Go Beyond! Plus Ultra!

they/them | INFP | Second Year NatSci Student | 🇬🇧

[dragonsblowingoutbirthdaycandles]

your life is not an optimization problem

[dragonsblowingoutbirthdaycandles]

as in you'll never achieve the perfect daily routine, sleep schedule, coping mechanisms, mannerisms, fashion sense etc. even after years and years of healing and improvement and self-discovery. you will never be so good at life that you manage to utilize every waking moment. its great to be productive and all but sometimes you'll suck ass. sometimes you'll take eight hours to be done with a twenty minute job. you'll prioritize the wrong thing. you'll sleep for 12 hrs just to avoid being awake. you'll relapse. and you'll relapse again. you'll forget to turn in the assignment. you'll order too little food. life is far too large and complex for you to even experience it completely, much less try to make sense of and control it. you can't. please give up on that and be at peace with the hours you lose. they are not separate from your life.

[leafyyygreensss]

how do people with audhd get through college?

[forkborb]

Oh boy my college experience was like 9 years total, 12 semesters long with breaks

So this is for US colleges/unis , not sure if fully applicable with other countries

First, there won’t be any structure given by professors. You make your own structure and schedule and try to stick to it and fail. If you have good relationship with parents and they’re the type of people , you get a system where they check up on your progress based on some schedule.

Also, befriend roommates or neighbors (neurodivergents will find each other) and do study sessions together.

There’s often suggestions of going to office hours, and that may work but from personal experience, YouTube, self study sessions, any additional tutoring on campus that gets the ball rolling until you’re comfy enough with material to go to professor.

My uni had pilot programs - non TA led review classes with materials sourced from class , free no credits courses

Schedule your food intakes, eat well, don’t survive off instant spicy ramen for a month. Treat yourself when you get relatively good grades (or increase in grade)

Uhhh figure out what time of day you’re most productive

I may add more

[vibin-in-the-void]

disclaimer: I'm on adhd meds so if you're reading this like "fat chance I can do all that, you having a laugh?", bear with me bc I've kinda forgot what my daily life was like without them

I'm at a uk uni so things might be different but this is what's helped me:

– If you get stuck procrastinating a task, work with your brain rather than against it

If writing an email has become a Big Task, talk to them in person, or find someone who can email them for you (uni libraries are set up for stuff like this)

Procrastinating eating? Go study. Procrastinating studying? Go eat. Procrastinating both? Have a drink, tidy a shelf in your room, draw your favourite character, have a cup of tea

– Most unis have a disability support team and/or study support team. Talk to them. It’s enough just to get the conversation started. They can help you with:

Understanding what you need to do for a coursework/assignment

Giving you advice on improving your studying (eg. keep a water bottle and snack in your bag, create mini-deadlines to work towards so you're not cramming, etc)

Proofreading your essays to help with report structure, paragraph structure, grammar, spelling, asking questions to help you come up with areas you can expand upon

Citing and references and academic wording (I use MyBib for referencing)

Advice on how to balance uni work with daily life, like surviving and being happy

They can even sit in silence for the whole hour while you work (ie. body doubling)

– If you need to do a lot of work but can’t motivate yourself to study, do half an hour (or 10 or 20 minutes, whatever doesn’t feel scary). The lack of pressure to do a lot will make it easier to actually do a lot, because as long as you’ve done the 30 minutes you’ve done well, anything extra is a bonus

– Studying with others is really helpful because you've now got a responsibility to other people to show up, and the body doubling helps with being focused (unless people are talking the entire time, then it’s better to study on your own)

– The instructions for my courseworks are written in wordy paragraphs, so I put aside an hour or two to rewrite it in a way I can understand (aka. bullet points)

You can refer back to your version when needed, rather than having to struggle with the paragraphs every time

Rewriting it in a different format will force you to fully process and understand the task, so hopefully you'll less likely to procrastinate on it bc you understand it so it seems less scary

– Adding on from what prev said, if scheduling meal times doesn’t work, prioritise eating well. This is how I prioritise things:

