creatur .

blog mainly for nd stuff and mental health awareness | might also reblog xenogenders | main: @pomidorek

[liamstorm]

no neurodivergent infighting here

[leastniceperson]

as soon as the internet decided depression and anxiety were the everyman mental illnesses and therefore not to be taken seriously we were all fucked tbh bc the fact that i have to feel embarrassed to admit i have debilitating anxiety because people will think im just an uwu dont call me out coward is ridiculous. its insane that i have to clarify that my depressive episodes are like life threatening and not whatever dipshit dumbed down idea of depression people seem to have like oh yeah i just wanna watch netflix and eat ice cream and not text people back. like bro i think im the devil

[leastniceperson]

like maybe depression and anxiety are household names now but they do still kill people. like. theres a reason they fucking kill people.

[kerink]

i know we're all sick of self-care being a marketing tactic now, but i don't think a lot of us have any other concept of self-care beyond what companies have tried to sell us, so i thought i'd share my favorite self-care hand out

brought to you by how mad i just got at a Target ad

[themythicalcodfish]

OP this is EXCELLENT

[whatbigotspost]

Now THAT’S a self care resource! If you’ve gotten distracted by capitalism’s appropriation of “self-care” and watering the meaning down to nothing this is a super helpful guide to cut through the bullshit.

[candyforthecorvids]

This post is just like those "How to Study like a Harvard Student!" Things but for ND people with executive dysfunction who can't even START studying.

Listen to Music, seriously it works so well. If you speak multiple languages, listen to music in the one you ARE NOT using. Listening to music w/o words is good for things like essays and reading, but with things like math, I 100% recommend listening to anything you really like. I can leave song reccs for no word songs if anyone wants them.

Put on a movie, TV show, or video you've already seen a million times. It works the same as the music, but you're more likely to be distracted. It's important that you've already seen it. Otherwise, you'll just end up watching TV.

Buy stationary that you LIKE and ENJOY USING. If you see pens that you REALLY LIKE but the other pens are cheaper, get the ones you actually like. You will use them more. You will *enjoy* using them.

Not so much related to executive dysfunction, but I HIGHLY recommend getting folders for your classes. Even if it's only for a few, if you pull it out at the beginning, you'll have all your stuff inside and a place where you can put your papers instead of just shoving it into your bag.

Let yourself stim out loud while you do homework. Seriously, it can help you remember things and help you stay focused.

Eat your favourite snacks or drink something you enjoy drinking. It makes doing things so much more bearable, plus free dopamine.

(Edit: I reblogged some of people's additional thoughts)

I can't really think of anything else, but feel free to add stuff in the comments.

Disclaimer for the masses, I am not a doctor. These are from my own personal experience as someone w audhd. :)

[viaticpancakes]

This is how I do school. I can't do the silence. My music or TV show I've seen before is cheering me on. I need the background to function. I use this hack for anything I don't want to do. Dishes go so fast when I've got Yellowjackets playing. And I tie concepts to episodes that were on when I watched it because I'm more likely to remember that than just the concept. Even if I know the concept, I'll forget the name.

[solidwater05]

Apparently this needs to be said so

Forgetting things is morally neutral! Memory issues are morally neutral!

You're not a bad person if you...

forget things quickly

forget people

can't remember entire stages of your life

can't remember important things

can remember some things very well and forget other things all the time

can't remember things (or anything!) about your interests

forget to eat, sleep, go to the bathroom, etc

forget to reply to texts

remember things and immediately forget them again

can't remember birthdays, events, etc

frequently answer 'I forgot' to questions

can't retain new information

forget things you used to know

only remember things when it's too late

have vague, distorted and/or unreliable memories

depend on others to know how an event you were in played out

have other symptoms that are worsened by memory issues and vice versa

... and anything else I might have missed!

[ghostlyramblings]

When I was growing up my father said remembering was part of obedience. I was convinced that I must be a horrible person.

