It’s Time to Get Over ‘COVID Shame’
If we’re going to live with the virus, our perspective and language need to change
http://dlvr.it/SKSzdW
Archive for February, 2022
Sex with my girlfriend used to be amazing – but now I can’t stay aroused
She suggests sex at least three times a week but I am struggling to maintain an erection. What can I do?
I turned 50 in November and am very much in love with my 59-year-old girlfriend of two years. We have no arguments or stress – outside of one issue. In the past eight months or so, our sex life has come to a complete halt. At least three times a week she suggests we have sex, but I cannot stay aroused for long. I may be overthinking things, lacking confidence or simply experiencing fear or anxiety that I didn’t before. (I am a little overweight, due to spending more time at home because of the pandemic.)
At first, our sex was awesome; I could hold out for at least three of her orgasms. But then I began experiencing premature ejaculation and she began to have some problems too. Now that these are resolved, I am struggling maintain an erection. I thought the problem was physical, but I can masturbate for as long and as many times in a day as I want.
Pamela Stephenson Connolly is a US-based psychotherapist who specialises in treating sexual disorders.
If you would like advice from Pamela on sexual matters, send us a brief description of your concerns to private.lives@theguardian.com (please don’t send attachments). Each week, Pamela chooses one problem to answer, which will be published online. She regrets that she cannot enter into personal correspondence. Submissions are subject to our terms and conditions: see gu.com/letters-terms.
Comments on this piece are premoderated to ensure discussion remains on topics raised by the writer. Please be aware there may be a short delay in comments appearing on the site. Continue reading…
http://dlvr.it/SKQts5
I can’t get hold of my £197 Igloo energy balance
I had switched to Sainsbury’s Energy before Igloo went into administration and was promised the money in December
I transferred my gas and electricity accounts to Sainsbury’s Energy a few days before my supplier, Igloo, went into administration.
At the time, I was told my outstanding Igloo balance of £197 would be applied to my account. In December I kept chasing and was eventually told a cheque had been sent on 31 January. It has not arrived. All subsequent emails have been ignored – including those to the CEO’s office. Continue reading…
http://dlvr.it/SKQQQ2
I was driven up the pole by a nine-month wait for BT broadband
A reader has a poor mobile signal in a rural area and had every excuse in the book for the delay
I live in rural Derbyshire and have been trying to get broadband installed since July last year. Since placing the order, I have received every excuse in the book from BT as to why my installation cannot go ahead.
My near neighbour has a broadband service, but it appears that there is a problem with the pole in the road and it must be replaced. I took another call yesterday to learn that BT has just delayed installation by a further six weeks to March. That will be almost nine months since I placed the order – if it goes ahead. I have a very poor mobile signal which makes doing any work at home very difficult. Continue reading…
http://dlvr.it/SKM3st
Mothers and newborns kept apart unnecessarily in hospital due to Covid
Birth charities call for update of ‘draconian’ rules that isolate maternity patients from babies and leave women traumatised
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Mothers are being unnecessarily separated from their newborns in some hospitals due to overly-stringent Covid-19 rules, leading birth charities have warned.
They say inconsistent policies by some trusts mean parents have been made to isolate away from their babies for longer than national guidance stipulates – either after having Covid or as a contact of a positive case. Continue reading…
http://dlvr.it/SKJsYB
To be happy you have to feel you belong
Psychiatrist Holan Liang, the daughter of Chinese immigrants, discovered for herself how important a sense of belonging is
“Oh, don’t put me through to the manager, I’ve spoken to him before. He’s a useless Chinaman and can’t speak a bloody word of English!”
It’s the early 90s and I’m 17, working during the holidays as a receptionist at a small computer parts company in Watford. Knowing nothing then (and even now) about RAM, DRAM and VGA graphic cards, I had a low threshold for putting things through to the manager if sales staff weren’t around. Continue reading…
http://dlvr.it/SKHBYZ
Growing sales of breast milk online amid warnings about risks
Exclusive: Human breast milk can contain harmful bacteria, drugs and viruses, say health experts
Experts have sounded the alarm over a growing trend for selling human breast milk online, warning that it can contain harmful bacteria, drugs and viruses including HIV.
The concerns prompted eBay to remove listings from its platform, saying it had updated its automatic filters to stop breast milk being sold on the site in future. Continue reading…
http://dlvr.it/SKGR9K
Women Seem to Have Better COVID-19 Outcomes Than Men. Here’s a Theory Why
In a study, women who were taking estrogen-raising medications were half as likely to die from COVID-19
http://dlvr.it/SKFHFC
California Adopts Nation’s First ‘Endemic’ Virus Policy
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plan emphasizes prevention and quick reaction to outbreaks
http://dlvr.it/SKDNyj
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