Random Stuff

Activism, Medical Shizz, Stats, Fun Facts, Venus Retrograde

I have like 13 different topics I want to write about and no attention span to write full articles about each of them at this time. So I am going to try something new here and do shorter (not necessarily short, but short-er) tidbits about a few things I want to share with y’all this week! Welcome to how my brain operates with Long COVID. TLDR at very bottom.

Special Announcements:

1 - You can book me for a Venus Retrograde Reading for your personal astrological chart for 45 mins = $35. Additional add on 15 minute short tarot reading for your Venus Rx = $10. Email krista.m.atkinson@gmail.com. And, if you’re a paid subscriber, your Venus Rx reading is free if you want one. Just hit me up. Thank you for your support!

2 - I am saving up money to go to a retreat this summer that will teach me a lot about tarot and energy healing. Paid subscriptions to this newsletter, booking me for astrological and/or guided meditation shizz, and one-time donations for this free newsletter are all helpful in making this happen. Thank you!

3 - I am creating content on YouTube now and people subscribing is incredibly helpful in working towards monetization. Plus, sharing healing content with you makes me happy.

Cemetery Walk Outfit One

Venus Retrograde:

Venus Retrograde is March 1 through April 12 in Aries (3/1-3/26) and Pisces (3/27-4/12).

What does that mean?

• Venus = planet of love, art, beauty, relationships, pleasure, women, femmes, queer peeps, justice, social unity, connection, balance, and equality.

• Retrograde = a time of slowing down to deeply review, pulling focus/really noticing issues, revising, re-working, digging up, and introspection.

• Aries = initiation, action, courage, motivation, starting something, conflict, passion, battle, and full of energy.

• Pisces = empathy, intuition, escapism, spiritual, emotional, artistic, romantic, dreamy and compassionate.

So, when the planet of love, relationship, femmes, justice, and equality back tracks we will really start reviewing and focusing on these themes. Since it is doing that in the sign of Aries for most of March, it gives this focus an energy of taking action, starting conflict, being courageous and motivated.

The last time Venus was retrograde in Aries was during this time in 2017. We had things like the Women’s March, Me Too movement, Times Up, and an unparalleled number of female-identified and LGBTQ+ people decide to run for office. There was a lot of active initiation (Aries) towards justice, social unity, and feminine equality (Venus), and there was a huge focus and re-working (Retrograde) on these movements.

Right now mirrors what it was doing at this time in 2017, so you can expect a lot of similar themes (in our world and in your personal life). Venus was doing the exact same thing the last time we inaugurated Trump as it is this time. So the upcoming backlash to that will have a similar (but hopefully better since we have hopefully learned more) vibe. We’re looking for these kinds of movements to be more inclusive of issues that impact people beyond cis straight white women this time around.

When it moves into Pisces, it will start to take on more of the Piscean traits I described above. We’ll see more of a review of justice and equality from a point of view that is intuitive, compassionate, emotional, and artistic. And there is a cross-over and connection happening with Pisces and Aries traits as Venus moves back and forth between the two.

How this impacts you personally depends on what houses Pisces and Aries are located in within your chart. For example, if you have Aries in your 7th house, this will have themes for you having to do with your long-term relationships and partnerships. As well as themes of your work and health when it is in Pisces, which would be your 6th house. If you need help with this, let’s do a personal Venus Rx reading for you!

Not only is March housing this Venus Rx in Aries and Pisces, but it is also encompassing two eclipses. And eclipse energy is very chaotic, unpredictable, and ground-breaking. March 13 and March 29 are those eclipses. And the March 29th eclipse happens in Aries. Then on March 30, Neptune (which hasn’t changed signs since 2012) is also moving into Aries from Pisces. Plus, the Sun moves into Aries from Pisces on March 20th.

And if all that wasn’t enough, Mercury, in Pisces, starts its retrograde on March 14th. There is a lot of change, Aries and Pisces energy, and unsettling chaotic shifts. Instead of being afraid, let’s use the energy and shifts to our advantage to affect change for the better. Action and compassion for social justice and equality y’all! And, if you want more of what I just said about eclipses and Neptune to make sense, you can read this post I wrote earlier in the year.

(Chani Nicholas is my main source. I take her information and my knowledge and translate things that are complicated to something that is a bit more beginner level—hopefully. I highly recommend checking out her app and other resources.)

Cemetery Walk Outfit Two

Activism:

Wanted to check in with y’all about where you are at on this? What are you doing to make sure you don’t freeze and get complacent? What are you doing to take care of yourself during these hard times and not overdo it and burn yourself out?

