I’ve heard that some apps may make it a little too easy for some users to accidentally up/down vote without realizing. I’ve definitely caught a few accidental votes myself, so I’m not sure how many more I didn’t notice. Also, totally random anecdote, but the pockets in my “house pants” have a weird fabric that combined with the on body detection to keep my phone unlocked sometimes allows my thighs to “butt dial” if I put my phone in my pocket with the screen facing my body, and I’m sure other people have similar stories about accidental inputs, so I wouldn’t worry about it too much.

Volunteering is definitely one of my current extracurriculars, but I had a couple of very negative experiences with the organization this past year and am currently taking a break, but probably going to resign soon.

So far, the only other volunteer opportunities I’ve found that excite me just haven’t aligned with my schedule, or are just one off things, but I’m definitely always on the lookout.

Classes is another option I’ve looked into, ranging from the more educational (computer programming or foreign languages) to more fun (dance), but for various reasons, haven’t been able to make any of those work for the past few years.

LMAO, definitely not for me, but maybe a great idea for others here.

Ahh. My thinking was that articles like the one from psypost.org have a tendency to twist things for the sake of clicks, but they can be a nice primer for those of us who arent experts in the field, so I usually try to read the original study also, and was hoping to hear from others based on both sources. I’ll delete the link to the original study while I see if I can get a hold of the full text somehow.

Is the psypost.org link paywalled for others? Or just the link to the original study?

Any suggestions on ways someone might use this theory to better manage their symptoms? How can I make myself feel more busy when life isn’t keeping me busy enough?

I’ve tried asking my manager for more work, but they’ve instead shifted some of my work to other people. I’ve been considering looking for a second job, but I’m afraid that will swing things too far to the other side.

Same here! I’ve repeatedly tried to explain this to my manager, and their response is that I should learn to delegate more. I feel so lucky to have a job that demands so little of me, but it sucks because I end up underperforming and unhappy. Since it’s clear at this point that my manager won’t give me more work, I guess I need to find other ways to make myself feel busy.

Yeah, my experience is that if I have too much free time, I somehow don’t get anything done. I’m much more productive and happy if I have a busy, but manageable to do list. Short periods of “too much” to do are also okay, especially when they have a clear end in sight, but they must be balanced out by a break of some sort.

I hope you’re doing alright now. I know moving can be extremely stressful, and hopefully your recovery time is enjoyable.

I remember once in college that I had a big paper to write, and I decided that I was going to get started on it “early” so that I could finish it early and avoid the deadline stress. I legitimately started it early, but somehow still managed to finish it at the very last minute. I spent my entire weekend in the library, and I don’t think the final product was significantly better than if I had procrastinated on starting. I just spent a lot more time on the research part of it, and didn’t really start putting anything together until the deadline stress kicked in.

Since that experience, I find it even more difficult to convince myself to start things early, since I’m afraid it will just mean spending more time on stressful tasks.

Yeah, I think there’s definitely an ideal balance, and I don’t think consistent 70+ hour weeks is the right balance for anyone. If my work schedule is busy, but near 40 hours/week, burnout is probably not a major worry. Occasional weeks that demand more than 40 hours are manageable as long as they’re balanced out by easy weeks or vacation time.

I’ve been really struggling with my current job because my actual workload is closer to 15-20 hours/week most weeks. I end up having a ton of trouble getting started, and am always late on things. I’ve tried on multiple occasions to tell my manager that I actually need more work, but they instead keep suggesting that I learn to delegate things more.

That’s kinda what I assumed, but say the parent lives in a state with filial responsibility laws, but the child doesn’t. Can the child still be forced to support their parents? A brief internet search suggests maybe, but these laws are generally not enforced (except Pennsylvania), and also usually take into account the child’s ability to support the parent.

Just seems pretty fucked up that someone’s parents could move to State B with these laws to retire, and suddenly their kids, who have never lived in State B, are potentially being held to State B’s laws.

Any clue how those laws work if parent and child live in different states?

I’m so sorry. I went through something similar myself, including one doctor who told me that I couldn’t possibly have ADHD since people with ADHD supposedly don’t get depressed. I tried being patient and played along for quite a while and have been through so many antidepressants. It wasn’t until my mid-20s, and dropping out of college twice that I finally got anyone to listen to me. Cherry on the cake? Suddenly my parents finally believed me, and my youngest sibling was diagnosed shortly after.

I would suggest calling around some places that aren’t covered by your insurance (specifically psychiatrists that list ADHD as a specialty), as they may offer lower prices for “self pay” patients. I think the one I saw when I was uninsured charged under $100/visit, and once we found a good dosage, they’d write me 3 months worth of prescriptions at a time. Now that I have a formal diagnosis and a history of being prescribed ADHD medication, getting a new doctor to prescribe the same medication has been much easier.

My employer offered me a modest severance package, and set my last day to be the first working day of the month, meaning my health care benefits are valid for almost a full month after my last day.

Tell me you’re American without telling me you’re American

My current phone game is ∞ Loop. Just a simple puzzle-type game.

I also like a variety of solitaire card games, but the app I used to like has become quite enshittified, and I haven’t found a good replacement.

My oldest is pretty cuddly, but only on his terms, so I’m always excited to curl up on the couch or in bed and enjoy some snuggle time. If I have the energy, I might do some play time with the wand toy or some clicker training with their favorite treats. If I’m feeling more lazy, just tossing treats… They love chasing them!

I think they’ll let you know what they want. I definitely feel you on the urge to go over the top with spoiling them, but what they probably appreciate most is just having you back. I’ve come to realize that most of my efforts to spoil my cats are more about me than they are about the cats.

Ahh, going to the Google news webpage on my phone does give me quite different results compared to when I swipe left from my phone’s home screen.

I feel ya. Currently trying to figure out how to get out of upcoming holiday travels since dragging them along won’t be an option.

I guess I also look forward to the extra affection they give me when I return, and usually try to plan for a “decompression” day (or at least half day) as soon as I return so that I can take full advantage.

I have gradually set up cameras all throughout my home so that I can peek in on them whenever I feel like it. I also just avoid leaving for extended periods and/or drag them along with me.

Interesting. I mindlessly swipe over to the news feed on my Pixel more than I’d like to admit, and it only gives me horoscope type stuff very rarely… Definitely not frequently enough for me to bother trying to block it. I wonder why you’re seeing so much more of it?