[pixxiecup]

pastel puppy moodboard ^___^

[coyotesinew]

Here’s a little explainer post I made for my instagram. Thought I’d post it here too! 🐾

It does a disservice to all listed communities to have them be misconstrued and misunderstood to the degree that they often are. Hopefully this post helps some folks understand the differences and nuances a bit better! ^^

[coyotesmokebreak]

Most people don’t understand how easy and common it is to develop psychotic symptoms or that everyone literally everyone has the capacity to experience psychosis

In fact if you’ve ever been sleep deprived including being able to sleep in shorter bursts but unable to get several REM cycles or you use substances to cause sedation rather than sleep you’ve likely experienced mild hallucinations already

They’re called disturbances. The things like thinking you heard someone call your name, feeling crawling sensation on your skin briefly, seeing things move in your peripheral but nothings there when you look.

This is (one of the reasons) why I really hate the “I’m [anxious/ADHD/depressed/etc.] not crazy!” The divide you draw between yourself and people with psychosis and psychotic symptoms only serves to harm. Not only those you alienate but also yourself. Because you have no guarantee that you will not join us one day.

We are all several nights of poor or no sleep and several bad things away from psychosis. It serves no one to be ignorant of it.

[narcissistcookbook]

After my dad's funeral there was a gathering at our house, and I took a break to go and lie down for a while.

I was up there for maybe 30 minutes, and during that time I had my first (and currently only) true psychotic episode.

I became suddenly convinced there was a man in the attic. I don't mean I was afraid there was a man in the attic, I mean I knew he was up there. Not only that, but I knew he'd killed my dad (impossible) and that when everyone had gone home he was going up sneak down from the attic and kill me, my partner and my mum.

For 30 minutes I lay there developing a plan to get everyone out of the house without alerting him, knowing nobody would believe me if I told them what was happening. I wasn't questioning my reality at all, any more than you'd question anything else you know for a fact - there was no doubt in my mind that this was real and we were all in danger.

Thankfully before I got up to do anything about it my perception shifted and I realised I was delusional.

I was completely sober. I'd slept fine. I was just experiencing a lot of stress and extreme emotions and that was enough to sever my link with reality for half an hour.

You don't believe it can happen to you until it happens to you 💜

[featherybitch]

after my mother had divorced my abusive father and we've moved out, i was 14 at the time. up until that point i was bottling everything, of course it was pretty obvious i struggle with anxiety and depression but being free of him for the first time made everything spill out.

when i was home with someone everything was fine but the second i was home alone i experienced anxiety so high that i started to feel endangered. when i was home with someone i knew that what i was experiencing while i was alone isn't real but when i was alone it felt real.

i was convinced there is someone in my flat. i was checking every room every couple of minutes, i had to have all doors closed (which wasn't ideal for my dog) and i was constantly seeing a black figure in the corner of my eyes. i had to face the cabin's door while showering because i was sure someone would sneak in and attack me.

it started to go away when i finally got meds for my anxiety and depression so i was "only" depressed the entire time but for some people my symptoms suggested otherwise.

i'd like to remind everyone that psychosis isn't a diagnosis on it's own. it's a group of symptoms. you can be "simply" anxious and experience psychosis. stop demonizing something you might or even might have already experienced.

[autistic-af]

Do any other autistics nap like...a lot?? On the weekends, I can easily nap 4+ hours and then still go to bed on time.

When I'm in burnout, I sometimes can nap repeatedly and then go to bed on-time.

[ladyshinga]

Doctors should snark at each other more, be a bit mean. Not for no reason, mind you. But if five doctors blow me off about symptoms and doctor number six FINALLY runs actual tests and gets a diagnosis, I think it should be Doctor Six's right to call up the other five and tell them they're lazy pieces of shit. That should be socially encouraged. Those first five doctors clearly can't listen to patients, but maybe another doctor might finally get to them.