Level 0: Some food is better than no food, even if it's a chocolate bar

Level 1: you can eat a carrot raw, you can have a can of chopped peaches for lunch, you can eat a whole ball of mozzarella in one sitting. Eating ready-meals, pot noodle or chicken nuggets and chips 5 days in a row will affect your mental state

Level 2: have snacks in your room, school bag and coat pockets. I buy a box of 26 Nature Valley cereal bars from amazon every month. Use them when you’re hungry and use the newfound absence of hunger to eat a bigger meal, or when you’re late for class

Level 3: tin/aluminium foil on a baking tray, chopped onions and carrots covered in a bit of oil, some sort of meat that can be cooked in 30 minutes, shove it all in the oven at fan 180°C (gas mark 6) for half an hour, eat it, and put the foil in the bin once the oil has cooled. Tadaa, no washing up

– Having a bad day where everything has gone to shit? Have a drink, eat the closest thing in reach, do a hobby you enjoy or chat with someone, then go to sleep and try again tomorrow.

– A short walk through some trees in a field or a park will make the rest of the day a little bit easier. Touch grass.

Even simply opening your curtains and seeing the sun before 11am will help

[sleepyandbi]

Join a disability club/support group if your campus has one, it's life changing to have community and I would not have survived my last year!

Learn what accomodations other people may have, you never know what'll be helpful.

Like other people have said body doubling (or accountability buddy) is SO CRUCIAL, even for room cleaning or personal hygiene, not just studying. Friends kept me alive.

Set up some type of reward system for showing up to class. I signed up to be a notetaker so it was my literal job and I was getting paid before I became more physically disabled and had an even harder time getting to class.

If your university/college offers some type of exercise/dance/movement class that fits your level, sign up. It forces you to move in ways that you may forget to do, but it isn't high commitment as like being an athlete or on a dance team, and could still count for credit hours potentially. Otherwise, I was not having an exercise routine, and on the days I felt I was accomplishing nothing at least I was learning a dance move.

RSD is so real, but try not to let one bad experience with a professor set the stage for how you approach other classes and professors. There are kind, accommodating ones out there who actually care about how they teach. (this is so very much speaking from experience)

[raineaxolotl]

Ooh I just set up a university resource for many of these things so buckle up

If you (think you will) need something, ASK

My foolproof method to ask for small adaptations from lecturers and teachers is to 1. Introduce yourself, 2. State your commitment to the course/their class, 3. Explain what you struggle with (avoid labels! Describe specifically) and 4. Explain what you need to be able to take the class. 5. Check if they're cool with it but by this part of your story they usually are

E.g.

"Hi, I'm X, I'm really excited to take your class! I just wanted to let you know that I'm a bit sensitive to the noise in this lecture hall, which I worry will distract me from the lecture. Is it okay if I wear my headphones so I can focus on the material better?"

-> really in this example you wouldn't even need the statement about being excited for the class. By letting them know that you're worried you'll get distracted and want to use your adaptation to engage with what they have to say better, you're already letting them know you're committed to listening to them! People like being heard and appreciated

Don't be afraid to switch techniques

If you're anything like me, your standard study method or location that yielded amazing results for the past few weeks or months eventually starts failing. You get bored, you get distracted, it doesn't feel motivating anymore.

This is normal.

You have a brain that needs a weird balance of structure and change. Change your structure every once in a while.

Maybe you'll find a handful of techniques that will work again if you try them again after a while of doing something else. Then you can rotate them.

If not, don't beat yourself up about not following or committing to the method that was supposed to make you functional. When a method is done being useful, it's time to move on to a new one. Delight in the thrill of the search.

-> Keep a list of new techniques you could try! Make it exciting!

Change the stuff in your room/dorm/house around

You are a creature that stops seeing things when they're the same for too long. Appreciate your stuff more by putting it in a different spot every once in a while.

Move your desk, rearrange your chill area, redecorate your cabinet of trinkets. Put up that poster that's been lying around in a drawer because you couldn't decide on a good spot and forgot about it. Etc etc

It helps the depression that comes with sameness and can motivate you to start using your new environment for studies or hobbies or even clean an area that you've neglected for a while.

Pick whatever you want to change, but if you truly can't pick, try to look for a way to move the Problem Area in your room (for me usually my desk) or something adjacent to it (and I mean move the Whole Thing. I look to move my desk itself). Might motivate you to get rid of the current state of the problem, or it might help you identify what mess can be moved to somewhere less in the way.

