{"id":1675,"date":"2020-11-03T17:05:29","date_gmt":"2020-11-03T23:05:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tameri.com\/wordpress\/autisticme\/?p=1675"},"modified":"2023-11-26T16:28:03","modified_gmt":"2023-11-26T22:28:03","slug":"podcast-episode-046-surviving-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tameri.com\/autisticme\/2020\/11\/03\/podcast-episode-046-surviving-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"Podcast Episode 046 &#8211; Surviving 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Podcast 046; Season 4, Episode 10; November 3, 2020<\/p>\n<p>This podcast is scheduled for Election Day in the United States, November 3, 2020. Though I have some interesting episodes with guests recorded, I decided this was not the week for episodes on education or general health topics. Instead, the election of 2020 is a reminder that this has been a challenging year around the globe. Sometimes, it\u2019s good to step back, take a deep breath, and realize that surviving difficult times is an accomplishment.<\/p>\n\n<!-- iframe plugin v.6.0 wordpress.org\/plugins\/iframe\/ -->\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border:none\" src=\"\/\/html5-player.libsyn.com\/embed\/episode\/id\/16661852\/height\/90\/theme\/custom\/thumbnail\/yes\/direction\/backward\/render-playlist\/no\/custom-color\/336699\/\" height=\"90\" width=\"100%\" scrolling=\"no\" 0=\"allowfullscreen\" 1=\"webkitallowfullscreen\" 2=\"mozallowfullscreen\" 3=\"oallowfullscreen\" 4=\"msallowfullscreen\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\n\n<h3><b>Surviving 2020<\/b><\/h3>\n<p>Welcome to <b><i>The Autistic Me Podcast<\/i><\/b>. I am Christopher Scott Wyatt, speaking as The Autistic Me.<\/p>\n<p>I had thought about finishing work on a different episode this week. I\u2019ve recorded some roundtable chats on education, self-care, and time management. This simply isn\u2019t the week for\u00a0those.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, I am taking this week to pause and remind everyone that we have survived an extremely disruptive year.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re exhausted this week, you have every right to be emotionally drained and physically tired.<\/p>\n<p>Autistics like order. We like routine. We are emotional, contrary to the myth we lack empathy. Many\u00a0autistics, myself included, have thrived working at home and reducing our physical social interactions.<\/p>\n<p>That doesn\u2019t mean this year hasn\u2019t been difficult.<\/p>\n<p>As this episode gets released by podcasting platforms, it is Election Day in the United States: Tuesday,\u00a0November 3, 2020. Like many, I\u2019m hoping that this doesn\u2019t become Election Month or even Election Months. A quick resolution might be possible, but with 250 lawsuits already filed across the nation, I\u2019m not optimistic that this campaign will end definitively within a week or two.<\/p>\n<p>For some people, a week or two of election uncertainty will cause anxiety and stress.<\/p>\n<p>The year 2020 could be summed up by those two words: anxiety and stress.<\/p>\n<p>We began the year with the impeachment of President Donald Trump. Most of us anticipated the results of the impeachment. Regardless of personal politics, the divisions in this nation and around the world bother me.<\/p>\n<p>Autistic adults have been conditioned to avoid conflict. I hate arguments and have a difficult time with\u00a0passionate debates. I don\u2019t doubt my friends and family all want a better future, but we\u2019re increasingly unable to work through differences and towards common goals.<\/p>\n<p>The impeachment trial reminded us that the nation is deeply divided. At the time, way back in February, I assumed that the year would get better. We\u2019d move ahead, towards something closer to normalcy. I know many good people from across the political spectrum, and none of them feel good about our national situation.<\/p>\n<p>I imagined that after impeachment people would move on, maybe ignore national politics for a few months and focus on our communities.<\/p>\n<p>I was too optimistic.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re more divided, angrier, and more distrusting of people with different political views.<\/p>\n<p>Today reminds me of the 1970s, and that\u2019s not a good thing. When I was young, there were more than 2000 political bombings in a year. Yes, bombings. The Vietnam War, Watergate, and a recession were ripping the social fabric of the United States. We were also struggling to confront the nation\u2019s history of racial inequality.<\/p>\n<p>For me, 2020 feels too much like 1972.<\/p>\n<p>On Saturday, an armed group of Trump supporters prevented a peaceful Biden-Harris rally planned for Austin, Texas. The \u201cMAGA Cavalry\u201d surrounded the bus carrying campaign workers from San Antonio to Austin and tried to run the bus off the interstate.