I’ve heard from various people that February 28 is a big activism day for us. Tons of people are participating in a 24-hour economic blackout where we do not spend a single penny that day. Showing our government that it is our money that keeps the economy afloat, and that their actions should be in our best interest and not hurting us. Without us, they have nothing. I don’t know if these sorts of things work, as I am not an expert economist. But, it is not at all hard for me not to spend any money that day. So, I won’t.

I am still off of all Meta platforms and still do not intend to go back until they stop working with Trump and bring back fact checkers, etc. I have been off of them right around a month now. This isn’t easy since it was a big part of how I share my content and stay in touch with people. Trying to build up a career as a writer and content creator really isn’t as easy without it.

But, I think of what people gave up during other evil fascist dictator regimes—things like their lives, homes, families, rights, etc. Things they were forced into like death, imprisonment, severe abuse, having their children taken away, locked in cages, etc. And then I think, I can give up Facebook and Instagram.

It may not seem like it does much, but any less activity and accounts on these apps are less people to see and click on ads, and that is less advertisers giving money to them. Money talks. So they don’t get my money. And, in turn, I am enjoying a lot of extra time and mental space to do other things, which I will talk more about below in my “what I’ve been up to” section.

Sometimes I think about going back to Facebook just to post helpful activism tidbits to get the word out. But, ultimately, for me it feels best to not participate in the platform at all, and to post it anywhere else I am.

If you are someone who still needs to be on these platforms but want to make a difference with what you post, I heard about something that I think is pretty important. I was on a Planned Parenthood call a couple of weeks ago and they had some social media tips. The one that stood out most to me and I think a lot of people could benefit from is this—Don’t share fake news, news that is coming from the oppressors, and news that is the “bad” stuff.

This may seem obvious but let me explain further. You may be thinking, “of course I don’t share fake news, etc”. But I know a lot of people that do this, and I have done it before too. You see a post circulating that is clearly fake news, or it is coming from the oppressor, or it is very anti-“what you stand for”. Then you add your own words to the post that you are sharing and say something like, “This is fake news, because x, y, and z”. Or, “this post is awful, anyone that thinks like this, here is why that is wrong….” All you are doing is sharing and giving more views and power to the posts you are trying to work against.

Planned Parenthood says “research shows that what you say gets lost in the shuffle and what most people are really seeing is the harmful title of the thing you are sharing.” That is what is getting stuck in their head. That is the take-away. It becomes part of our subconscious. Additionally, engagement is what gives something power. Even if it is negative engagement. Heck, negative engagement makes things blow up more.

If you want to take something’s power away, don’t fan it’s flames with air. Choke out the fire and don’t interact with it. Sharing it only gives it more reads, engagement, power, and gets it further out there. Instead, make your own post sharing your thoughts about the thing you saw, but don’t share that thing. The more you share fake and harmful news, the more you push it out into the world and the more commonplace it becomes. They need your engagement to thrive.

I encourage anyone who feels they still need to be on Meta platforms to please use your platform to speak up and share factual and important information that makes a difference. This can’t just be about only sharing pictures and funny stories anymore. This needs to be a vehicle for change.

If I were still on Facebook, I would share a short post every day or so about something Trump and this current administration has done to make our lives worse. I’d share the prices of things going up. I’d share what they are doing with Medicare and Medicaid. I would share anything personal that has impacted me or my loved ones. And I would do it in short, digestible, meaningful, straightforward, not overly angry posts. To get the straightforward point across.

Something like “Today Trump and this administration have enacted the new policy that Medicare and Medicaid recipients can no longer get most telehealth services covered. This negatively impacts me as someone with Long COVID who lives in a rural area and can’t get the proper healthcare professionals where I live. Telehealth made access to doctors at an actual Long COVID clinic possible for me. If I lose that, I can’t get access to the healthcare I need. Trump is hurting the people you care about with these dangerous policies.”

Also, I have been working towards becoming an escort for women at the local abortion clinic. I have been told that soon they will be opening up the opportunity for volunteers and I have been in contact with them about trying to do this.

I would love to see comments from any of you who have found different ways to do what you can to help and fight back against the unconstitutional and incredibly harmful things that are happening under Trump’s administration. I would also love to see comments for what you are doing to take care of your mental health during this time. Since I am ever the champion for efficiency, I am finding that in the act of striking against Meta, I am also finding self-care in not seeing the garbage on there.

Cemetery Walk Outfit Three

Update on My Medical Shizz:

Well, as you read a little bit in my activism section above, Trump is possibly screwing me hard here. I’ll back up.

This year I finally got an appointment at the Northwestern Long COVID Neuro clinic in Chicago. I was not having luck at Barnes in St. Louis for a variety of reasons. Part of that being they wouldn’t accept my out-of-state insurance for treatments I needed even though they were the closest facility that offered them.

