please do not interact terfs, transphobes, maps, tr*mp supporters, racists, homophobes, exclusionists, nsfw, proana/sh blogs ect.
listed below are the tags I currently use, if there's any cw/tw you would like me to tag please message me or send an ask (i have anon enabled) ♡
want to send an ask or read the trigger tags? please read below ♡
I love answering asks! I'm happy to answer:
♡ things that make you happy or that you'd like to share!
♡ questions about adhd/mental health
♡ venting
♡ personal questions
however with this said please keep in mind:
♡ this blog is sfw
♡ remember that I am in no way a professional. I will always encourage you to talk to a professional or someone you are close to if you are struggling
♡ I am happy to offer support of give advice but anything I do say is just my opinion or what I would do in that situation! doing whatever you feel is right for you is most important
♡ It can take a few days to answer these types of asks as I want to take the time to answer anything correctly and I am a university student and so I'm not always around!
♡ I can't answer every question, if I feel that I can't offer anything useful for specific topics, leave a ask too long to reasonably reply or feel uncomfortable answering for any reason it may not be answered!
trigger tags currently used are: cw annoying, tw suicide, tw suicide mention, cw altruism
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I feel you, most of my nights feel like restless nights honestly.
i've never really found anything that works consistently so i tend to move between them randomly but i've listed them all out under the cut and i hope something helps!
I also made this into a google doc (currently still fixing formatting!) since i don't trust this site to not randomly delete what i've typed.
as always, if anyone reading this has something to add please feel free to comment or add an addition to the post and i'll reblog it!
first, i tend to find it gets worse if i have something to early in the morning or if i take my meds after 12pm? i haven't found a solution to the first one i don't take my meds past 12pm unless i absolutely have to. it makes the day difficult is better than not sleeping!
listening to something! i've personally found this to be the most consistently helpful as it helps to give me something to latch my mind onto when it feels like its dancing everywhere. i went through a phase where i listened to those ambient sounds people make on youtube (i'm really specific about the ones i like so here's a link to my favourites) but more often now tend to use podcasts or audiobooks.
what i listen to usually depends on my mood but i find picking something that's familiar but still fresh enough to interest me helps the most. Since we’ll be here forever if i list them all (am happy to make a post about podcasts if anyone is interested! Here is 5 of my favourites (in no particular order). i will warn you i wouldn't necessarily recommend them for sleep due to the topics, it's mostly because i'm familiar with the hosts voices and find them comforting at this point!
this wuthering heights audiobook from BBC sounds which is free in the UK (TV licence not required!) although i'm unsure how accessing it works internationally.
the magnus archives is something i feel like everyone on tumblr knows at this point and while i've unfortunately never really manage to follow that well because i use it to sleep i have loved it regardless.
this podcast will kill you is probably the one i listen to most for this since it's my comfort podcast at this point <3 i highly recommend listening to this generally if you're interested in infectious diseases or science! it's run by two people that studied disease ecology and epidemiology who break down the science, history and current treatments and understandings of infectious diseases in a really accessible and interesting way. i will warn you that each episode starts has an accompanying alcoholic ("quarantini") and non-alcoholic ("placeboritas") drink, but they also have alcohol-free versions of episodes if you'd rather avoid that part! they're also really good at linking all of their sources if you're interested in learning more! because i've heard every episode at this point i usually choose one i haven't heard in a while which stops my mind from wondering as much!
you’re wrong about breaks down a lot of common misconceptions about various topics in history! some favourites of mine are “true crime with emma berquist”, “the satanic panic” (as well as the host’s miniseries with CBC about this topic; “the devil you know”) and “your joy and resilience stories”
the brighter side podcast is probably the most sleep friendly of these! The hosts find the brighter side of the current world (which i feel is very much needed in this climate!)
reading! I’ve sadly gotten out of this habit but, I used to be completely unable to sleep without reading! I find it helpful for similar reasons as listening to things, it helps to find to something for my mind to latch onto.
a cooler room or fresh air! this is a really common one that I’m sure you’re probably familiar with since its one that is mentioned basically everywhere, but I find it really does help! I have a fan facing my bed which helps a lot and i also find the sound itself really calming. sometimes when i really can’t sleep i'll open my window and stare at the stars for a bit (if they are willing to let us seem that night). this is a lot more helpful when i’m at my parents since they live in a rural area. there’s no streetlights and very little outside traffic but if i’m in a city it still helps a little!
similar the other one going for a walk! i cannot express how important it is that you obviously only do this if it’s safe for you to do so. i haven’t been able to do this in a while but, when i was at uni i used to go on midnight walks with a friend who also struggled to sleep, and it helped a lot.
writing! I’ve found it doesn’t always matter what i write, sometimes it’s whatever son my mind or sometimes i try creative writing or what i did that day or my plans fro tomorrow. i usually just write whatever i feel is most helpful at the time. i usually find it more helpful if i handwrite it in a notebook (i keep one by my bed) but typing on my phone/computer can help as well if i don’t have it!
routine! i am a huge hypocrite to recommend this because I suck at having a consistent bedtime routine but if i manage it, it does help with getting to sleep.
