[SlumberKitty]

Welcome to the couch, old and new! A place to hang out - sometimes you get immediate feedback, sometimes you don't.

Shouting, "Cool Whip" tends to bring others out from between the cushions if you're feeling lonely.

This is a chatty thread. All are welcome. We're kind of psychologically oriented, sometimes. We try to be supportive. At times we discuss what that means.

It’s a place to plop down on the couch when you come home from work or wherever, or wake up in the middle of the night, or check in at lunch, rant a bit or not, and be among friends.

We advise you not to drink or drug and text your therapist ("T") - we speak from experience.

Sometimes the thread moves fast and you might get overlooked; sometimes it moves slowly and all you hear are crickets. Sometimes you get hugged or thanked pages later. So if it's a bigger question, you might want to start a new thread.

Grab a cushion, a spot on the floor, or an armchair in the corner and make yourselves comfy.

[SlumberKitty]

Last Couch got to 99 pages. Here is a new couch! Enjoy!


Kit grabs a throw pillow and curls up on the couch next to the window.

[LostOnTheTrail]

Hey Kit,

Thanks for the new Couch. What was the best part of your day? Mine was puppy updates from one of the support staff who work with me.

Take care,

Lost

[SlumberKitty]

Originally Posted by LostOnTheTrail

Hey Kit,

Thanks for the new Couch. What was the best part of your day? Mine was puppy updates from one of the support staff who work with me.

Take care,

Lost

Hi Lost,

Today isn't the best day for me, but I guess the best part was seeing my coworker so excited about my newly highlighted hair!


Puppy updates sound much better!


HUGS
Kit

[unaluna]

Thanks for the new couch, kit!

[ArtieTheSequal]

Thanks for the new couch!!

Originally Posted by LostOnTheTrail

puppy updates from one of the support staff who work with me.

Pupdates

[ArtieTheSequal]

I was just reminded of the connection between physical pain and depression. I wonder if how bad I've been feeling lately has something to do with the (gradual over the last 6 months or so) worsening arthritis pain in my shoulder? I haven't been to physical therapy yet because I'm having trouble getting an appointment scheduled (due to continued covid restrictions). I've figured out how to sleep so that I'm not wakened during the night with momentary excruciating pain like had been happening for a bit which made me finally tell my doctor, although my anxiety for a couple weeks there was waking me up anyway. I'm thinking it's all just catching up with me - living through a pandemic, my ongoing shoulder pain, extended family illnesses that have been happening lately, H not working for the past year, and the thing that caused the dam to finally break in therapy the other day, t starting to look old (not that I've told her that yet, I mean how the hell do you tell someone you care about that they look old?) I need to start a new gratitude practice and make it a part of starting EVERY day because even if it's something tiny at first, there's always something I can find to be grateful for. Usually once I start thinking about it I surprise myself with how much there is to be grateful for. I had gotten out of the habit of doing so, and I need to start again.

[atisketatasket]

Or, you’re depressed and that makes physical pain and a troubled world harder to cope with.

Or both feed into each other.

Either way, a gratitude practice might help.

[ElectricManatee]

I had chronic back pain (like, going to the ER because I passed out from the pain intense) and I eventually realized it was all stress related, which explained why PT and drugs didn't help. There is nothing physically wrong with my back at all. It made me feel like a crazy person, but it was relatively easy to deal with. The book Healing Back Pain by John Sarno was helpful to me. It's obviously about back pain but some of the pain principles might apply more broadly.

[ElectricManatee]

I got impatient and moved my COVID vaccine appointment to Thursday. There is a particular county a little over an hour away where there is very little interest in the vaccine, so people from my county are driving over there and scooping up the extra doses. I'm excited to soon live a slightly more risky lifestyle that involves swimming indoors and shopping for my own groceries occasionally.

[LonesomeTonight]

Originally Posted by ElectricManatee

I got impatient and moved my COVID vaccine appointment to Thursday. There is a particular county a little over an hour away where there is very little interest in the vaccine, so people from my county are driving over there and scooping up the extra doses. I'm excited to soon live a slightly more risky lifestyle that involves swimming indoors and shopping for my own groceries occasionally.

Glad you were able to move up your appointment! I've noticed how certain area of my state have had more availability, I'm guessing in part because less interest in vaccine. I'm lucking out because my state is apparently getting lots of doses this week and next. Much easier to schedule appointments compared to a month ago when I was trying to help my parents and mother-in-law.

[SlumberKitty]

I should be able to start looking for a Covid shot appointment after the 15th of April. That is when CA is opening up vaccines to anyone 16 and older. Right now it is just 50 and over and I don't fall into that age group. I'm on a list at a local pharmacy but I don't know where on the list I am at.