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s not how I expect fellow citizens to behave. You campaign, you vote, and you accept the results. Then,\u00a0you repeat the process and try to persuade other people that your ideas might help the country prosper and thrive.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s tempting to take a step back and ignore politics for a few months. Call it a mental health break from\u00a0partisanship.<\/p>\n<p>No emotional breaks from stress and anxiety allowed, 2020 decided.<\/p>\n<p>While the impeachment process was underway, the Novel Coronavirus 2019 was beginning its transition from regional endemic to global pandemic. This week, 100,000 daily positive test results were reported in the United States. Nine million people in this country have tested positive during the year. Meanwhile, our leaders seem incapable or unwilling to take dramatic action.<\/p>\n<p>Who could have imagined that a pandemic divided us further instead of uniting us.<\/p>\n<p>COVID-19 has exposed problems with healthcare systems and economic safety nets around the globe. Only a handful of nations, notably New Zealand and other Pacific nations, have successfully mitigated the pandemic. Not having many shared borders seems to help, along with smaller populations.<\/p>\n<p>Sadly, Europe is now experiencing a dramatic surge in new cases and winter looks to be worse than last year. Europe tried much harder than the United States to stop COVID-19 through aggressive testing and lockdowns. If France, Germany, and Belgium are struggling once again, what will happen in the United States this winter?<\/p>\n<p>Remind yourself that within 11 months, from last December through this October, we have been surrounded by\u00a0chaos. The pandemic casts a shadow of death greater than all U.S. military actions since World War II. That\u2019s Korea, Vietnam, the Gulf Wars, and our actions in Afghanistan.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2020\/09\/22\/health\/us-coronavirus-deaths-200k\/index.html\">https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2020\/09\/22\/health\/us-coronavirus-deaths-200k\/index.html<\/a><\/p>\n<p>COVID-19 in the United States has been 100 times more deadly than Hurricane Katrina. It\u2019s cost our economy more\u00a0than the Great Recession.<\/p>\n<p>And we might only be halfway through the deaths and economic disruption.<\/p>\n<p>Many autistics have health concerns that increase our risk of severe reactions to COVID-19. We\u2019re already at higher risk of serious infections from the seasonal flu and pneumonia. Now, we\u2019re going to anxiously endure a winter with the trio of threats looming over our friends, families, and us.<\/p>\n<p>Though my wife and I aren\u2019t going out and about, we did decide we needed immunizations. Four shots later,\u00a0including a nasty reaction to my second shingles shot, I\u2019m as prepared as I can be for the winter. I\u2019ve endured chicken pox twice, so I cannot ignore shingles. Every year or two, I also endure bronchitis that turns into something else.<\/p>\n<p>The nurse told me that people aren\u2019t getting vaccinated yet, for anything. The doctor expressed relief that I didn\u2019t assume I&#8217;m safe at home.<\/p>\n<p>How can we not be anxious? Too many people aren\u2019t going to get their seasonal flu vaccines. Many adults are\u00a0skipping the pneumonia immunization, too. When there is a COVID-19 vaccination, I doubt enough people will trust it.<\/p>\n<p>Autistics have shorter lifespans, probably for a multitude of reasons. I\u2019m obsessive about my health. No way am I assuming other people will do what is best for society. I\u2019m not trusting other people to think about each other.<\/p>\n<p>Trust people?<\/p>\n<p>Research suggests we\u2019re at an all-time low in trust. Seriously. We don\u2019t trust each other, we don\u2019t trust politicians, and now we don\u2019t trust our justice system.<\/p>\n<p>While we were busy trying to process the pandemic, along came the social unrest linked to policing practices and\u00a0racial inequity. The Black Lives Matter movement began in the United States, but spread globally, too, as protesters marched in Australia, France, the United Kingdom, and other nations.<\/p>\n<p>Autistics are at risk during interactions with law enforcement. Too many autistics have been seriously\u00a0injured or died while dealing with police. Male autistics, especially Black and Latino autistics, have been drugged, Tazered, choked, and shot by police. Even their caregivers have been injured by police.<\/p>\n<p>Twenty-two percent of all people shot and killed by police in the United States since 2015 have had mental\u00a0health conditions, including autism. The Washington Post database on police shootings lists 1254 deaths under the category \u201cmental illness\u201d over the last five years.<\/p>\n<p>Have some more anxiety, 2020 seems to be saying.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s okay to feel like this year is too much to bear. It has been a lot. And now, during the end of this election, the stress and anxiety have taken a toll.