I Know This Won't Be Available Everywhere, But Especially If You Live In A Larger City Where A Lot Of

The normal amount of pain is zero. I don't know what to say here. The standard abled person amount of pain without injury or significant exhaustion is so low that it will not register to most of you. It's the slightest twinge. I am so unequipped to explain this to y'all but of you experience regular pain you have chronic pain 😭

You’re allowed to struggle and complain even if you aren’t the “worst” you could be.

You don’t need to be positive and grateful all the time. It’s okay to have feelings about your disabilities. It’s okay to vent about them.

Just because it could be worse doesn’t mean you don’t deserve it to be better.

Lockdown gave abled people the opportunity to experience some of the things disabled people have been experiencing their whole lives. This resulted in a lot of contradictory statements...

Disabled people were often scolded for spending so much time on social media / on our phones, yet when lockdown came, everyone realised the value of technology to keep in touch,

Disabled people were told they were lucky that they could spend so much time in bed, yet when lockdown came, mental health illness cases rose because people had to do just that.

Disabled people were laughed at for suggesting socialisation virtually with friends and family, yet when lockdown came, group calls and virtual family quiz nights held relationships together.

Disabled people were rejected when asking for the flexibility and accomodations to work from home, yet when lockdown came, these accomodations were easily made.

Disabled people asked for virtual doctors appointments and were told it wasn't possible, yet when lockdown came, it was the only option.

Disabled people were crammed into crowded places causing accessibility issues, yet when lockdown came, social distancing improved access.

Disabled people requested more online shopping and deliveries for essentials, yet when lockdown came, this was seen as a necessity.

Disabled people who wore masks before Covid were mocked, yet when lockdown came, wearing a mask was enforced.

Disabled people were met with jealousy when they stated they were unemployed, yet when lockdown came, many realised the true struggle of not having anything to occupy their time.

The hypocrisy of the abled people who would mock, deny and minimise the disabled experience who were then forced to live in a similar way needs attention. I hope that there is more compassion now. I hope that knowing the changes and accomodations disabled needed are possible results in more accomodations being made. I hope that companies choose to continue to support those with disabilities, even if that was never their intention. I hope that something good could come out of this devastation.

Comment below any more Covid contradictions you can think of!

ID: green background with cream text reads "covid contradictions" brown text reads "disabled people often asked for requirements that were rejected, yet during the pandemic, these became essential." Below is an image of a white woman wearing a yellow coat and brown mask.

MOOD

about chronic illness and the constant search for blame.

everyone tells you this shit constantly until you start to believe it, and every time it flares up you wonder what you did wrong. on top of the pain, fatigue, and everything else, it starts to feel like a personal failing — like you just aren’t trying hard enough, even if you’re trying as hard as you possibly can just to get through the day.

non binary, gnc and trans butch lesbians are a blessing. non binary, gnc, and trans femme lesbians are a blessing. the lesbian community is way too full of people who are ready and welcome to exclude every trans person they can. it's been a mad dash for lesbians to gladly regurgitate rad feminism in order to create a "safe" lesbian community. this creates a hostile unsafe environment that benefits no one

where are the trans, genderqueer, intersex and non conforming lesbians supposed to go? why out of any queer identity should the lesbian community be so hostile and unaccepting of genderqueer and trans people? there are trans gay people, trans bisexual people, trans pansexual people, trans asexual people, trans polyamorous people, and so on. why should lesbians specifically be "protected from" trans people? nonbinary people? intersex people?

we cannot allow this to continue. diversity in lesbian, dyke and sapphic spaces is what makes them beautiful and powerful. we must celebrate all lesbians and dykes no matter how much their identities differ from our own. there's no good reason to throw transfem & transmasc butches out for somehow being a "threat". there's no reason to throw out non binary lesbians for not being women. there's no reason to deny trans men a place in the community when we've been here all along

there's no reason to allow people to gladly repeat rad feminist rhetoric for the sake of keeping the lesbian community "safe" (read: pure). this behavior has very dangerous roots. the lesbian community doesn't need to be "protected" (read: cleansed). lesbians are NOT in any danger being around other types of queer people. lesbians do not need to be protected from the world. lesbians are not in danger the second they're around a different type of queer person (or even cishet people).

encourage and embrace lesbian diversity. our community is built off the backs of genderqueer, genderfluid, gnc, transfeminine, transmasculine, non binary, intersex, two-spirit, transsexual, and ftm butch lesbians. all the lesbians that came before us were just as diverse as the ones we find now. we are stronger the more diverse we are. more lesbians is always a good thing. celebrate the fact that there are even more dykes than you initially realized. more dykes is always a good thing

It’s the not knowing when it’ll stop. The unpredictability. Wondering “will this ever get any better?” It’s the people close to you just accepting that this is how you are now. It’s the 24/7 nature of it all. It’s the not having a choice. It’s the not having a break from it. It’s the people around you thinking you chose this. As if you enjoy it. As if you actually chose this life. Nobody would ever choose this. It’s the having to play symptoms down. It’s having to pretend it isn’t as bad as what it is. It’s having people judge you, even the people closest to you. It’s having to live with symptoms that most people wouldn’t know how to even begin to cope with. It’s a lack of self confidence and self purpose. It’s staying hopeful when it doesn’t seem like there’s anything to be hopeful for. It’s a lot of things.

You might not feel it, but you’re one of the strongest people EVER. You put up an invisible fight daily. You do all that you can. You often survive second to second, minute to minute, hour to hour. You get through the day. You do your best no matter what obstacles are in your way. And it’s important to remember that even on the really bad days that you’re amazing. You’re strong. You’re tough. You’re fabulous. Lots of love xxxxxx

In case anyone needs to hear this, the average person does not wake up every day in pain. The average person does not feel like they have the flu every day of their life, and if you, like me, feel sick 24/7 you in fact have a chronic illness. If your doctor is dismissive of your suffering, keep finding doctors and pushing for tests until you get something. It's exhausting and expensive but you deserve whatever comfort is possible for you and your illness

It's jarring to realize your baseline is most people's "sick" but that just makes it all the more important for you to rest and be gentle with your body. You aren't being lazy, you aren't faking your pain. Your disability is real, and you deserve to take care of yourself and make things easier for yourself regardless if you feel like you've "earned" it or if you think it "isn't that bad."

If you are struggling, I see you and I care you so much