[anotherpapercut]

all video games should have a “I’m shit at video games but I’m curious about the story and I don’t want to watch a let’s play” mode

[anotherpapercut]

I am

[anotherpapercut]

I made this post because I am disabled and no matter how much I practice there are some games I will never be able to play because I physically cannot move my fingers the way you have to and the responses to this post from other disabled people, people who grew up unable to play video games, and people who just aren’t very good at them has been extremely enthusiastically positive, while people who apparently can’t conceive of the idea that some people will never be good at gaming condescendingly comment, tag or send me asks telling me to try easy mode or to get good despite the fact that the feature I’m describing already exists in some games and mods. if you’re part of the latter group, consider that some of us can not ever be good at video games and we still deserve to be able to participate and have fun

[heart-sprout]

Ok, real talk, if you play PC games I use a program called Wemod that has settings for almost every game ever and you can change them to suit your needs Unlimited health? one hit kill? unlimited items? They can’t mod multiplayer games, but every genre of game imaginable is on Wemod so I use it for everything from stardew valley, subnautica, hades, farming sim and more! It mods the games to your level of ease without needing to mess with any files or get deep into webpages for mods yourself It is a life changer

[stevviefox]

FYI ⬆️⬆️⬆️

Only passing along as the only games I play are on my phone.

[random-nerd-queer]

Get an older sibling and have them play the game and you watch

[raevenlywrites]

One, this is older siblings who watch younger siblings play erasure, two that’s not the point. People deserve to enjoy the experience of playing a game for themselves. Watching someone play is fun. Playing yourself is a different kind of fun.

[beggars-opera]

There are so many reasons why someone wouldn’t want to be challenged by a game, and it’s ridiculous that people can’t fathom someone requiring a different gameplay than themselves. 

Back in the dark ages when I was a kid and we got our first computer, my dad noticed that I was sad because I wanted to play computer games like him, so he would let me play his games in god mode. Should a five year old have been playing Ultimate Doom? Absolutely not. Did I enjoy the shit out of it, particularly the part where I couldn’t die and could just wander around aimlessly machine gunning demons to death with no real goal in mind? Hell yes.

[gimme-the-gun-ill-shoot]

Also, no one should have to explain the reason they want to play the game in god mode.

That is absolutely none of your business, if someone wants to play the game with max items, weapons, armor, money etc., whatever reason they’re playing that way for. YOU, the anon on the internet have no business knowing or shitting on how they play. It’s THEIR game, and THEIR gameplay experience. and I hope OP was able to play their game the way they wanted to without being stymied by the games mechanics.

[strangelingincarnate]

Oh shit, I have something for this!

Can I Play That?

Can I Play That provides accessibility focused game reviews and news. For Disabled Gamers, By Disabled Gamers.

Can I Play That? is a fantastic resource for fellow disabled folks who want to play video games, as well as non-disabled video game devs who want to make their games more accessible. I highly recommend checking it out!

[the-bi-bilingual]

Lots of games already have a story mode, it cant be too difficult to make like. A sliding scale of difficulty? Or customizable settings?

[heyatleastitsnotcancer]

For people diagnosed with autism in adulthood, what do you wish your loved ones did or what did they do that helped? Do you have any resources that are good for newly diagnosed adults?

[autistic-af]

Helpful resources:

Unmasking Autism by Dr Devon Price - book - highly recommend for family as well as it explains autism and what we go through very well.

Embrace Autism - website - known mostly for their extensive online tests, they also have great resources and articles

Neurodivergent Insights - website - great resources and also helpful Venn diagrams of common co-diagnosis and misdiagnoses. Knowledge is power to ward off disbelieving family

The Neurodivergent Friendly DBT Skills Workbook - book available both hardcopy and digital - A fantastic way to start to document unmasking, triggers, coping skills etc

The Art of Autism Explaining The Autism Spectrum- comic - fantastic explanation of what the spectrum actually means.

The Transmitter - autism news and research - not for everyone, but a great dive into autism research, the science going on and explanations and articles

[batmanego]

autism allies (and even a substantial number of autistic people) when you tell them your autism-induced picky eating is not “picky eating” but is in fact an eating disorder that you can’t magically get over in the next 5 seconds:

[batmanego]

it’s all fun and games with the jokes about chicken nuggets until you’re watching me try to eat a piece of fruit and gagging so hard that my eyes water over just the thought of putting it in my mouth. Just saying

[batmanego]

like i don’t know if people who don’t struggle with ARFID (or eating disorders in general, or food allergies, or anything that makes food difficult) understand what a fucking minefield, like, hanging out with other people is when you genuinely can’t eat food. i can’t eat most takeout food. i can’t eat most meals my friends cook. if my food is made even slightly incorrectly (i recall a time recently when they put some sort of herb in my spaghetti despite me asking them not to), i have to send it back not because i’m “picky”, but because i can’t eat it.

