#body language

[weirdlandtv]

From: HOW TO READ A PERSON LIKE A BOOK (1971), by Gerard I. Nierenberg and Henry H. Calero.

[y4gmurinyo]

[brainstreams]

HOW TO SHOW FEVER / NAUSEA IN WRITING

“They felt sick.” — Vague. “They threw up.” — Sometimes, but not always.

Illness isn’t a switch you flip. Fever and nausea creep, spike, ebb, lie to you, then come back worse. They live in the body first, and that’s where your writing should live too.

Below, I've written a lil' cheat sheet for you. Reblog so you can come back later.

THE BODY LANGUAGE OF FEVER & NAUSEA

Skin & Temperature

Skin alternates between clammy and burning

Deep internal warmth

Sudden chills while sweating

Clothes feel wrong, either too heavy, too tight, too warm, not warm enough, etc.

Goosebumps even in a warm room

Face flushed, ears hot, neck damp

Head & Senses

Head feels pressurized or stuffed with cotton

Eyes ache when moving

Nose stuffed (on either one side, or both)

Ears ringing or deaf on one side

Lights are too bright/sharp

Sounds blur together

Food smells gross

Room feels tilted or surreal

Focus slips mid-thought

Food/water has an aftertaste

Stomach & Core

Nausea that comes in waves

Swallowing feels deliberate, effortful

Dry swallowing, dry throat—dry everything

Saliva thickens or pools suddenly

Abdomen tightens

Hunger exists but is nauseating at the same time

Body curls inward without thinking

Mouth & Throat

Tongue feels coated

Taste turns metallic, bitter, or flat

Lips dry; licking them doesn’t help

Gag reflex hair-trigger sensitive

Breathing through the mouth makes it worse

Movement & Posture

Barely any movement

Sitting becomes slouching, then curling

Standing too fast triggers instant nausea/dizziness

Hands brace on thighs, counters, walls

Feet shuffle; balance checked constantly

Body seeks cold surfaces or firm pressure

Voice & Speech

Voice dulls or drops in volume (due to plugged nose and raspy throat)

Words come slower

Sentences trail off unfinished

Irritation spikes easily (even if people are being nice)

Delayed responses

Apologies come out automatically (“Sorry. Sorry.”)

NOT ALL “SICK” FEELS THE SAME

Fever (infection-based):

Comes with chills + heat

Mental fog, slowed reaction time

Body aches feel deep, joint-based

Thirst increases, appetite drops

Sleep is restless, sweaty, unrefreshing

Colds / Flu:

More head pressure, sinus heaviness

Heavy cough, sore throat

Heavy fatigue

Fever may be mild or absent (especially colds)

Chronic Illness Flares:

Pain is familiar but still intense

Less panic, more resigned

Symptoms stack (fatigue + nausea + pain)

Character may ration movement and speech

Recovery expectations are lower

Menstrual Cramps:

Pain pulses rhythmically

Heat helps

Nausea tied to motion and smell

Sensitive emotions (more prone to snapping, saying things they regret)

Body feels heavy

Stress-Induced Nausea:

No fever, no chills

Jaw tension, shallow breathing

Nausea spikes during stillness

Relief when distracted or moving

These differences matter. They change how a character reacts, not just how they feel.

So yeah, hope that helps. You don't need vomiting on the page every time. Sometimes being sick is feeling off-key, or sometimes it's quiet recovery. It varies. The symptoms are one part of your story, the rest is up to characterization and plot. Why is illness relevant to your story? Why is this character sick, and how is it different from another character? You can have a lot of fun with this.

Written by a human with a headache and too much experience lying very still, hoping it passes. If you liked this post, buy me a coffee... or cough medicine. 😔

[tozluplak]

[promptcalender]

Body Language & Behavior: Headache

boredom due to inability to do anything at all

burying head in hands

clenching teeth

dizziness when standing up

dropping head back

finally crashing and sleeping the entire day

fumbling with a package of painkillers and struggling to get past the child safety

groaning quietly

massaging head at every opportunity

pressing head into a pillow or perhaps the chest of a loved one

resting torso on the table if they can’t get a better place to rest

rubbing head

squeezing eyes shut

staying in bed all day

trying the most obscure headache relief hacks they can think off (it doesn’t work, but it keeps them busy)

turning head away from bright lights

[Prompt Calender: June 9th, National Headache Awareness Week]

[luna-azzurra]

How People Occupy Space (Body Language) 

˙⋆✮ Leaning in slightly when genuinely interested without realizing it

˙⋆✮ The way someone physically turns their body away mid-conversation

˙⋆✮ Crossing arms not out of coldness but because it feels safer

˙⋆✮ That one person who always finds the wall to stand against at parties

˙⋆✮ Mirroring someone's posture when comfortable with them

˙⋆✮ The slow backward step when a conversation goes on too long

˙⋆✮ Tilting the head when something doesn't add up

˙⋆✮ Sitting on the very edge of a chair when ready to leave

˙⋆✮ The way someone's feet point toward whoever they actually like in a group

˙⋆✮ Leaning back and crossing ankles to signal comfort and ownership of space

˙⋆✮ The unconscious open-palm gesture when telling the truth

˙⋆✮ Standing slightly outside the circle and never fully entering it

˙⋆✮ The way someone physically shrinks in a loud argument

˙⋆✮ Turning the whole body to listen rather than just the head

˙⋆✮ That very specific stillness that means someone is about to cry

˙⋆✮ Raising shoulders toward ears when stressed without knowing it

˙⋆✮ The way laughter changes someone's whole skeleton

˙⋆✮ Touching the face when lying or searching for an answer

˙⋆✮ The shift in weight from foot to foot when bored

[sharky271]

Y’all I thought people were exaggerating about his eyes dilating in that video when he talks about Mack so I went to check for myself and ??????? OH MY GOD you can literally SEE IT happen. They get HUGE. I am unwell!!

[thehmn]

Never underestimate the power of subtle body language to help those around you without causing a scene.

I use “stepping in front of insensitive/nosey assholes to block their view of a person they’re starring at” a lot. No words exchanged. Just getting between them (sometimes while starring back at them if they’re being extra weird) and they always seem to either realize what they’re doing or be jolted out of it. Either way it has never ended in a confrontation, just silent looks.

A kinda weird use of body language happened some time ago while I was standing at a bus stop near a train station. Right next to me stood a very short woman who I guessed to be from India based on her looks and dress, and around us were nothing but men. I’m very standard height for a Scandinavian woman so I’ve never felt short or tall in any group, but she looked tiny next to all these men packed tightly around us. I’m not sure why but I felt like she was uncomfortable with all these men towering over her and for some reason my response to that was to subtly change my stance so my front faced her a bit more. Not full on, but the way most friends stand next to each other, while still looking away from her. I don’t know why I thought that would be comforting to her because it could just as easily have come off as threatening, but after a few seconds she moved a bit closer to me. And then a bit closer. And then slightly closer. All without anyone else in the group moving. We stood like that until the bus arrived and then we went to separate seats.

So never be afraid to silently signal to strangers that you’re on their side or that they can fuck right off. People tend to respond better to that than words in my experience unless they’re already looking for a fight.