Saw the psychologist again, and was almost embarrassed to report that I’m feeling much better. I’m beginning to deal with stress as a separate entity. Previously, I think that I have seen stress, and everything associated with it as essentially inevitable. But by talking about stress, I’m beginning to recognise that there are occasions when stress definitely rears its ugly head, but can be told to sit down and behave.
Early days, I guess, but happy to be making progress …
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Of course, I would like an iPad. I wonder if Steve Jobs, who may well be around the same age as myself, is responding to the needs of those of us who find that failing eyesight and small screens don’t go well together.
I’m meeting with the psychologist weekly – definitely gaining insight – but currently unsure how it’s all going to translate into action …
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Not sure why things have to change …
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At work, we’ve recently moved into offices in a newly refurbished corridor. There is, conveniently, a gents’ loo at one end of the corridor. It’s eco friendly – the light comes on as you enter, and, presumably, switches off when it thinks that you’ve gone.
There is a kind of vestibule as you go in. You go through one door into an area the size of a cupboard, then through another door into the room proper. The sensor which detects your presence is located in this vestibule. Which is nice – by the time you get to where you need to be, the lights are on.
There is a snag, however. If, for any reason, you spend more than five minutes in the loo (I’m told), the lights go off. The sensor is on the other side of the inner door, so it doesn’t know that you are there. There is no other source of light …
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After two days’ extended holiday, East Lothian schools are back to-day. Hurrah! mostly. Working from home yesterday wasn’t easy – while I’m working, I try not to think about issues pertaining to home, and vice versa – but dealing with both as an ongoing reality had my brain reeling.
I’m seeing a psychologist. I think that she’s going to recommend a course of CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy). I’m hoping that it’s going to help …
Review
I spent yesterday at home, not well enough to go into work. A few weeks previously, I had noticed in the Radio Times that a film called Snow Cake was being shown. The blurb mentioned that one of the characters had Asperger’s Syndrome. I was sufficiently interested to order a copy of the DVD, and so yesterday had the opportunity to watch it.
In my view, Linda, played by Sigourney Weaver, is further along the autistic spectrum than AS, but she is high functioning to the extent that she appears to live independently (although the film makes clear that she is in reality significantly dependent on other people). Several AS traits do play a part, including a tendency to take everything literally. It’s quite a moving film. Alex (played by Alan Rickman) seems to have difficulty expressing his emotions; in contrast, Linda appears to lack emotion, although I suspect that I’m putting that simplistically. She asks Alex whether people usually cry at funerals (her daughter has been killed in a car accident).
I knew about the accident from reading a synopsis. I didn’t really want to watch that part of the film, but, of course, it was unavoidable. I was reminded of Fly Away Home, which starts with a car accident (and also has a strong Canada connection). But in “Fly Away Home”, the child survives the accident …
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