Reward yourself *while* doing the thing

People talk plenty about how you can try to motivate yourself by giving yourself a reward after you finish things. You have a brain that has the logic that it can also just eat the chocolate now and/or doesn't process long-term rewards.

Just eat the chocolate while doing the homework.

This can look like a lot of things! I often get super hyped from musicals and will listen to those soundtracks while studying to get the dopamine flowing. I also like to make myself (or order at a cafe) a fancy ass coffee and put that next to my laptop so I HAVE to sit in the work spot and start doing the work to get to drink my fancy coffee. I then have to commit to trying to work for at least as long as it takes to drink my coffee.

The point is that you reward yourself for as little as attempting to start and continuing to try.

It's really hard to motivate yourself to get started! Reward the steps it takes you to get there!

I'll see if I can add more when I'm not unreasonably tired!

[skwpr]

[19.05.25]

Thoughts, doubts, fears—they can be loud, but they don’t define your future. Your steps do.

You can think all kinds of things about yourself. You can stop, look back at the past, freeze in long pauses, and replay destructive phrases in your head that someone once planted in your mind. You can believe they are reality.

You can dwell on impossibility, on how nothing will work out for you. You can seek advice from others, look at their experiences, compare yourself to them. You can deny yourself opportunities, dreams, action.

But you know what matters most? Only concrete, purposeful actions will help you feel out your real potential. Only through action will you understand what you’re truly capable of. Only through action can you harness your strength and reach your goal.

Inspired by: "You Can. A Book on Finding Connection with Yourself and Reality" by A. Adler

[queenofspades2222]

Productivity tips! ヾ(≧▽≦)o

some tips i will be following for the next 7+ months

1+2 rule: pomodoro study session for 2hrs and 1hr revision (if you are like me and you find pomodoro session too short, try 90 min ultradian sprint followed by a 20min break)

switching subjects after 1hr

1-3-5 method: 1 must do; 3 should do's; 5 could do's

replacing social media dopamine hits with ted talks or anything that sparks creativity in your field of study

quality>quantity

take boring breaks: just sit in silence, walk around, stretch but don't check your socials or listen to music

create a study playlist and do not listen to those songs outside your study session, and put it on before you start your session to get into that mode

this is for when you're struggling to get in the flow state - do the task for 5 min and if do get into the flow state (which you will) set a 25 min timer and then follow through with pomodoro technique.

take 30 seconds break after each 30 min, take deep breaths; helps to reset and rewire your brain

take mini-breaks throughout the day- which are non-academic to unwind and keep yourself away from your gadgets

if you are struggling to be consistent, a study partner (on dc or focusmate or any other online community) might be what you need and don't go easy on each other, share daily targets, helps you to stay motivated

for the people working overtime with adhd to make their dreams come true and become an academic weapon (specifically inattentive type because i have that) i have listed out some tips that might help you here

for those of you whose primary device for studying is not your phone, i am seriously saying, DISABLE YOUR YOUTUBE, you will love your life once you get rid of rotting your brain on youtube shorts and just scrolling for dopamine hit, it also helps you to stay productive throughout the day because you did not start your day with instant dopamine

asian mom checking on you studying video on youtube, that is the advice you never knew you needed but it is gold

for my people who have to do lots of question solving , and are prone to getting the questions wrong when attempting , make an error log, track what question you got wrong from which chapter , and categorise it as "silly/conceptual gap/application issue/time management error" and work accordingly

everytime you think of procrastinating and doomscrolling, remember 'THE WINNER TAKES IT ALL"

ps. i will keep editing this as time goes and i find more useful tips<3

[ballpoints-and-pencils]

Don't guilt trip yourself :)

Do you find yourself having spent way too much time doing nothing, and now feel guilty about it and not studying/working instead? It's okay. Let's appreciate the fact that you realised it, and are willing to take an action on it :)

Set a timer for 20 guilt-free minutes.

Clean your desk. Make your environment attractive.

Clear your mind. Take note of all the things that are clouding up your clever brain :)

Get some kind of beverage/light snack to boost your mood, or something caffeinated to get you going.

