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LonesomeTonight
Always in This Twilight
 
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Default Jul 02, 2024 at 07:31 AM
 
I may come up with more later, and maybe you already do these, but:
--Hide your own image on the screen (I find it distracting, and it makes me self-conscious)

--Make the video call full screen

--Close programs that could have loud notifications pop up (like Facebook Messenger for me), as it can be distracting

--Come up with some sort of good-bye ritual (I never did this, but it might help), whether it's waving, each putting a hand to camera, saying certain words. Especially if it can relate to something you do in person

--Ask your T to have you be the one to leave the session--I used to hate how Dr. T would be there, then would suddenly vanish. If he was the one to leave the Zoom session, it could feel like he's just ready to be rid of me. So I asked him to let me be the one to click "Leave." Sometimes I'm like "Just give me one second," which happened when they updated Zoom and the button looked different. Or if I was really emotional. Because in person, I could wait a second to stand up.

These are just little things that helped me (aside from the good-bye ritual, which we tried a few times, like a little wave or putting hand up to camera or air handshake, then dropped, and I didn't want to push them).

I'm sorry you have to deal with this. Would it help at all to remind yourself that it's temporary? One of the most difficult things during the pandemic, both the early part, then when Delta hit after things seemed to go back to normal-ish briefly, was having no idea how long it would last. To think, "What if it just goes on this way forever?" So maybe if you can try to think "This is temporary, I'll see her in person Sept. 10," it could help? Even a sort of countdown, like "4 more virtual sessions."
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Thanks for this!
ScarletPimpernel