Today I filed a formal complaint against #YouTube with the Irish Data Protection Commissioner for their illegal deployment of #adblock detection technologies.

Under Article 5(3) of 2002/58/EC YouTube are legally obligated to obtain consent before storing or accessing information already stored on an end user's terminal equipment unless it is strictly necessary for the provisions of the requested service.

In 2016 the EU Commission confirmed in writing that adblock detection requires consent.

Reminder that people who have seemed to be the most resilient over the past decade of upheaval are likely people who have developed coping skills through surviving past trauma. They’re also the least likely to be getting the necessary support because they’re givers of support and lots of their circle just assumes “oh they’re strong, they’re fine”

Check on the caretakers. Don’t just do so casually, because they’re used to having to say “I’m fine”. They need to be seen, appreciated, and given care just like the rest of us

Oh, speaking of Wikipedia, there's a small group of blind editors which I'm a part of called WikiBlind. We can provide help and advice to people using screen readers for editing Wikimedia projects, including bypassing that bloody captcha that Wikimedia still hasn't provided an accessible alternative for. That really grinds my gears.
Anyway, if that's something you're interested in, have a look here.

https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/WikiBlind_User_Group

I had a powerful realisation about why I need to lean more into my authentic self this week.

Some of you will be aware that two of my deep interests in coaching psychology are the qualities of zest and self-regulation.

Zest relates to your motivation, energy, mojo, "vim and vigour", and a feeling of alive-ness.

Self-regulation is all about the structures, habits, principles and self-care practices you put into place in your life to feel more balanaced and settled in yourself.

A third interest is demonstrating in both theory and practice that the latter creates the former.

That is to say, if you regulate yourself, it can boost your zest.
It doesn't seem like rocket science when I put it like that, but I am the only coaching psychologist currently to say this explicitly and to be developing a theoretical framework on this - and one that can be useful and inclusive in coaching people like us.

But what I've been doing is hiding this.

I have been too scared that people won't be interested or won't find this information valuable.

As such, I've not been sharing my ideas with you - the very people they could help - to the fullest extent.

I've also had an emotional block around actually producing and publishing my research, and around writing a book - something I have always wanted to do but have not yet put into action.

Thanks to a powerful coaching conversation of my own at the weekend, I have decided to draw a line in the sand and stop hiding my autistic research interests for fear of what others will think.

I will be more authentic and, as a result, happier for being and expressing my true self more. On balance, as long as it is safe to do so, we feel better in our skin when our insides match our public outsides. Currently, this is not true for me - I am hiding parts of myself that are important to me, and it's holding me back as a researcher and a coach.

So what this all means for you lovely people on a practical level is that I'll be talking and writing much more about zest, self-regulation, and the connection between the two.

If you're low on energy and motivation, and feel this would be of interest to you, I'd love to hear below...it'll give me a sense that there are people who will benefit from more honest and open sharing of the research I do.

Over the coming months, you'll see me change my branding messages, newsletters, and blog posts to reflect more content on the topics of zest and self-regulation for neurodivergent people...and how we can foster these safely and accessibly in coaching work.

It starts today. I'm drawing the line in the sand.

Wish me luck and continued bravery on this journey! And let me know if this special focus might be of use to you!

Becci (The Neurodivergent Zest and Self-Regulation Coach...wow, I've actually said it!)

#ADHD #Autism #AuDHD #Neurodivergent #Coaching #CoachingPsychology #Zest #SelfRegulation @actuallyautistic

Is COVID pandemic or endemic? A discussion with Boston University epidemiologist Dr. Eleanor Murray.

"Many were openly stating that with the passing Omicron wave, COVID-19 would settle into an endemic pattern and the world could move on from the pandemic and get on with business as usual. At the time, the WSWS wrote, “The virus that causes COVID-19 is present worldwide, not localized, and it is highly infectious from person to person and continues to mutate. Also, the waning population immunity means SARS-CoV-2 infections will continue to threaten communities with repeated outbreaks. There is no possibility of it becoming endemic in a scientific sense of the word. The campaign to declare COVID-19 endemic is thus political rather than scientific. Its purpose is to accustom the world’s people to mass infection and death without end.”

#COVID19 #COVIDisNotOver #COVIDisAirborne @auscovid19

Source: https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2023/10/07/yhmh-o07.html

I don't know who needs to hear this but little and often is better than nothing and never.

Sometimes, if I feel I cannot spend enough time (in one go) working towards a task or goal, I don't start because I feel it's not worth it.

This means weeks or months can pass without any tangible progress towards what I want.

This is the "nothing and never" approach - I don't have chance to do as much as I want to, and so I don't do anything.

However, if I work on something for 10 minutes 3 times a week, over a year, that's 1560 minutes or 26 hours spent in service of something I want to happen.

In 26 hours I could draft a research paper...or I could do 26 hours of additional brisk walking with my dog in service of my health.

This is the little and often approach. It can be a challenge to get comfortable with it, as it doesn't feel like you're doing enough. Plus, ADHD brains can struggle to get motivated for results that come much later than clearly and obviously right now.

Still, if you can get more comfortable with this way of doing things and accept that ultimately, you'll achieve something eventually rather than never at all (which is what will happen if you do nothing), you might just make eventual progress towards your hopes, wishes and goals in your life.

What is it you'd like to achieve using a little and often approach? And when will you do it little and often? Good luck!

#ADHD #Autism #ActuallyAutistic #AuDHD #Neurodivergent #Coaching

how many times have you had covid?

(boost for reach! im genuinely curious)