Focus on the first thing you have to do, and just pay attention to it for 5 mins. Don't do, just think of how great it's going to be, now that you're going to get done with it.

Now let go of that guilt. Because you're back on your feet <3 You can do this!! :)

Tip: begin with smaller, low-effort tasks to boost your morale. Also, make bigger, scary tasks into smaller, trackable tasks, and do them one at a time.

Happy studying/working!

[x-cyb3rgrl-x]

advice for university students who have a hard time getting work done aka the things that my ADHD-having ass needed 3 fucking semesters to learn :

1. go to class. GO TO CLASS. yes, even if the lectures are recorded. yes, even if you have other work you really need to do right now. you will fall behind if you don't and it will suck. next time you have class you will think, "I can't go to class today because I still haven't caught up with the material from the previous class" and then you'll do that several times and then you'll haven fallen really far behind and it will really suck. when you show up to class, keeping up with assignments will just naturally follow.

2. do not try to get work done in your room. it will not happen. no matter how much you don't want to leave, you have to do it, you have to leave. go to a library, or a cafe, or even just a different room in your house/dorm if you don't want to change out of your pjs (and even if you're one of those people who *can* get studying done in your room [couldn't be me], separating the environments you work in and relax in will feel so much better, i promise!).

3. go to office hours. if it's one of those STEM class office/peer tutoring hours where lots of people are being helped at once, it's especially important that you go. the material is designed to be challenging and you're not expected to be able to do it on your own. it's also a great way to hold yourself accountable to getting the work done on time. literally just put on some noise-cancelling headphones and work on stuff there until you have a question.

4. start on your big assignments EARLY. working on one essay or project and almost nothing else for 2 days straight leads to burnout. start at least 2 weeks in advance, and work on it everyday for just an hour, maybe 2. setting time-based goals is key here. it makes the assignment feel less intimidating. it's easy to convince yourself to work on it even if you don't want to because, hey, it's only an hour. once you start getting bored or frustrated, it's not too hard to power through, since it's only an hour. and if you're getting super distracted and really struggling to focus you can switch gears to something else guilt-free, and then return to it tomorrow with fresh eyes and a fresh mind.

5. inevitably, you'll fuck up. you'll do poorly on a test, you'll miss an assignment, you'll not understand things you're learning in class, you'll get nervous during a presentation. some days, you might not even fuck up necessarily, you'll just feel bad. when it happens, take a step back. acknowledge and honor your emotions. you might feel sad or disappointed or ashamed. treat yourself with kindness and compassion. try not to judge yourself, recognize that your feelings are natural and normal. take care of yourself like you would take care of a friend who was in your position. do some easy assignments, then wrap up work early. eat something, talk to someone or journal about it, do some cleaning, take a shower, and go to bed early. maybe it feels like you shouldn't because you have too much work to do, but trust that addressing your heavy emotions is more productive than just powering through. personally, if i don't do this, the feeling of shame lingers in my subconscious and i spiral for several days. like, don't get out of bed or eat or do any work kind of spiraling. perhaps the consequences are not as material for you. regardless, honoring your emotions and treating yourself with compassion is a life-long skill that is always worth practicing. your mental health will thank you for it.

[thegingeralien]

Thought I might share my “doing homework with adhd” tips in case the might help even just one person (because that would make me feel happy).

Who am I to be giving you advice? Good point! I am still terrible at studying and I’m 26 and at University for the millionth time. But I have studied A LOT in my 22 years of schooling with varying degrees of success.

I see a lot of people, especially teenagers or first year university/college students, with ADHD asking for tips on how to study. But if you do a google search most of the websites and advice that comes up can be extremely ableist. So I hope I can help someone!

TIPS TO HELP YOU STUDY WHEN YOU HAVE AN ADHD GREMLIN BRAIN!:

1. Chewing gum!

- This might come across as a weird one, but it has actually really helped me. I use it as a form of stimming to help keep me focused and concentrating. Other forms of stimming can potentially end up being more of a distraction when you actually need to be reading or writing - but they can help if you just need to be listening. Try not to get a bubble gum or fun flavoured one though - as they can end up making your mouth feel dry, lose flavour quickly, and just give your brain way too many sensory things to become distracted with.

