Permission

This is from an article by Dr. Nancy Doyle, an organizational psychologist I follow. It’s about the cognitive costs of covid, something that remains uncertain. What does all this trauma do to us? What does the virus do to our brains if we get it?

Navigating being a student while recovering from my assorted injuries in 2018 was really hard in part because I didn’t know how or whether to talk about what was going on. The process was hard to navigate and during a time of uncertainty I felt like I couldn’t ask for things I needed, and that if I did (since I was awaiting a diagnosis) there was a good chance I wouldn’t get them. Making an opening for that to be okay to say I don’t know exactly what’s happening but I feel off, or I’m tired, or I’m having a hard time is key. Humans get sick, we are fragile. Having a culture that makes space for that and welcomes it without judgment or consequences would be really valuable.

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Flexible workspaces are more productive

As much as I miss studio I also enjoy spending more time working from home. Everything is set up just as I like, and having my stuff in one place instead of two is really nice. It’s also quiet here so it’s so much easier to concentrate. Open plan offices are unawesome and I am getting way more done now. My final submission was my best work of the semester despite being sick in part because I was doing something I have a knack for and in part because my energy just went towards working, not ignoring all the stuff going on around me.

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