Peace And PEM

Chaya חיה // she/her // 20 // Europe // OT student // INFP

[archaic-stranger]

the occupational therapy students

seeing deeper meaning in “everyday” activities

tailoring aids and techniques to fit different people

an ever-expanding knowledge of the human brain and body

the joy of expanded possibilities

knowing the importance of autonomy and individual values

moving beyond the things that society deems important to find what resonates with your client

an engrained feeling of hope

enabling people to live life to the fullest

related: medicine, psychology, nursing

[styna]

When you have really bad brain fog and—

[kestrelinspo]

(original)

[peace-and-pem]

Design for All (Universal Design)!

[diabeticlesbian]

Sweet Dreams - Rora Blue

2020.

“Sweet Dreams explores the intricacies of everyday ableism and everyday ableist comments. Some of the comments recount dialogue said to the artist. Other phrases were submitted by other disabled and/or chronically ill individuals as documentation of comments that have been said to them. Through using recognizable objects associated with disability in correlation with playful colors, Sweet Dreams aims to reclaim objects commonly associated with pain and disrupt the narrative on what it means to be disabled.”

[purpleyin]

I was talking to a longtime friend the other day about my fatigue and it was interesting (and also a little saddening) to see their perspective on my fatigue. I’ll preface that this is someone who wants to understand, though they struggle to, so while it frustrates me I’m not surprised and they’re definitely not a bad person at all. Figuring out why there’s a disconnect between what I know and what they see and interpret is somewhat helpful. I don’t know if this explanation of the differences people won’t see is helpful to anyone else.

Lees verder

[thefibrodiaries]

When abled people’s health is at risk, suddenly all the accessibility and changes that disabled people have been fighting for is immediately put in place.

This is a great take on the issue by @autistictic on Twitter!

[thefibrodiaries]

Abled people who spent years telling disabled/mentally ill people how lucky they were because they “get to” stay at home all day: *almost at breaking point after socially isolating for a week*

Disabled people:

[howtobeapersonwithfibro]

the weird thing about chronic illness is that you feel like you’re being punished every time your symptoms flare up after doing something. working, doing house chores, going out for groceries or a walk - all of these are things that I should do and want to do if I’m up to it, but I feel severely punished by my awful symptoms after.

here’s a reminder that you’re not being punished for anything. your illness requires a massive amount of recovery time after anything exertional, and that’s just a fact you have to accept. you’re not doing anything wrong, and sometimes it is worth the price for something you really wanted to get done.

[dragon-in-a-fez]

patient: so the symptoms I've been having are—

doctor:

[just-your-average-tangerine]

God I wish that were me. Literally every single person in my family has a thyroid disease and my doctor still claims my symptoms are "just anxiety" and refuses to test me

[dragon-in-a-fez]

turns out doctors will test your thyroid if you have literally anything except a thyroid problem

[virgo-of-rage]

You guys know you can switch doctors or demand that they indicate in your chart that they are refusing to test you, right?

[dragon-in-a-fez]

I spent my entire adolescence going around to over 30 different absolutely clueless specialists more than half of whom insisted on testing my thyroid function despite being able to see in my records that it had already been tested a dozen times but thanks I guess

[eroticcannibal]

"Just switch doctors and make demands "??? In this economy???

[finderofsmallthings]

Learning to advocate for yourself at the doctor is one of the biggest hurdles of early chronic illness. Here are some things someone could practice saying (practice with family, friends, or other safe people who will play this out with you):

“my thyroid function was checked recently. That information should be accessible to you in my chart. If it isn’t, please let me know so that I can get you those results. In the meantime, what else might be causing my symptoms?”

“Ive explored that avenue with other physicians. what else might be causing my symptoms?”

“I’d like to test ____. Can you order that one?” [if they say no] “Please note in my records that I requested that test and you declined to order it. I’ll wait here while you do that.” [then, ask the nurse for an after-visit summary that includes the doctor’s notes to check that they did it]

When in doubt- bring a friend!! There’s no reason why doctors appointments have to be solitary, and a friend can help you remember stuff you wanted to say, remember stuff the doctor said back, be brave and advocate for yourself, and if necessary, advocate for you.

[jabberwockypie]

I’ve recently had to explain “I have been suffering from anxiety/panic attacks for more than 20 years, so I know what those feel like. This is new.”

