with my hands," Ricky Bobby-style, and they said that their ADHD was secretly pretty great because they always had a new exciting goal with some rando project/hobby they picked up but would never finish. I said, only half-joking, "Ok but what if I can finish things, but I don't want to? Like I just don't care, or enjoy doing anything really, am I depressed?" And they said "That is exactly how I feel when I don't take my ADHD meds."
My brain exploded, I went and looked at the CAARS test again—hey guess what, if you take those assessments with a mindset of "Oh I don't have any problems sitting still, I don't fidget, etc" then yeah you can come up with a score that says you don't have ADHD, but when I was honest about how hard I was having to work to exist in that space without falling apart all the time in order to present the image of having it together, whew. I got like 14/16 indicators: of course I don't have any trouble sitting still, because I have structured everything so I never have to—repeat ad nauseum, all day, for my entire life.
All that to say, man it's so much easier to live when you're not struggling to stay above water all day, just to exist. I keep mentally reaching to pick up things I used to do all the time, like panic or give up on something, and then realizing I don't have to do that. I had an extremely positive experience with my doctor, who just gave me the same test I had already taken online & said "Oh for sure, I clocked you as soon as you sat down" haha—no issues with diagnosis, medication, all that. We did one adjustment upwards because I felt like it was almost working, so far so good afterwards, & I feel fantastic. In the same way that caffeine makes some people sleepy, turns out ADHD can get you real down & stressed; my blood pressure was 20 points better a month into medication. Pulse is not as great because I do not want to live without caffeine lol, so I still have some work to do. And I've learned since that my experience was maybe not typical, as a lot of people have to struggle through multiple medications, dosages, even doctors to get it right. But hang in there because it is the best thing I've ever done for myself.
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Comment on What is the process for adult ADHD diagnosis? in ~health.mental
thumbsupemoji Link ParentYeah, I had overall a great ADHD experience with my doc, but I literally asked "Is there anything I need to know about when to take the meds, what to take it with, all that?" and they said Nope,...Yeah, I had overall a great ADHD experience with my doc, but I literally asked "Is there anything I need to know about when to take the meds, what to take it with, all that?" and they said Nope, go for it lol. Turns out protein, citric acid, all that stuff can affect it—maybe just not to a great degree? I haven't done enough experimenting to decide.
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Comment on What is the process for adult ADHD diagnosis? in ~health.mental
thumbsupemoji Link ParentYeah I was also very fortunate to hit a home run first try with my doc, but I can't believe the trouble some people have to go through to get a dx—it seems like older physicians especially are...Yeah I was also very fortunate to hit a home run first try with my doc, but I can't believe the trouble some people have to go through to get a dx—it seems like older physicians especially are just not a fan of ADHD meds, or even acknowledging it's a problem, which is pretty sad, but I would say it's definitely worth struggling through to get some help, totally changed my life.
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Comment on Does anyone have experience with tools for locally archiving the web, like Archivebox for example? in ~tech
thumbsupemoji LinkI can tell you that I tried a whole bunch of things recently after a few years out of the game lol, and it turns out that index.html will not get you very far in 2024; so much of any site's...I can tell you that I tried a whole bunch of things recently after a few years out of the game lol, and it turns out that index.html will not get you very far in 2024; so much of any site's functionality is happening on Someone Else's Computer (thanks The Cloud), so you'll end up with some giant .js blobs that don't do much on their own, typically... if there's another way pls someone tell me what it is!
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Comment on American teachers are burning out on the job in ~life
thumbsupemoji Link ParentDon't apologize! I think I am fortunate in that I got out of teaching before I was a burnt out stub of a human lol, so the money one is what I end up focusing on. But you're right. But also if...Don't apologize! I think I am fortunate in that I got out of teaching before I was a burnt out stub of a human lol, so the money one is what I end up focusing on. But you're right. But also if they had paid me 150k to be a teacher I would still be doing it haha
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Comment on American teachers are burning out on the job in ~life
thumbsupemoji Link ParentI can tell you that post-teaching, it is a huge relief to be able to pick when I want time off, instead of being assigned 6-8 weeks that I don't get paid for lol. Part of the reason paying...I can tell you that post-teaching, it is a huge relief to be able to pick when I want time off, instead of being assigned 6-8 weeks that I don't get paid for lol. Part of the reason paying teachers less has always been justified is "Well you're working 190 days instead of 230-250," which is true, but teachers also don't have the option to work those six weeks if they want, no overtime/differentials, etc. Those summers were great, literally the only reason people keep doing it lol, and I did summer school/night classes any chance I got, but now I'm like wow, I could have just worked all year and made normal money like everybody else.
