have been braintstoming ways to manage the munchies, and felt like it'd be useful to share !
- swallow tic-tacs / other candies to mimic pills
- bandage wrists even when not hurting
- express emotional distress as physical symptoms (ie stomach ache or headache instead of sad)
- draw bruises n stuff with markers
- sway a bit when standing up, to mimic lightheadedness
- wear compression socks / gloves even if not needed
- be very specific when preparing own food (like, don't let anything touch each other), mimicking ocd/other
- like above, act very specific about certain things
- rock on your feet, scrunch your face, twitch / fidget with your hands, etc.
- ask for hugs from friends. you don't need a reason to get hugged
- get flu shots and stuff whenever offered
- wear a face mask (if it doesn't cause problems for you), giving an impression of sickness
- intentionally make typos or type really slowly or dryly (works best if the person you're talking to is receptive and likely to ask if you're alright. I always respond with 'yea just tired', sometimes they pry. I love it when they pry)
- wear headphones without listening to music
- carry around water all the time
This is such a sweet little list, Anon! Thank you for sharing!
Munchie loves drawing cuts, too. Especially in pink for Danganronpa reasons. I also love giving Munchie bandaids and we have a little wrist wrap that looks like a bandage that I or our psys gently wraps our arm up in when things get really bad.
Drawing bruises is something that hadn't crossed my mind! Althought if you'd like a recommendation, purple, blue, and yellow eyeshadow works very well for a more realistic effect that can fade slowly over time just like a real one or be washed away quickly with a proper makeup wipe!
Munchie also likes to exaggerate a lot of things you've described here that we already do, like standing lightheadedness and dissociation/spacing out. We should definitely be wearing a facemask more in my opinion, because I know it makes Munchie feel nice but also for practical reasons in that we're kind of vulnerable to COVID. My issue I can't get past Munchie though is the overshadowing longing to get COVID again, because Munchie's always looking for subtle risks to make us sick, haha... o7
Carrying water with you and drinking it often is never a bad idea, though! Sometimes a good way to make yourself feel ill and vulnerable is to aggressively care for yourself like it's a matter of life or death! That's my favorite thing to do, really!