[ArtieTheSequal]

Originally Posted by ElectricManatee

I had chronic back pain (like, going to the ER because I passed out from the pain intense) and I eventually realized it was all stress related, which explained why PT and drugs didn't help. There is nothing physically wrong with my back at all. It made me feel like a crazy person, but it was relatively easy to deal with. The book Healing Back Pain by John Sarno was helpful to me. It's obviously about back pain but some of the pain principles might apply more broadly.

thanks for this, i'll check it out. for me some of it's probably stress related but i did get my shoulder x-ray'd not long ago and dr said it's arthritis. i'm sure it's a bit of both. that and stress/depression. and they feed each other like atat said. my dad had arthritis pretty bad (among other things) before he passed and now i know why he was so cranky all the time. if i move my arm even slightly in the wrong direction my shoulder hurts so big. so i have to be careful how i move my arm when i'm doing anything.

[ArtieTheSequal]

Originally Posted by SlumberKitty

I should be able to start looking for a Covid shot appointment after the 15th of April. That is when CA is opening up vaccines to anyone 16 and older. Right now it is just 50 and over and I don't fall into that age group. I'm on a list at a local pharmacy but I don't know where on the list I am at.

I hope you're able to get an appt soon! my h has his 2nd one day after tomorrow, and my 2nd one is April 9. He got Moderna, I got Pfizer (we got appts at different places). I had to try a few different pharmacies and different locations to finally score my first appt, about 45 minutes or something away clear on the other side of town. But, I'm not complaining, I'm grateful that I didn't have to drive 3 hours like some people are having to do. That was just to say you might have to try several different pharmacies/locations etc to find an appt.

[StressedMess]

Thanks for the new couch!

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

[Daffydungle]

Thanks SK for the new couch i just copied this from the old one.
This phone thing is getting worse i cant call this woman there is just silence when i do. This starting to stress me out something terrible i just texted my ex asking him to contact her so she can contact me. I am over phones i absolutely hate them. I only have one in case of emergencies.

I am going to ring today to find out about the covid vaccines here.

[Daffydungle]

I wish they would have pharmacies doing the covid vaccinations but i guess its to do with supply.

[atisketatasket]

Originally Posted by stopdog

I am a fan of Sayers. I am okay with Tey and Margery Allingham. I am a fan of Sarah Caudwell and Ngaio Marsh (New Zealand) as well.

I adore Sarah Caudwell. Only four of them, but so funny.

Last night I needed something amysing, so I checked a Mindy Kaling ebook out of my library. It’s living up to its promise so dar.

[ArtieTheSequal]

We have pharmacies doing them here, but it depends on the pharmacy (i assume because of supply as well) what groups they are scheduling appointments for. I tried several closer ones to me before I got my appointments, and they were still only doing 65 & over so I kept looking for one who had opened up appts to 55 & over.

[atisketatasket]

I like the big mass vaccination sites like stadiums. I got mine at a place like that. They just seem more efficient. The government sending doses to individual pharmacies just adds extra bureaucracy, more supply issues, and stress (limited appointments—I spent 2 months trying to get my mother an appointment that way). It doesn’t affect the actual process of getting the shot but man did it slow the process of getting an appointment down.

And I don’t know about you all but once everyone’s had a chance at the vaccine who wants it I am not wearing masks or socially distancing because of holdouts.

[ArtieTheSequal]

for some reason, for both h and myself it was easier to get an appt at a pharmacy. i guess a lot of people were trying to sign up for appts at the big site at the local university when i was trying, so i could never get very far in the website.

[ArtieTheSequal]

at this point since they've opened it up to so many groups now, maybe you don't even need an appt for the mass vaccine sites anymore, and can just show up. I don't know.

eta I just read they are gearing up to be in operation 24/7 and do like 6,000 vaccines a day. holy wow!

[unaluna]

Yeah but you (@@) dont know if your vaccine will protect you yourself from getting the new variations. My state's new cases numbers is rising - yay, we're no. 1! Im staying hidden away, thanks. Its not over til the fat lady sings.

[atisketatasket]

Originally Posted by unaluna

Yeah but you (@@) dont know if your vaccine will protect you yourself from getting the new variations. My state's new cases numbers is rising - yay, we're no. 1! Im staying hidden away, thanks. Its not over til the fat lady sings.

I did say when everyone who wants it has had their shots.

As for new variants, studies are very promising that the current vaccines do offer protection against them, plus mRNA vaccines can be adjusted for them. This isn’t a scifi super-pandemic with a 90% fatality rate and no vaccine in sight.

I’d wear a mask and take precautions around someone unvaccinated who was vulnerable, but someone healthy who just decided not to bother with the vaccine? No. I’ve done my part for over a year and will do it for a bit longer. They can too.

And I won’t be shamed over this.