It worked, though.

[dovewithscales]

Write things down before and during. Bring notes on what you need to talk about. Take notes on what the doctor is telling you.

If you request your records they have 30 days to comply or it’s a HIPPA violation. They can charge up to 10 cents per page for printing cost.

[stripedroseandsketchpads]

It can also be difficult to self-advocate if you have mental health problems on record. I know I’ve had doctors who pointed to my diagnosed anxiety disorder to claim I was just a hypochondriac when I was so sick it was hard to WALK.

One thing that seriously helps:

If you are having physical problems misconstrued as mental illness and have a good therapist or psychiatrist, ask them to vouch for you in writing.

My psychiatrist writing me a note that said, “actually my professional opinion is that this person’s anxiety is well-controlled, please take that into account and FUCKING BELIEVE HER PLEASE”, and he was listened to more than I was.

If you can get other professionals on your side it really is helpful.

Is it deeply fucked up that some doctors won’t trust that you know your own body? Yes. But in the moment, trying to find other ways to get yourself heard can be a necessary sacrifice. Do that first and lodge any complaints later — ESPECIALLY if you think you’ve been discriminated against or dismissed base on race/age/gender because that happens a ton.

And ALWAYS keep a paper trail.

EDIT: Even if you’re not dealing with illness actually I’d love if people would rb to spread it. Self-advocacy is hard and working needlessly difficult systems to get vital help all alone can be a deeply demoralizing experience.

[barley-and-rye-deactivated20260]

Neurodivergency/Disability Questionnaire

Hi people! My name’s Ryan and i’m currently doing Design&Technology A level in the UK. For my coursework project i’ve decided to focus on inclusivity/accessibility, and as some early ‘market research’ (how fancy /j) I’ve created a couple surveys! The first is about neurodiversity, and the second is about physical disability. The questions are about what your experiences are in either of these areas, if choose to take them. Both surveys are,  -completely anonymous -10 minutes long at most -earn my appreciation upon completion :’)

I tried to make both of the surveys as easy to understand as possible, thank you so much if you decide to take part! <3

Neurodivergent questionnaire: https://forms.gle/gcSK3vQ3KaJ7VikD6

Disability questionnaire: https://forms.gle/sSXD6xJpnQ9y4BXa6

Please signal boost!

[peace-and-pem]

when you get this, please reply five things that make you happy and send this to the last ten people in your notifications 💐

Lots of brainfog atm so won’t be sending to specific people but here are five things that make me happy:

1. Looking outside into the garden whilst resting with my cat, at my parents’ house.

2. Watching Shaun the Sheep, please send me a message if you love it too! My younger sibling says it’s childish but it’s so well made and wholesome!

3. Seeing my wombat painting, wombats are amazing and probably my favourite animal.

4. Listening to music, currently obsessed with Coldplay’s NPR Tiny Desk performance.

5. Wrapping a gift for someone and putting the things together so it’s a nice package.

[troublesome-transboy]

Hi its like 1am for me but were you the one who posted about the chronic pain scale? I can't find it but i KNOW I saw it on tumblr pls help

Oh gosh I have no idea how long ago this was sent but yes!! I’m sure I posted about it a while ago but I keep a few screenshots saved so I can find them quickly! The first is the one I use most often, but I figure the others could be useful too!

Hope this helps @sappho-sapphire 💕💕

[amylynn2511]

A&P Study Guides

Compiled my notes into study guides and uploaded them into PDFs as promised! Here they are:

The Science of Anatomy and Physiology

Atoms, Ions, and Molecules

Energy, Chemical Reactions, and Cellular Respiration

The Cell

Tissue Organization

 Images of Tissue Slides (Histology for Lab Practicals)

Endocrine System

Blood

Cardiovascular System: Heart

Blood Vessels

Immune System

Lymphatic System

Respiratory System

Urinary System

Regulating Bodily Fluids

Digestive System

Regulation of Nutrient Blood Levels

Reproductive System

Lab; Lab

Happy studying!

(for those who have asked) Tips: $AmyLynn2511, @AmyLynnGagliano, [email protected] (PayPal and Google Pay)

[peace-and-pem]

Wow thank you!

[peace-and-pem]

Zoomester studyblr challenge

Day 1- Introduce yourself! What’s some basic info you’d like to share about yourself?

