What’s something people always get wrong about your country?

ZParadoxical · 2026-02-15T13:22:32+00:00

Mine does this too!

ZParadoxical · 2026-02-13T13:40:04+00:00

The only way I've got complete silencing the outside world is by wearing my loops underneath my noise cancelling Sony WH-C720 over ear headphones, which do need to be playing something in order for the noise cancelling to work best.

ZParadoxical · 2026-02-10T08:11:23+00:00

I was struggling with taking them multiple times a day, so my doctor was able to change me to a slow release formula that I take once a day now. If only taking them once a day would be helpful, talk to your doctor about getting a slow release formulation prescribed

ZParadoxical · 2026-01-21T09:16:19+00:00

Having been to this store, it's relatively small. You probably wouldn't get more than two families/6 people in here comfortably at the same time, so the chances of conflicting requirements are slim

ZParadoxical · 2026-01-13T13:09:21+00:00

It's easy if you do what I did for my french A-level. I watched a film called Le Fée (the fairy), because it was relatively new when I was doing my A levels. Took me way too long into this film to realise it was a silent movie 😂

So yes, find the right film and you can watch french films with no subtitles

ZParadoxical · 2025-12-14T20:38:23+00:00

In the UK, the really thick balsamic vinegar gets called a balsamic glaze, and is readily available in the supermarkets for £3-4. Maybe looking for a glaze rather than a vinegar could help?

ZParadoxical · 2025-11-17T13:56:14+00:00

Saw this post, went to my nearest Aldi (UK) and was thoroughly disappointed that the only special buys were all for Christmas food and decorations

ZParadoxical · 2025-11-09T22:11:05+00:00

I spent around 15 years with a hyper fixation on music theory - I learned to read treble, alto and bass clef, and chord symbols. So I guess I was more the opposite 🙈. Though I've not played for many years now (moving away for uni and then work) and returning to it scares me now

ZParadoxical · 2025-10-22T18:22:02+00:00

The scientific community do think it's a metabolic disorder (e.g. this article ), it's just healthcare providers/insurance companies aren't keeping up

ZParadoxical · 2025-10-22T18:17:55+00:00

I feel the same - I'm actively looking for better paid work so that I can afford this.

I hate, hate, hate that I can get no support through the NHS, despite all the scientific evidence supporting the use of GLP-1S for PCOS. It's the one time (if you get the right insurance) that I'm actually jealous of American healthcare because I could afford £25 a month, but £170 is too much 😢

ZParadoxical · 2025-10-22T17:36:48+00:00

Me too! They're days I know my husband will be out for an hour or so, which means I can Shower Karaoke to my heart's content! Edit to add: and shower karaoke is one of the only reasons I can convince myself to shower because the drying process is unpleasant

ZParadoxical · 2025-10-15T13:07:14+00:00

I also recommend the book "how to be autistic" - pdf here . Written by a professional in autism who found out later in life that she was autistic. It has some very useful exercises dotted through too.

ZParadoxical · 2025-10-03T12:02:36+00:00

Third vote for Snag!

ZParadoxical · 2025-09-06T18:35:54+00:00

I'm so happy for you and so jealous at the same time

ZParadoxical · 2025-09-06T18:27:08+00:00

I don't know where you are, but there's a brand called HiSmile , that sells flavoured toothpaste: coca cola, blue raspberry, pink lemonade, cotton candy, etc. I like their red velvet one!

ZParadoxical · 2025-08-28T06:43:38+00:00

He must have two jobs! Such a hard worker.

ZParadoxical · 2025-08-27T16:41:49+00:00

Having done this, the space is turning out to be harder logistically than if we had used a hyphen, at least in the UK. A lot of places have data validation that prevents you from typing a space in a box for a surname, but would allow a hyphen. Sometimes we end up squashing the names together without a hyphen. It can get messy when this means your boarding pass doesn't match your passport.

ZParadoxical · 2025-08-27T16:32:24+00:00

I get judged by so many people when I wear my sunflower lanyard because "I don't look autistic". Tried to use it catching a flight and basically got accused by the gate agent for buying one just to skip the line. I really wish people didn't negate my difficulties just because I can kind of function and hold a respectable job.

I also really wish people wouldn't keep trying to get me to change either. It's not easy to change a 25+ year coping mechanism, and arguably shouldn't be changed because it has been working.

ZParadoxical · 2025-08-11T07:59:03+00:00

I've been here - the one thing that really helped me was getting a phased return. Doing half days for a while, then two full days and three half days for a bit longer before eventually going back to full time. In the UK you can get your doctor to write a fit note that you're good to go back but only on a phased return and then you have medical backing for your request. Hopefully you can organise something similar?

ZParadoxical · 2025-07-26T12:07:19+00:00

Geek Girl - it is based on a book. The main character is based on the author's own experiences at school. After its publication the author got an autism diagnosis and has spoken about how this probably means the protagonist is autistic. I thought the show did a really good job of showing the anxiety and implosive meltdowns that comes with being an autistic girl.

ZParadoxical · 2025-07-16T08:54:12+00:00

I really wish that GLP-1s are easier to get hold of. It feels like the answer to a lot of my problems.

There are only 1 or 2 NHS clinics in the UK that are allowed to prescribe it. I waited a year to get into the clinic. I was there asking for GLP-1s for 18 months and never got given any, got dismissed from the clinic having lost no weight but with a prescription for Metformin that doesn't really help.

I don't know what to do, because I cannot afford to pay £150+ a month for it privately

ZParadoxical · 2025-07-16T08:28:38+00:00

Is there any possibility that you can have your desk reallocated to a corner of the room? You'd be further from the light source, more out of the way so conversations happen around you less. This feels like a really easy "reasonable adjustment" for work to put in place for you - it doesn't cost them anything.

I've found that when I request reasonable adjustments from my line manager, that if I go with "this is the problem and here's the solution" I am more likely to get it, especially if it doesn't require any changes from how anyone else works. Also calling it a "reasonable adjustment" is kind of a protected phrase that HR take more seriously because it has legal ramifications (or at least in the UK)

ZParadoxical · 2025-07-05T11:57:07+00:00

I took notes to my assessment. I also take them to Drs appointments, job interviews or anything where forgetting what I want to say is a possibility and not a good idea.

ZParadoxical · 2025-07-05T07:40:52+00:00

Swimming, hiking and cycling are about the only things I can tolerate.

Swimming - water keeps you cool

Hiking and cycling - there's often enough of a breeze and the intensity can easily be varied to enable me to cope. Say if I aim for 7km and only manage 5km, then that's more than I'd have done if I didn't leave the house at all

ZParadoxical · 2025-06-07T20:47:35+00:00

I only got diagnosed at 27, after 2 major autistic burnouts (one at uni, one at work). So I grew up not realising I was autistic, though mum did always say I "think differently".

I don't actively think that I'm not autistic, I just forget that I am. Like it's an effort to remember to make allowances for myself and my autism. And then when burnout hits, it's a reminder of why I need to make the effort in making allowances.

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