and it only gets worse when people try to pressure me into eating new things, or laugh at the fact that i only eat spaghetti, or berate me for making things awkward and difficult. so many, like, Group activities are structured around/involve the consumption of food and i genuinely don’t think people who don’t have issues with food understand that.

and this isn’t to say like Don’t invite me places or whatever, because that’s WORSE. i WANT to be included. but please:

1. if you’re going to invite me somewhere, invite me somewhere you know has food i can eat

2. if you can’t do that, try doing something at home and making food you know i can eat

3. if you can’t do THAT, let me bring my own food

4. if you can’t do any of those, don’t berate me for not eating anything and please consider doing one of those options in the near future!!!

food is so stressful for so many people for reasons out of our control. whether it be a disorder like ARFID or a food allergy or food sensitivities or anything else that impacts what food we can eat and when we can eat it and how we have to deal with the aftermath of it, i can almost guarantee someone you know and someone you care about is in a unique circle of hell every time you invite them out to eat. Be mindful please

[teaboot]

^^^^^^^^^^^ YO THIS

I tell people I have a sensory issue and can't eat most meat. They decide I am a vegetarian. They get confused or upset when I eat something with meat in it. Cue the jokes. Explain that because it is a SENSORY ISSUE it's actually SPECIFIC SENSATIONS and not anything against the entire food group, and I know what meats are safe in what forms, but its too complicated to explain so PLEASE don't buy me meaty foods because you don't know what's safe. Cue invite to steak place. Cue jokes about "cheat days" and diets and weight loss. fxfhcybfjghjhg

[elviraaxen]

I made this a long time ago but for some reason never posted! It is my quick guide to protecting yourself against burnout as a person with ADHD and ASD.

Of course it is all about meeting your support needs at the end of the day, which are completely individual and may vary over time, but this could function as a guide if you have a hard time figuring out where to start! 🫶🏻 💙💙💙

[positivelyqueer]

very important when people say “mobility aid, health device etc not ruin outfit, still look good look fashionable.” Understand what trying to combat.

But also know it okay if mobility aid not look stylish. If cuffs and monitors and ostomy bags stand out and plain medical colours. If hair not look nice because more comfortable that way, not pain or headaches. If braces show over or under clothes.

Important important know you disabled/chronically ill and beautiful stunning handsome. But also don’t have to be. Don’t have to overperform for anyone else’s comfort. Your health comfort safety more important that appearance. Love y’all.

[rimonoroni]

teaching yourself how to deal with mildly annoying inconveniences is imo an essential part of treating the disabled people around you with compassion and no i'm not kidding

[rimonoroni]

sometimes you have to share a public space with someone who has loud verbal tics. sometimes a chronically ill friend will have to cancel plans because of a flare up even if you were really looking forward to hanging out with them. sometimes an autistic person will talk over you or interrupt you because they missed a particular cue. sometimes people who struggle to take care of themselves will smell bad. sometimes people with intellectual disabilities will need you to give them more detailed, patient instructions, even if it seems simple to you. sometimes you will need to give up your seat on the bus for a physically disabled person even if you don't want to move.

accommodating disabled people is not always easy or comfortable; being an ally means doing it anyway.

[autistic-af]

What does a meltdown and/or shutdown feel like to you?

For me a meltdown feels like a sudden burst of anguish, where my head feels like it's gonna split open if I don't get away. I also get a spike in physical energy, usually taken out by hitting, pacing, or excessive stimming.

A shutdown is like being locked in my body. I just can't handle any more information. I disconnect from the ability to speak, move normally, or concentrate on this outside of myself. My thoughts continue, but are often faster, more desperate, and I can get stuck on wondering when I'll be able to move or talk again. My movements are often sluggish and I'm more likely to sway, trip, or struggle with straight line walking. I also lose the ability to lift objects that have any weight, like a cup etc, and can stare into space for long periods of time. All whilst just wishing the world would stop for 10 minutes to let me breath.