<\/p>\n<p>How can we not be sick and tired of this year?<\/p>\n<p>Things won\u2019t be magically better in 2021. However, we can each make things a little less bad.<\/p>\n<p>No matter how 2020 ends, I\u2019m going to keep writing about and speaking on issues that matter to me.<\/p>\n<p>However, I want everyone to realize that if you\u2019re not healthy, it\u2019s hard to be engaged with your community. Take a mental health break from social media if you need. Engage in some hobbies. Read something you enjoy. Treat yourself better in 2021.<\/p>\n<p>My plan for 2021 is to begin working on landscaping projects around the house.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m going to continue to advocate for change locally, statewide, nationally, and even globally. But, I\u2019m not\u00a0going to let myself be consumed by what I cannot reasonably control or influence.<\/p>\n<p>Future podcasts will address the issue of self-care. We need to be better at recognizing our emotional and\u00a0physical needs.<\/p>\n<p>Two more long months remain in 2020. I\u2019ll be here, blogging and recording podcasts. I\u2019ll also be spending time\u00a0taking care of myself.<\/p>\n<p>I am Christopher Scott Wyatt, speaking as The Autistic Me.<\/p>\n<p>Thank you for listening.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Blog: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tameri.com\/autisticme\/\">https:\/\/www.tameri.com\/autisticme\/<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Facebook: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/autisticme\/\">https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/autisticme\/<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Twitter: <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/autisticme\">https:\/\/twitter.com\/autisticme<\/a><\/li>\n<li>YouTube: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/c\/CSWyatt\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/c\/CSWyatt<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Podcast: <a href=\"https:\/\/autisticme.libsyn.com\/\">https:\/\/autisticme.libsyn.com\/<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Podcast 046; Season 4, Episode 10; November 3, 2020 This podcast is scheduled for Election Day in the United States, November 3, 2020. Though I have some interesting episodes with guests recorded, I decided this was not the week for episodes on education or general health topics. Instead, the election&#8230;<\/p>\n<div class=\"more-link-wrapper\"><a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tameri.com\/autisticme\/2020\/11\/03\/podcast-episode-046-surviving-2020\/\">Continue Reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Podcast Episode 046 &#8211; Surviving 2020<\/span> <i class=\"fas fa-angle-right\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":3458,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"iawp_total_views":4,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[7,10,13],"tags":[17,54,183,185,459,554,557,678],"class_list":["post-1675","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","category-podcast","category-writing","tag-17","tag-anxiety","tag-coronavirus","tag-covid-19","tag-mental-health","tag-podcast","tag-politics","tag-stress","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.tameri.com\/autisticme\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2023\/11\/Podcast_Banner_800x400.png?fit=711%2C400&ssl=1","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pfivLC-r1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tameri.com\/autisticme\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1675","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tameri.com\/autisticme\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tameri.com\/autisticme\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tameri.com\/autisticme\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tameri.com\/autisticme\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1675"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.tameri.com\/autisticme\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1675\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3591,"href":"https:\/\/www.tameri.com\/autisticme\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1675\/revisions\/3591"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tameri.com\/autisticme\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3458"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tameri.com\/autisticme\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1675"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tameri.com\/autisticme\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1675"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tameri.com\/autisticme\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1675"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}