The Weekly Circle #21
Welcome to the twenty-first episode of The Weekly Circle! A free Circles in Time newsletter released every Sunday.
Hey everybody,
Unfortunately, it’s my turn in the boxing ring for a round with Covid.
Thankfully, I haven’t had too much social contact this week, and my symptoms have been mild for the most part.
Current symptoms. Approximately a week since most likely contraction:
Body aches are the most noticeable consequence. My back muscles, neck and chest, are all very tender. This has made sleeping surprisingly uncomfortable.
Sore throat, infrequent yet heavy cough and constant throbbing below my eyes and around my temple area.
Slightly sore eyes (that feeling you get when you’ve been swimming in a pool with too much chlorine) and general tiredness (I had to take a break speaking on the phone with a friend earlier).
Most of this has come about over the past couple of days, which correlates closely with my Whoop data (rise in respiration rate [normally very stable], spike in resting heart rate and a drop in heart rate variability).
RESPIRATORY RATE
RESTING HEART RATE & HEART RATE VARIABILITY
There have been several stories recently of Whoop wearers who noticed a spike in respiratory rate, which lead them to get tested and find out they had Covid.
The way Whoop measures respiratory rate and the unique relationship between Covid and respiratory rate are both equally fascinating rabbit holes to dive down. You can start here if you are interested:
Respiratory Rate: What it Is, What's Normal & Why You Should Track It
Knowing Your Baseline: Case Studies in Respiratory Rate in Time of COVID-19
WORLD VIEWS
THE IDEAS I CIRCLED AROUND THIS WEEK
A Twitter thread hosted by Vitalik Buterin (creator of Ethereum) discussing the importance of anti-ageing research.
An essay by Barack Obama himself on how to approach tough decisions. I summarised five key take-outs in a post here.
A fascinating new study, which shows us that the perception of spending too much time using smartphones is correlated with poor mental health, but NOT actual time spent using smartphones! Where else might our perceptions of what is wrong be causing more harm than good?
Great question by Sam Altman and some equally fascinating answers— what tiny/nonexistent markets today will be trillion dollar markets in 10-20 years?
WISE WORDS
THE QUOTES I CIRCLED AROUND THIS WEEK
“If self-confidence is so important, why would we ever want to approach someone in a manner that might disrupt or shatter it?” ~ Pete Carroll
“Suspense, simply put, is curiosity charged with empathy” ~ Robert McKee
“What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives everything its value.” ~ Thomas Paine
SOMETHING TO PART WITH
As I covered in episode 15, nature, especially forests, can have profound effects on our physical and psychological health. Hopefully, these incredible photos by Dag Ole Nordhaug inspire you to find a way to spend some time in nature this week.
Hopefully, I will have recovered from Covid and be back to full health next week Sunday.
Until then,
Take care,
David
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