Hi, I’m Chaya, 20 years old, and I live in Europe. In my first year of a 4 year bachelor. Part time student, full time spoonie.

Day 2- If you’ve chosen a major, why did you decide on it?

In my country the system is different, not major/minor. After (a certain level of) highschool you can go to university and you apply for a specific bachelor’s degree. 

Currently studying Bachelor of Occupational Therapy. The profession of Occupational Therapist is wonderful and hopefully I can make a difference for other disabled people. If I ever finish this degree :’). I’m also considering to pursue medical ethics, or humanism after this.

[lilmamabeyellin]

[itscoldinwonderland]

Different people respond better to different types of therapy, and most therapist will do multiple types of therapy with their patients.

CBT - Most common type of therapy because it works well for all mental health problems.

ACT - Especially helpful for treating anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, OCD, psychosis and substance abuse.

DBT - Specifically created for BPD. This type of therapy works really well for personality disorders, PTSD, eating disorders, substance abuse and impulsive control disorders.

Interpersonal therapy - Created to treat major depressive disorder but is now also used for other depressive and mood disorders.

There are lots of other types of therapy too (:

[tiiiiiired]

Gonna add my two cents as a research psychologist:

CBT does NOT work well if the individual has a history of being emotionally manipulated or gaslit, nor does it work well when the individual is working through traumas that have been used against them or disbelieved. CBT can feel like gaslighting, toxic positivity, denial of the seriousness of a situation, or emotional manipulation if not done very carefully. As such, it might be best to avoid it and find something else if you have a history of problems with the aforementioned experiences.

ACT also works REALLY WELL for individuals coping with sudden and "devastating" changes! It's often adapted for use by disability specific clinics to help newly diagnosed patients learn to cope with the limitations on their environments. People with disabilities (PWDs) tend to feel pressured to not express their disability related distress around non-PWDs and, as such, tend to see those feelings as shameful. There's a lot of "I should be more grateful" or "it's not as bad as it could be" feelings around disability as a result of this pressure and ACT is great for undoing them!

DBT is generally amazing for stress disorders and preventing stress disorder symptomatology in at risk populations. It teaches you stress tolerance skills and how best to avoid or diminish conflicts, allowing you to avoid the sorts of environmental triggers that commonly worsen stress disorder symptoms.

Interpersonal therapy is also great for neurodivergent folks, victims of childhood emotional abuse, and children of parents with untreated/unmanaged psychiatric disorders. Essentially, if you grew up with difficulty interacting effectively with and relating to others, interpersonal therapy can help you understand why and change those interactions in the future. Healthier relationships and social interactions are a great way to break the cycle of abuse for those of us raised by parents who were emotionally abusive and/or had untreated mental illnesses.

Since no one has mentioned it on this post, I'd like to add that most therapists these days practice a sort of integrative therapy. They'll take what they find most effective from each type of therapy for each individual problem, and piece together something a little more tailor made for their patients. This is part of why seeing an actual therapist is so important. Not every aspect of the aforementioned therapies will be relevant to every problem. Some aspects may even be harmful to handling some problems. The therapist is trained to pick out these things and adjust accordingly, unlike the average self help book or online resource. But knowing the types of therapies available and what you want to get from therapy is an immense part of finding a therapist that will suit your needs, so please research things carefully and think over what you need before selecting one!

Go to therapy, y'all!

[peace-and-pem]

Thanks for the note about CBT because wow that makes sense! Now I know why my experience with CBT was so awful.

[a-berry-existential-crisis]

Nothing like being really angry at yourself for not being able to do anything beyond watch videos and scroll tiktok only to actually sit down for awhile with no outside stimulus and realize you've been indulging in mindless noise to fight the severe brain fog you weren't acknowledging

[peace-and-pem]

This is so relatable! I always get angry at myself for my screentime but the alternative is sitting in the brain fog for hours. In both scenarios I don’t get anything done but at least I will be entertained in the first one.

[autisticadvocacy]

'Cooking in a Wheelchair' is a joyful, accessible YouTube show full of practical tips

Low-energy recipes that require minimal chopping and "faffing."

 “As a disabled person, you don’t have anyone to look to or learn from and no one hands you a book and says, ‘This is how you do things,’…You just have to figure things out and I worry that a lot of disabled people probably think they can’t cook"