2. Buying colour coded stationary!

- New stationary can make me really excited to start studying, but that excitement never lasts long and the act of buying stationary can sometimes become it’s own hobby. That’s not what we are going for here. I really recommend, especially if you are a visual learner like me, to buy colour coded stationary. This means removable page markers, different coloured post it notes, highlighters, sometimes even pens. This way if your mind jumps from one topic to the other, it doesn’t matter. Go with the flow. Forcing your ADHD gremlin brain to focus can be extremely counter intuitive. So pick a colour for each topic, and stick to that system to find organisation among your own chaos!

3. Buy a really cheap, boring year diary with hardly any writing inside.

- Not sure if your school/university has their own diary but they can be perfect for what I am on about. Generally you can find them for really cheap, soft cover, no writing or designs within the dates. Just dates, days, weeks and lines where you can write your homework. This helped me a lot in High School. I wish I had kept doing it in University, but I am good with giving advice, and not so much with taking it. I used to decorate the outside of it however I wanted. Some years I would redecorate the same diary every semester. In the public holidays or holiday days I would colour those lines in with different highlighters to make it look like a rainbow. But every assignment due date, homework, draft, rewrite, form I had to bring back, library book due date, school activity days, ANYTHING to do with school I would write in there with reminds and check lists. Important due dates would be highlighted, general homework and daily to do lists t(o help me not leave my assignments to the last minute) would have a tick box beside them (because ticking tick boxes is free dopamine). Try to not put birthdays or fun things in it. This is a small way to stay on track so it helps you actually stay on track with the big things when you’re home.

4. Big whiteboards stuck on the wall where you can’t avoid it.

- This is not something I had in school, but I so wish I did. I have been using this recently to keep on top of house work (as maintaining your own house is tiring) and my small business or other things I really can’t avoid. If I physically write it down (not just in my phone) it psychologically does help you commit it to memory. Again, physically putting a line through a task you just completed is a hecking great rush of dopamine. But the biggest reason I love my white board, I can’t ignore it. It is stuck to the wall and is never out of sight, out of mind. I can’t put my phone or diary down and then refuse to look at it until I’m past the due date. Again, I’m not a perfect person, there are days where I don’t do anything I have written on the white board. But the great thing is, I don’t have to continuously feel like I failure, as I can wipe it all off the next morning or week and start fresh. I also put important things I have to remember that I’m doing during the week so I don’t forget them.

5. Icky Medication.

- I know not everyone wants to be on medication, and I understand. I am not forcing you to. No matter what your opinions are, you lovely gremlin who is still reading this post, regarding medication, you are valid and I respect you. My personal experience with medication has not been the best. I have been misdiagnosed for a severe chunk of my academic life which has seen me trying to focus and maintain school work under some even worse states then I am unmedicated! However, since receiving my diagnosis and finding the right ADHD medication for me, I have the ability to get so much work done without having to unnecessarily struggle. It’s unfortunately not magic, it will not turn me into a robot that makes me do work and turn out incredible, noble peace prize winning assignments (as much as I wish that were possible). I still have the ability to be a lump, doom scrolling through tumblr, forgetting to eat, and ignoring responsibilities. But it really helps me when I sit down and start that thing that isn’t fun. Yesterday it helped me hyperfocus on cleaning my office which was a terrifying room to be in. So it’s pretty close to magic in my opinion!

6. Accessing Disability Support at your place of learning.

- Not all of you taking the time to read this will have either a) an offical diagnosis or b) a good disability support available to you wherever you are completing your studies. And that is okay. This dot point just won’t be for you right now. But keep it in mind for a time when it might apply to you, as it’s something I never thought I would need, but will never take for granted ever again.