Northwestern has BY FAR been a much superior experience in every possible way. Firstly, they have more than one clinic dedicated to Long COVID in terms of how LC is impacting you. The one I went to was the neuro one since most of my issues are neurological as opposed to pulmonary. Additionally, the doctor in charge spends almost all of his time doing research on Long COVID, and then the Physician’s Assistant (PA) sees patients.

I love this because when a medical provider has to see patients all day, they have very little time for the research. Having one person do one and one person do the other, and then having them share their stuff with each other, is highly efficient and productive. AND I find PA’s and NP’s (Nurse Practitioner’s) to have a far superior bedside manner than most doctors, and I am so much more comfortable having appointments with them most of the time.

My appointment was at the beginning of Feb. I took the train up which was peaceful and didn’t take nearly as much energy or money as driving or flying. Much easier on my system. I decided to get a hotel room right by the facility as this was the same cost as Ubering back and forth from a friend’s house and much more convenient. My appointment was a 3 minute walk from my hotel. Chicago hotel prices in Feb. are so low because the weather is so bad.

Everyone I spoke with on the phone and in the office was so incredibly kind, helpful and friendly. This has not always been the case at other medical offices and makes a huge difference when you don’t feel well.

The PA was so wonderful. And, interestingly, I happened to be there on a rare day and time that the doctor who does the research was coming in and meeting patients, too. Which, like I mentioned, I am good with just the PA, but whatever. He was alright with his bedside manner. Not bad, not great. The PA was awesome though.

For the very first time in this diagnosis I had a medical provider phrase the following in a way that was empathetic, supportive, meaningful, and helpful— “Do you have any depression and/or anxiety over and above what is an understandable amount considering you have a chronic illness which is depressing and stressful?” HOLY FUCK.

Do you know how many doctors and other people in this realm try to push everything off as depression and anxiety? And as if it is your fault if you get sad or upset about this illness? And that if you have any of that then you don’t need any further help? As if having a debilitating chronic illness is not enough reason to sometimes be unhappy.

To have her acknowledge this. To preface it with she understands this illness will cause those things and it is ok and understandable. Well, I am literally sobbing right now as I write this thinking about how much that meant to me and what a difference it made. Medical professionals could be a million percent more effective at their jobs by choosing their words a tad more carefully. Because I didn’t have to go on the defense, we got a lot more taken care of. I felt comfortable opening up to her, knowing I wouldn’t walk away with medical notes that read as if my entire problem is that I’m sad and stressed.

Also, for the first time, I was given proper neurological testing. Not like the lady I wrote about here who basically told me I was an anxious dumb ass and that was my entire problem even though that actual test had nothing to do with Long COVID neuro issues. And wouldn’t ya know it? This test came back saying exactly what I have been saying about my brain since the beginning.

And guess what else? For the first time I received medical notes from a specialist that were accurate without me having to follow-up and send corrections. And the notes also properly reflected that I wasn’t drinking alcohol and caffeine, that I wasn’t sick just because I’m a lazy piece of crap who isn’t taking care of myself, and that anxiety, depression, and weight weren’t the entirety of my issues.

Then, I was referred to a special type of speech therapy that is specifically designed for people with my illness and issues, and is twice a week for six weeks. The treatment I cannot get where I live because it is not available. The treatment I cannot get in St. Louis because they won’t take my out-of-state insurance. The treatment that, because of Trump, I may not be able to get at all now.

This treatment is possible for me because of telehealth. I cannot possibly go to Chicago twice a week for six weeks, and I cannot possibly stay in Chicago for the entire six weeks either. The only reason it is possible is because of telehealth. And the only reason telehealth is a possible option is because I am on Medicare and Medicaid and telehealth is still being covered by them. But now, with this new shit, Trump is doing away with that at the end of March. My appointments start at the end of April….

I’ll fight to get it covered under an exception. Really looking forward to using more of my energy for that. Because, ya know, I haven’t had to do that at all for my disability and everything else with this illness. Yeah, no, I needed one more roadblock and yet another possibility to not get the treatment. Thanks, Trump and Trump supporters. Was it worth cheaper eggs and cheaper gas that are actually not cheaper at all?

Cemetery Walk Outfit Four

Stats, Fun Facts, and What I’ve Been Up To:

Stats Since Jan. 1-

• I’ve been off of Meta for 1 month

• Off of Amazon for 24 days and have saved 3 zillion dollars

• Creating content for my YouTube channel for 1 month, I have posted 8 videos, 6 shorts, and 11 posts. I have 165 subscribers, 4.6k views, 275 watch time hours. (thank you!)

• Sold and wrote 1 new professional article

• Gained 14 new free Substack subscribers (thank you!)