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Comment on American teachers are burning out on the job in ~life
thumbsupemoji Link ParentI don't think anyone is trying to collectively shoot teachers in the foot, and Eji isn't wrong that it's worse now, but I believe you are not wrong about pay—sure they could fix all the other...I don't think anyone is trying to collectively shoot teachers in the foot, and Eji isn't wrong that it's worse now, but I believe you are not wrong about pay—sure they could fix all the other problems if pushed, but I have said a ton of times that if you paid teachers an amount of money that some people would laugh at/spit their coffee out when they heard it, all the other problems would go away. If a Backend Dev IV doesn't like the work environment at NVIDIA/Cisco/etc, they can just go somewhere else, and probably get a bump, and never once feel like they are failing a generation of children or letting anyone down, etc. It's just not fair dude.
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Comment on American teachers are burning out on the job in ~life
thumbsupemoji Link ParentWhen I did it I worked a 40-hour week and left it all there when I went home; the difference from most jobs is that teaching attracts (maybe completely depends on?) people who are willing to...When I did it I worked a 40-hour week and left it all there when I went home; the difference from most jobs is that teaching attracts (maybe completely depends on?) people who are willing to sacrifice to "make a difference", and they are unofficially compensated in like manner, so they don't feel like they have to push for more money. It's a "service," a "calling," etc—I don't think I was a worse teacher for being there less, in fact I was way less stressed so I enjoyed it more.
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Comment on American teachers are burning out on the job in ~life
thumbsupemoji Link ParentI don't disagree with what you're saying, but I feel like devs/engineers making $200-300k TC, doctors making $200k, even nurses at $80-90k are in a vastly different place from an early-career...I don't disagree with what you're saying, but I feel like devs/engineers making $200-300k TC, doctors making $200k, even nurses at $80-90k are in a vastly different place from an early-career teacher getting paid $42,000. I'd definitely rather work in a place with good support, but it seems to me that saying "it's not about the money" isn't acknowledging the fact that the money-to-work/stress/pressure/inconvenience ratio used to work for people in teaching, and now it doesn't. And unfortunately nobody seems to want to fix either half of that equation.
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Comment on Girl, so confusing: Will the “Brat” memes help or hurt Kamala Harris? in ~society
thumbsupemoji Link ParentI disagree about there being no “they”—it’s not comforting to imagine a few billionaires making the decisions because that’s not a democracy, but do you think if Bernie had been in Biden’s...I disagree about there being no “they”—it’s not comforting to imagine a few billionaires making the decisions because that’s not a democracy, but do you think if Bernie had been in Biden’s position, he would not have received the nomination?
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Comment on Fallout London | Official launch trailer in ~games
thumbsupemoji LinkMy first thought: damn Bethesda is gonna get in on this Fallout excitement after all! Followed by: are they going like retro with the graphics tho? Was this a rush job? It seems very HQ tho, big...My first thought: damn Bethesda is gonna get in on this Fallout excitement after all! Followed by: are they going like retro with the graphics tho? Was this a rush job? It seems very HQ tho, big NV vibes—oh lol
Sad it won’t make it to Xbox, but what an effort.
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Comment on The rich world’s teachers are increasingly morose. Hanging on to the best of them is getting harder. in ~life
thumbsupemoji Link ParentI’ve said that before in previous discussions and all manner of BS grads descended to tell me that teachers, in fact, do not want to make more money lol. But 100% if you paid teachers an amount...I’ve said that before in previous discussions and all manner of BS grads descended to tell me that teachers, in fact, do not want to make more money lol. But 100% if you paid teachers an amount that most people would find laughable, like you said—150k, say—two things would happen: a) no one would be talking about teachers “not being respected” within a few years, and b) if you watched who laughed when you first said that amount, you’d have a good idea of where the problems lie.