- If you have an offical diagnosis and Disability Support, make an appointment with the disability support adviser. DO IT NOW! Get your psychiatrist to write a diagnosis letter outlining that you have <enter superpower that makes you hilarious here> and that you are receiving <enter x,y,z treatment here> and that you would benefit from receiving <enter what you have always wished you had on the days you can’t make your ADHD gremlin brain do the thing here>. Now these benefits can be, but not limit to: automatic extensions on ALL assignments, extra time on exams, extra breaks to walk around while taking exams, special consideration when marking assignments, my university allows me to take exams in a separate room with only the other students in my subject who also have disability support (occasionally I have taken an exam alone with only a tutor present) so I don’t get distracted, permission to take fidget items into class or exam (I have the option to wear headphones, as long as I can display that they are not connected to anything). Maybe you can come up with some great ones for you with your disability advisor or your psychiatrist.

- The disability advisor will often go through your course outline with you at the start of each semester or year. This is annoying and a great time for disassociating, but can be useful in hindsight because you are made aware of everything that will come up during your class so you are not surprised. Because lets be honest, it is unlikely you are going to look at the course calendar too often.

- Side Note: I make an appointment every semester with my disability support officer for my area of study to make sure I have my special considerations for the year. Now I may go through the whole year without ever using my considerations. However, the fact that I know they are there takes an insane amount of pressure off of myself. If I’m having an insanely screwy loony tune mental health moment, I can email my coordinator my disability plan and say I need an extension due to personal reasons, and WHOOP, there it izzzzz.

7. Dedicated one thing or a few things that have nothing to do with food/alcohol/other substances to reward yourself with for doing the thing!

- This may not work for everyone. It doesn’t always work for me. I used to reward myself with food, but that only reinforced my stimming with overeating and my already bad relationship with food. And I feel as though that would be the same with any other substance that can be linked with addiction. (Addiction is a tough word, cause what aren’t I addicted to, I have ADHD, but hopefully you get what I mean!).

-Now, boring try and not choose this aside, lets think of somethings that work really well as rewards!

- My partner likes to come give me a kiss and a hug when ever they have written and reread a paragraph, you might buy a book when you get a really good mark, you might want to go make a cup of tea and watch an episode of your hyperfixation after studying for <enter a good period of time here>, you might allow yourself to partake in an activity you usually do while procrastinating (but at least this time you know you aren’t putting something off), talk to someone who you know will tell you they are proud of you as they understand the mental struggle you go through to concentrate (if you can’t think of anyone, it is 110% okay if that person are the amazing people on tumblr or the adhd tumblr chats. We will freaking pop a bottle of champagne for you cause we get it!).

- Try and make what ever you choose be something in a different room or away from your working space. Getting out can really calm you down.

8. Don’t be afraid to ask for assistance.

- This is true for anything, but I don’t mean just asking your teacher to give you extra help understanding the task and marking rubric. Many people online, tutors, librarians at your school, past or present students offer assistance rereading and making small edits (they won’t make it magical unfortunately) to your assignments. If you are like me and once you have written or completed the dreaded thing, you can not imagine or force your gremlin brain reread or edit the thing. So it can help to just delegate this to someone else, who hasn’t read it before, so they won’t disassociate or skim read it. They will often notice things you never would have even if you were neurotypical as that is just what happens when you have been working on something for so long.

9. Repetitive music.

- It generally helps if this has no lyrics. Lo-fi is amazing. Classical is alright too if it works for you, but both my partner and I agree that it can really assist you to keep up pace and focus when the beat is a high and repetitive (almost meditative) tempo.

10. Limit your screen space.

- This is a tip completely from my partner @dr-adhd who also has ADHD, is an avid PC gamer and is consistently in a battle with their gremlin brain to focus on completing their PhD. They have discovered that it really helps them to limit their screen space - simply put, work on one screen only. They have done more work more easily when they have their one screen on their laptop to focus on. Whereas their office has multiple screens so they could be playing runescape, watching YouTube, listening to lo-fi and doing work - which never worked (shocking right hahaha).

11. At the risk of sounding like a Mum... Put your phone and other electronics other than the assignment necessary one, away.

- I am a Mum, but to a fluffy puppy dog, so I hate to sound like my Mum when I was in high school, but she was right. Mobiles are the single easiest and biggest distraction in ADHD history. I often, even at coffee shops, have to turn my phone over so that I am not consistently looking at it every time the screen lights up to say the pizza place has sent me a coupon, or a carpet place that has been having a sale since I was born is... still having a sale, or a friend from school wants you to watch this TikTok. Even though you might not want to ignore your friends, because people pleasing, difficulting making/keeping friends and RSD are hecking real things, but they can all wait. Trust me, none of them are urgent. That TikTok will still be funny in an hour or two. And I’m probably completely right when I say that whomever just messaged you, never replies as quickly as you want them too. So I doubt they are going to think twice if you are MIA to finish your thing.