• 1 free subscriber upgraded to a “paid” subscriber (thank you!)

• 1 paid subscriber upgraded to a “founding” subscriber (thank you!)

• Lost 1 paid Substack subscriber , who also doesn’t want to be my friend anymore, because I practice Celtic Reiki (LOL, ok. thank you!)

• Went through 2 rounds of edits with my book proposal

• Been on Red Note 41 days, have 1545 followers, and my most popular video has 42,223 views, 2,329 likes, 804 comments, and 110 shares.

• Journaled 27 of the last 30 days (something I have more time for after leaving Meta)

• Wore 5 crazy outfits to the cemetery and 3 cute outfits when meeting friends

• Started attending restorative yoga and sound healing on Monday nights and have gone 3 times

• Read/listened to 8 books

  • The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins

  • Final Girls by Riley Sager

  • Men Have Called Her Crazy by Anna Marie Tendler

  • Practically Still a Virgin by Monica Hall

  • Compendium of Lost Tales by Heather Fawcett

  • Throne of Glass, Crown of Midnight, and The Assassin’s Blade by Sarah J. Maas

• Top 7 songs I’ve listened to the most in the last 1 month are

  • Birds of a Feather x Midnight City by Luke Muzzic

  • Birds of a Feather x Save Your Tears by Luke Muzzic

  • Birds of a Feather by Billie Eilish

  • Birds of a Feather x I Remember by Lewis Hanton

  • Sun Bleached Flies x Dancing On My Own by Icarus Lemaitre

  • God Only Knows by The Beach Boys

  • Father Figure by George Michael

Also, after leaving Meta, it’s freed me up to write a lot more. I’ve started doing art meditation with paint markers. And I have been diving deeper into learning tarot. It’s been a really nice change of pace and a great way to blow off steam rather than endless scrolling.

Fun Fact: Crocodiles can gallop like a horse.

My two favorite quotes I’ve come across this past 30 days are:

1 - “It’s shocking how much faster I recover from an ending when I don’t have to disentangle my sense of self from another person” - from Anna Marie Tendler’s Men Have Called Her Crazy

2 - “I’m not the kind of person who’s going to comfort someone who’s hurt me.” - from the movie Kinda Pregnant starring Amy Schumer.

Cemetery Walk Outfit Five

TLDR:

1 - Feb. 28 is an economic black-out day where we are being asked to join forces and not spend any money at all

2 - Don’t share articles and posts from the oppressors, or fake news, on social media even if it is to say bad things about it. A share is a share and just helps them.

3 - If you can’t leave Meta, what can you say and do on your platform to make a difference? How can you avoid complacency and inaction?

4 - And, what are you doing to take care of yourself so you don’t burn out?

5 - I had an incredibly helpful and promising first appointment at a Long COVID clinic at Northwestern in Chicago.

6 - As such, I finally got access to medical care and treatments that I have desperately needed for a few years and now Trump’s new policies are going to make it very hard, or even impossible, to get the treatments.

7 - My time off of Meta has been wonderful. It helps my mental health. I don’t put money in the pockets of fascists. And I have time to do productive and creative things that matter to me.

8 - I’ve created, shared, rested, listened to, and done a lot of healthy, fun, restful, and productive things since being off Meta and shared a lot of fun stats and random tidbits in the “Stats, Fun Facts, and What I’ve Been Up To” section. Plus, did you know crocodiles can gallop like a horse?

9 - I walk through the cemetery in crazy outfits. Love this new journey for me.

10 - Venus Retrograde is March 1 through April 12 in Aries (3/1-3/26) and Pisces (3/27-4/12). It mirrors what it was doing at this time in 2017, so you can expect a lot of similar themes. Themes having to do with relationships, love, femmes, justice and social cohesion are really up for a big review and they will pull a lot of focus. Especially with an energy that feels like initiating and activating your courage and ability to fight, as well as your compassion and intuition.

11 - You can book me for a Venus Retrograde Reading for your personal chart for 45 mins = $35. Additional add on 15 minute short tarot reading for your Venus Rx = $10. Email krista.m.atkinson@gmail.com. And, if you are already a paid subscriber to my Substack, or if you become a paid subscriber, your Venus Rx reading is free if you want one. Just hit me up. Thank you for your support!

12 - I am saving up money to go to a retreat this summer that will teach me a lot about tarot and energy healing. Paid subscriptions to this newsletter, booking me for astrological and/or guided meditation shizz, and one-time donations for this free newsletter are all helpful in making this happen. Thank you!

13 - I am creating content on YouTube now and people subscribing is incredibly helpful in working towards monetization. Plus, sharing healing content with you makes me happy.

Cute Outfit One

Cute Outfit Two

Cute Outfit Three