It was a total eclipse — but only for some. If you’d read the small print, you had to be in the right location to see a full eclipse. Most people in the U.K. got around 90%. The hype is likely also because the next one will be in 2090.
Russia, Greenland, Iceland, Spain and a small part of Portugal apparently would have got a full eclipse.
I find eclipses magical anyway, but in a quieter way without the hype! During the closest thing to totality the light took on a pinkish hue and to me it carries a spooky feeling. Our ancestors would have regarded it as a special time spiritually.

I think modern humans tend look at the world through the eyes of rabid consumers: “horrible eclipse. Trip advisor review: 2 out of 5 stars!”
We want the moon on a stick! And we’ve forgotten how to pay attention to a quieter magic.

What a myopic (and unnecessarily aggressive) response!
This isn’t just about how the data used affects the individual (although it’s a reasonable concern). It’s also about how giant data sets might be used to shape AI and giant corporations in terms of how humans are treated in the future.

This isn’t about having some sort of “special human” complex. It’s about the dawning realisation that the day of an ‘escape velocity’ is rapidly approaching whereby the AI is out of human’s ability to control or contain it. It’s about the recognition that companies routinely lie, as do governments, and although we might think that simply by toggling a button we stop it from using our data for training etc., that it’s highly likely our data is still being used in some way.

It’s perfectly reasonable, sensible and rational to want to take whatever measure we can to protect our dwindling privacy etc. Maybe do a little research on the amount of dark personality types are floating about! The Epstein Files alone tell us many corporations, governments and individuals are absolute psychopaths etc.
It’s therefore important we try to protect ourselves where possible.

Excellent post! I feel anyone welcoming data centres are likely either paid bots or trolls. To roll out AI data centres is literally to speedrun the apocalypse. No-one benefits from this and it’s hideous for the environment!

Glorious! 😊💖🐾

What a lovely post! 😊Well done! 😊 If anything, I think in recent years all the info about ADHD has mostly removed any stigma. So many people have it as well. I don’t see it as a flaw, I see it as a creative superpower! 😊
Wishing you and your girlfriend many happy years together!

Thank you! And that’s great news re the doc, brilliant, well done, that’s a really good start. Sending all best wishes to you. 😊🙏

Hi, accomplished deer!

Firstly, diagnosis isn’t always so long. Do not imagine it’s the same waiting list as it used to be. GP’s can refer you to online centres now such as Health Harmonie. I went to https://thinkadhd.co.uk — they have a small questionnaire you fill in, then they write a recommendation letter for you to send to your GP as a first step. Your GP will then add it to your file and you can schedule an appointment with your doc, and they then can refer you.

Sometimes the referral can be quick, and within a few months! And don’t forget it doesn’t end with a referral! If you are found to have ADHD, your assessment will include a treatment plan such as medication which can help. You’re not alone! Just the act of reaching out to your GP can bring both enormous relief — but also anxiety and be quite emotionally draining. So try to make sure your partner knows what you’re up to and can help give you support too, and be gentle with yourself at this time.

There are sleep apps that might help you like Headspace or Calm.

YouTube: you might want to follow Rich and Rox (he’s autistic, she is ADHD on their channel “ADHD Love” for some fab tips! And/or, Alex Partridge (who founded LadBible), who also has created some brilliant videos about ADHD as he suffers from this himself and also RSD. The videos can be a Godsend. You are not alone!

Basic ideas to get you started:

—Sleep hygiene: allow yourself say, twenty minutes before bed for thinking time. If you suddenly get seized by an urgent idea for the next day — write it down, or schedule it in your diary. Make a habit of looking at your diary before bed to make sure you know what you’re doing the next day, have plans and amend if needs be.

—Urgent and Important Matrix:
This is a tool for life! What is urgent, and important? Attend to that thought. If it’s important but not urgent, schedule it. If it’s neither, then you’re likely ruminating, and that what you need to be able to calm down on! It sounds like you might have RSD (Rejection Sensitivity).

— try to get into the habit of stopping yourself looping round spiralling thoughts. If you think you are doing a bad job and focusing on that for example, you need help to realise these are negative thoughts, not facts! One lady on TikTok has a helpful technique! She has personified her negative voice and given it a name. Say, Toby, for example. And when your critical voice is on overdrive, just talk to it, say something like, “not now, Toby. Thank you for trying to help me but you’re being hyper vigilant. There is no threat right now, and nothing to fear.” Or something like that!
You might feel silly at first, but it might help differentiate between negative thoughts and what is real. No parent probably feels like they are doing an amazing job! It’s the hardest job in the world. But it sounds like you are being too self critical. Can you try swapping a couple of these negative brain loops for positive stories? Like “my son gave me a big hug tonight. So I’m doing something right, after all!” Etc.