My partner or I might add to this later, but at the moment I already know that I probably wouldn’t read this wall of words if I was the one reading it, so if you are still with me, THANK YOU and I really hope I might have helped you. Sorry for the mound of words, but maybe you can reblog, screen shot, or save this and read a dot point at a time or refer to it when you need. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, I promise what ever it is, I’ve asked the same thing once in my life or something MUCH stupider.

[slfcare]

things to do when your day's been bad

lie down on the floor beside your bed

take a shower, use the good soap

listen to a song you liked ages ago

write your thoughts out in all caps

draw a head and then 'decorate' that head however you're feeling (I drew a man with a hole for a face. It worked)

listen to a song and try to focus on one (1) instrument at a time, baseline, drums, guitar, another guitar, repeating sound effect

wash your face

take a nap or go to bed early

call someone. tell them about your horrible day or let them talk about theirs or both

go through your camera roll (specifically the screenshots folder)

go through your saved instagram posts / tumblr likes

watch That One Really Great Live Performance of That Artist You Love, then read the comments of everyone having great taste like you do

cry a little about it

remember that this day will end and another will begin. it'll be all new, never experienced before, no bad things will have happened, and you'll be okay.

[sailermoon]

sometimes when I’m being especially self deprecating and convinced no one likes me I have to tell myself “you’re being goob. you are being goob right now”

[sailermoon]

[dysaniadisorder]

have you ever cried at work

yes (during break/went into separate room, stopped to cry)

yes (cried and continued working while actively crying)

yes, ive done both of those

no

Voting ended onJan 15, 2025

[dysaniadisorder]

have you ever cried at work

yes (during break/went into separate room, stopped to cry)

yes (cried and continued working while actively crying)

yes, ive done both of those

no

Voting ended onJan 15, 2025

[probuccalfat]

i’m printing this out and i’m putting it on the mirror so i can confront myself with it

[flowerais-deactivated20211031]

a soft reminder: even though you might be disappointed in how you did this year, you still made a lot of progress. you tried and tried again, so many times. every little thing you achieved. every breakdown you got up from. every moment of happiness you encountered. every little act of self care and kindness you did. it all matters. they all helped you grow. they are all small victories to be proud of. it's not always clear to see, because day to day everything feels the same, but I promise you've come a long way since the beginning of the year. so please be extra gentle with yourself when looking back. be proud of yourself too, if you can. you did well.

[stuckinapril]

notice how linkedin isn’t on maslow’s hierarchy of needs

[slfcare]

ten years ago you were so scared of such different things, but you survived them anyway. the same goes for five years ago and two years ago. everything that has ever felt like a hurdle, you’ve passed through. so be afraid, identify your fears, and then allow yourself to remember that in just a little while, this will be another thing that you have overcome.

[slfcare]

on a personal note, this was about how ten years ago i was scared of weekly gym classes and my upcoming exams, and at the time i wrote this post i was scared of the interviews for my graduation internship, and now i am scared of things like product presentations for the clients at said internship - and while it might sound hopeless to think that those situational fears are going to be replaced by other situational fears, it's all proof that we're moving forward and growing. just like i survived those gym classes, exams and interviews, life is a series of victories that you have to look back on to stay aware of.

you're a victor for being here despite the fears you had back then, just like you're still going to be here tomorrow despite the fears you have today.

your fear of spiders and rollercoasters are valid, but i hope you get the gist of where i was getting at! you've got this! life goes on and it will take you with it!

[flowergrenades]

*through gritted teeth* you are not a child taking a test with the purpose of getting the highest score, you are an adult trying new things and finding ways to enjoy your life, make mistakes, be a beginner, be mediocre, be where you need to be, be unlikeable, just. be.

[skyepatridge]

Dropping this here for anyone who may not already know about it. paywallreader.com

[cullen-skink]

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