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Comment on Why Donald Glover is saying goodbye to Childish Gambino in ~music
thumbsupemoji Link ParentYou're 100% correct, Atlanta=Southeast LowerSES 2010 really does feel like Strangers Things=Midwest 1980s.You're 100% correct, Atlanta=Southeast LowerSES 2010 really does feel like Strangers Things=Midwest 1980s.
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Comment on How should you prepare for the end of the honeymoon phase? in ~life
thumbsupemoji Link ParentI know there was a whole movie about it haha, but I cannot imagine taxes as a team effort!I know there was a whole movie about it haha, but I cannot imagine taxes as a team effort!
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Comment on What is your favorite Final Fantasy game? in ~games
thumbsupemoji Link ParentThat’s as far as I made it at least hahaThat’s as far as I made it at least haha
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Comment on What is your favorite Final Fantasy game? in ~games
thumbsupemoji Link ParentI feel you haha—I thoroughly enjoyed almost every second of Chrono Trigger, but FF is a different beast. Even octopath is too cutscene-heavy and convoluted for me.I feel you haha—I thoroughly enjoyed almost every second of Chrono Trigger, but FF is a different beast. Even octopath is too cutscene-heavy and convoluted for me.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
thumbsupemoji Link ParentProb for a future playthrough—dunno if you're looking for more balanced boss encounters (tree fragments?) or just a fightin chance lol, but if it's the latter: I finally gave in and upgraded a...Prob for a future playthrough—dunno if you're looking for more balanced boss encounters (tree fragments?) or just a fightin chance lol, but if it's the latter: I finally gave in and upgraded a Great Stars + Wild Strikes, beat Rennala & most of the other big names straightaway.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
thumbsupemoji Link ParentAs someone who loves a good Bethesda-type loop of finding gear, keeping the best, selling the rest for upgrades, etc, I loved Cyberpunk on launch & hadn't paid much attention to the DLC—I thought...As someone who loves a good Bethesda-type loop of finding gear, keeping the best, selling the rest for upgrades, etc, I loved Cyberpunk on launch & hadn't paid much attention to the DLC—I thought it was just additional missions, didn't realize it was a whole new area. Might have to check that out post-Erdtree!
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Comment on The growing scientific case for using Ozempic and other GLP-1s to treat opioid, alcohol, and nicotine addiction in ~health
thumbsupemoji Link ParentYou have to consider: "Who profits?" According to the Social Security Administration, the ratio of old people (i.e. beneficiaries) to workers has gone from 5.1:1 to a projected 2.1:1 in 2040,...You have to consider: "Who profits?" According to the Social Security Administration, the ratio of old people (i.e. beneficiaries) to workers has gone from 5.1:1 to a projected 2.1:1 in 2040, which is unsustainable unless we raise the retirement age. If a quarter of the population is 65+, and—at the other end of the age number line—there is even a small drop in fertility rates (which we already saw post-2020), the math starts collapsing pretty quick. The golden number for population maintenance is a fertility rate of 2.1 babies per woman having babies, and a ton of countries are way below that already (US is 1.79). So it wouldn't take a giant drop in fertility to cause serious financial concerns for wealthy boomers, who make the vast majority of corporate and governmental policy decisions in America. So basically if ozempic or anything else looks like it might threaten that even a little, then yeah I'd bet my proletariat ass it would get yanked pretty quick.
yeah I was BA instead of BS but my record was 37 pages in 12 hours lol, and it was good! I was "fortunate" in that my brain kept me doing things without any actual executive functioning, so I did go back to school and get degrees, but when people would say "You must be so proud!" there was just... nothing. I think now that was probably because I wasn't actually having to -do- it lol, I just had to sit down and the ol' system would fire up. Trouble was, that was the part I couldn't turn off—so anyway yeah meds are great lol. I'm taking it for granted that you're going after this, & if you're like me it will 100% change your life, best thing I ever did, however: for the first time now, ever, I have to make myself do things, and it turns out I do not want to do them lol. So there are layers, not a perfect fix, etc. But yeah I have been working down a list of Things To Finish One Day and it's incredible, definitely worth it, talk to your doctor, keep us posted!