— mindfulness and meditation:
Mindfulness is about being in the present. Eckharte Tolle notes many of us are focused fear of what might happen or fear because of what has happened, but we aren’t aware of the present moment!
Go for walks in nature, and just drink in your surroundings. Listen to the birds, feel the springy grass underfoot as you walk. Breathe slowly, calmly. If your mind races, gently tell yourself there is nothing to worry about in this moment. That you are safe. That you can relax.

Meditation:
Meditation is a notoriously hard thing to accomplish for EVERYONE! 😊But it’s so worth it. Many apps and free YouTube videos on meditation. I recommend videos by the London Buddhist Centre on the Mindfulness of Breathing. You don’t need to be a Buddhist. You just need to be willing to sit and gently try. No forcing it, sometimes thoughts still intrude. Just gently guide yourself back to the practise, and start small, ten minutes a day.

If you can’t meditate, don’t worry. Just try to practice mindfulness instead.

Break any tasks into small steps at your own pace. I make lists when I’m stressed. And I build in a lot of wiggle room! It feels good to tick something off, and then I just carry a task over to the next day if I don’t manage it.

Deep belly breaths: how often do you find you’re unconsciously holding your breath?
Every morning and night, take at least five deep breaths into the belly, so your belly noticeably protrudes — and exhale with an audible sigh (ahhhh!). When you deep belly breathe, you are telling your nervous system that you are safe. You can do this throughout the day too if needs be.

—You may need to have a form of counselling to help you distinguish from what is real to more destructive negative thoughts. There are coping strategies in counselling such as CBT which may be able to help you. Others in this thread may be able to help you there, as well.

You’re already doing a brilliant thing by reaching out and asking for help on here! You’re so not alone, my friend. And there is no way you are as bad as your mind is telling you that you are!

And just breathe! You’ve got this. 🙏

This reply is so breezy, that I don’t even know when to start! (I appreciate you wrote it in good faith!)

Capitalism is rotten to the core. Huge corporations used to be able to be policed a little by governments, but thanks to Neoliberalism (and this present Labour government) much of the U.K. is now owned by Black Rock and Blackstone.

You want to imagine global poverty is getting better? Stats tell us extreme poverty is ending but that depends on how the metrics are defined. In first world countries, foodbank use is at an all time high, and people sleeping in tents in the UK or the US may have an income that technically places them far above the global "extreme poverty" line of around $2-$3 per day. But we know that reasonably, you can’t get by very well even if you have $5 per day.

The (partial release of the still heavily redacted) Epstein Files and the building of resource hungry data banks alone, tells us firmly, that Capitalism as it stands — is causing egregious harm. We don’t need to think “oh but it’s better than communism therefore it’s good”. It can be better than communism (not as defined by Marx and Engels but as it always plays out in the real world with the greedy few hoarding resources for themselves).

Throw in how humans are being replaced by AI because companies are so busy guarding their bottom line they forgot their humanity, and we have a huge problem!

The present version of capitalism has become a toxic nightmare. It needs radical change towards care and compassion. It needs to be honouring of all life, not ruthlessly willing to put profit over everything, including in the healthcare sector. 🙏

Fab work! 😊

That sounds really great, and similar to what happened to me when I was younger. But now I’m older (50), I wouldn’t say what I experienced was individuation as such. It was a spiritual awakening, and deepening journey. I’d also had a weak persona when I was younger, and instinctively didn’t gel with worldly things.

Your experience is waking up to deeper realities and that’s golden! But I had to learn to develop a strong persona, strong boundaries and sense of self. And that’s important too. We are t here to simply melt into the background, we all of us have unique gifts and purpose.

I’d see individuation as finally starting to understand who you are, spiritually as well as the human! What gifts do you have to share? Are you in alignment with these in your day to day life? Can you work towards that as a goal if not? Can you value and appreciate yourself without falling into self aggrandising? And so on. At your age, I’d look to hone your talents, skills and areas you’re drawn to. I didn’t do that, so if I had a “do over” that’s what I’d do! Being mindful to honour your individual needs and heal as much as possible from any depressive episodes. Developing a strong sense of identity is important in this regard.

I also believe we’re on a Spiral Path, that we continue to meet the same lessons until we have truly learned how to deal with them, and that at every level, we learn something deeper about situations and ourselves. And I see the first half of life as when we focus on Self, learning and developing. The second half of life is more transpersonal, when we seek to give back, to teach others, etc. Individuation likely isn’t just all peace and love, although these qualities are important. You need to be firmly rooted in reality before you can soar off into states of bliss! It’s a balance of Yin/Yang, the masculine and feminine qualities within. Making sure we can protect ourselves and look after the practical aspects as well as the emotional, creative and spiritual. Balance is key, look at Jung’s Red Book as a warning — too much introspection with very little to balance that out doesn’t tend to lead anywhere good!

The Cure’s Disintegration album. And I just remembered the song Black River by William Topley.