water! sometimes when I wake up and can’t get back to sleep its simply because i’m really dehydrated and don’t even realise it? I try and remember to keep water by my bed for my meds but it’s also helpful to have for this reason! if i’m really anxious or my heart is racing i sometimes also go to the bathroom and run my wrists under cold water or put a cold flannel on the back of my neck. if i’m really desperate to calm it down i’ll dunk my face in cold water for a few seconds to trigger the “diving reflex”. (although this definitely does wake me up a bit!) I have heard this can also be triggered by putting a cold wet flannel over your eyebrows and cheekbones but i haven’t found it as helpful.
meditation/breathing exercises! this has never really helped me all that much but, I have heard some people say it’s helped them. i’ve heard that “4-7-8 breathing” (breathing in for 4 seconds, holding for 7 and exhaling for 8) is can sometimes help with relaxing your muscles and helping you sleep. i always recommend the smiling mind app for free meditation exercises (they have some sleep specific ones as well!) but there’s plenty on youtube ect as well.
wish ppl understood the power nowadays in not giving something attention. things today are so focused on attention and reaction and #memes that the best way to shut literally anything down is simply not give it exactly what it wants. like you arent going to own that bigot on twitter youre going to boost their original message whether thats your intent or not and you arent just playing with ai for shits and giggles you are giving it free learning and data. just stop engaging with things that dont deserve it
I often beat myself up about this but when I look back I realize I’m so much better than I was in 2022/23, and I don’t give myself enough credit for that
[ID: black and white illustration of tiger eating ramen. It has a fried egg in its mouth and one noodle wrapped around a paw. Text reads "take all you need to eat."
A few years ago while trying to find ways to commit suicide as painlessly as possible, I came across a PDF of Dr. Paul Quinnett's The Forever Decision. Thinking it might go into actual methods of suicide (I read an article once that actually did that and was trying to find it again) I started to read it, and I think I only got about two pages in before I was crying too much to actually see the words.
I downloaded the PDF to my hard drive and I open it again whenever I'm feeling too suicidal to do much else, but not enough to start booking a ride to the hospital. And every time without fail I only go up to a few pages before backing off and choosing to live another day just because suicide suddenly seems even more unbearable than whatever the hell upset me in the first place.
All the book really does is [I'm pulling a summary from GoodReads here as, again, I've read no more than 5 pages] "discusses the social aspects of suicide, the right to die, anger, loneliness, depression, stress, hopelessness, drug and alcohol abuse, the consequences of a suicide attempt, and how to get help."
But it also starts with the author kindly asking the reader to complete the book before going through with anything, and for some reason I'm compelled to really just try to read it all before finalizing everything. Despite not yet completing it (hopefully never will) I think I can safely say it's saved my life at least a few times now.
It's intentionally legal to copy and redistribute this book to keep it as accessible as possible, and it's very easy to find, but here's a link for it anyways.
The Forever Decision is one of my favorite resources when feeling suicidal. It's very frank, doesn't spend time beating around the bush, and takes both sides of attempting or not attempting into consideration.
It doesn't talk down, isn't filled with feel-good platitudes. It's just honest. Very much worth a read & a bookmark for the future.
To every physically disabled person who's tired and in pain this evening, you did excellently at whatever you did today, no matter what or how much it was. I'm proud of you! You deserve all of the rest you need.
Dudes healthcare is so fake. My ADHD meds are $940 without insurance. But they gave me a website of "coupons" which straight up looks like a scam website, and I got it today for $60! Just a coupon from a random website and it was $900 cheaper. America, I am confusion!! America explain!!
as a pharmacy technician i can share with you some websites that give you those "coupons" for your meds!
goodrx is the most well known one, but if i'm trying to find the cheapest price for a patient i compare it to scriptcycle, and use whichever is offering the best price. you just type in the medication (PLEASE make sure you're getting the right drug, dosage, and quantity) and your zip code and they will spit out some offers for you
some pharmacies may have their own discount card to compare to as well!
if you are getting a name brand medication, you can also look at the manufacturer's website to see if they offer any evouchers for you to use too
idk what young person on the internet needs to hear this but you are not obligated to share any personal details about yourself online. in fact im gonna straight-up circle back to 00s era advice and say being anonymous is good actually
[ID: The first image is a screenshot of a tweet by @/ihcarama which says "putting on my gorgeous chocolate brown wool coat & my good loafers just to go to CVS because everyday is all there is".
The second image is a screenshot of a conversation between an interviewer and Joan Didion which states:
"INTERVIEWER: There's a certain esthetic to the way you live. You once talked about using good silver every day.
You still have time. Time to change your wardrobe. Time to get divorced and married again. Time to change majors. Time to learn a trade from scratch. Time to pay off debts. Time to travel. Time to love and be loved. You still have your whole life ahead. Whether you're 19 or 66. You still have so much time. But you have to take it.
Not to go "if you have ADHD just go for a run" or anything, but I am so serious if you have ADHD you should regularly go outside, no headphones no phone no nothing and just stand and observe for a while until you've had enough. Not until you get bored, until you've had enough. Drink your coffee without watching tiktok. Have a bath without music. Turn down the volume in your headphones. I cannot overstate how much learning to be bored is cruicial with ADHD. Life is not just about pleasure, no matter what your dysregulated dopamine system thinks, and when you teach your brain to be okay with being bored, then boring tasks stop feeling like torture. By letting yourself be bored you are yoinking your system out of the high/low binary and allow for the highs to feel like actual highs and not just anything that isn't low. I am so serious go literally touch grass. Listen to the sounds in your flat. Stimulate your body the way it was designed. It lowers anxiety and makes you feel like you're real and best of all it's completely free