#ptsd tips

[friendlyneighbourhoodpapergay]

hello! i saw that you sometimes give adhd tips. for me, summer is one of the worst time for adhd because i just do nothing all day, even when there's cool stuff i want to do, and then i feel bad for wasting time. any tips for helping manage this? any help is appreciated :)

Ohhh boy I can do what I can but I'll point out my ADHD-managing skills are FAR from perfect lol.

I didn't want this to be super long, so this is the summarized version of some stuff that works for me. If anyone wants more detail just ask!

1) Don't bother with the regular work cycle of wake-early sleep-early. If you, like me, work best from midnight to 4am, work from midnight to 4am.

2) SLEEP. Yeah I just said to work at weird late times if you work well at weird times but that doesn't mean stop sleeping. Rearrange your sleep schedule for when you want to be working. EG In the best case, I sleep twice during the day - once from 5am to 11am, and once from 8pm to 11pm, because my brain Does Not Like doing anything resembling thinking at these times lol so that's when I try to sleep.

3) Stop frEAKING planning stuff as if you're a neurotypical!!!! For real. You have ADHD, it's not going away, so plan stuff around that. Pick 2 or 3 things per day and stick to them (EG: 2 study subjects and 1 type of clothing for laundry.). I used to plan stuff like "oh I'll do a bajillion hours of studying followed by a run and then I'll clean my whoooole house" and then it would inevitably fail and I'd feel bad.

4) BIG WATER + FLAVOURED WATER. Forgetting to drink water is a big issue but also it affects everything from Awakeness^TM to mood to everything. Buying a big bottle of flavoured water every day can remind you to drink it. Big = harder to misplace/forget, Flavour = brain go :) instead of >:( I have @enby-life to thank for their post on flavoured water that inspired me to buy strawberry water and I am one high drayted human now lmao. I always buy the same 1.5l bottle of strawberry water and it helps a lot.

5) GO TO THERAPY. Yes it's scary yes it can be expensive yes it's WORTH IT WHEN YOU FIND THE RIGHT THERAPIST. (u can find a therapist in your country and specific area here: LINK)

6) Don't plan time for work. Plan stuff. Planning to do Xhrs on This subject and Yhrs on That subject never worked for me. Instead I'll plan something specific to do over the course of the day, and something that I can easily measure. EG: Not "do 2hrs of work on Magnetism, do laundry", but "make notes on 20 of the released Magnetism slides, wash dark t-shirts". Specific and easily-measured things on a plan make them easier to tick off and therefore better for making your brain go :).

[imredbill]

Helpful Tip: If you have anxiety, PTSD, or may be battling triggers due to trauma, make sure to block out specific tags that may be upsetting or trigger you. Blocking out these tags can be so beneficial to your emotional health and wellbeing. 

[thoughts-of-ongoing-life-crisis]

This is so annoying, my ptsd kicked in but I couldn’t tell anyone and I had to hide it and calm down the best I could, because my family, no matter how much they care, do not understand it

They don’t get why some things trigger me (i don’t always know either) and why things illicit such a strong response from me.

Thus, they call me dramatic and sensitive. With the understanding that I should suck it up or I am doing it for attention. So I just had to stand with my family unloading things from the truck (we got construction stuff for a project) violently clutching onto my knife in my pocket, try not to cry, panic, or throw up. It sucked.

I understood the reasons I was triggered, but I am annoyed that it happens at all. It feel silly and dramatic to me, but it’s just my brain telling me to nope the fuck out of there.

Meanwhile, coping mechanisms that help,

find something to focus on. if you can get yourself to do something that uses a lot of thinking

Make the wave/drums in your ears. You have to focus on doing that, try to continue it for as long as you can, and helps block out sound.

And having a comfort object helps too

[chempathetic-fallacy]

hey y’all if you’re really craving soothing touch but can’t get it because of personal space / trust issues / don’t have anyone / have someone but are sick and no one will come near you / trauma related to being sick / flashbacks / whatever, try and get those little pocket hand warmers. They’re warm, about the size of a hand, are not attached to a person, and you can place them wherever you want with minimal awkwardness.

[anxeity]

Post traumatic stress disorder helping hints

PTSD is scary. It is hard to live with. If you know some one with PTSD remember these: P: Patients, it takes time-a lot of time- for even the slightest recovery to start. Remember to stay calm, helpful, and listen to them. T: Time. These things take time. Lots of it. Don't give up on them. Please don't give up on them. S: Self time. Sometimes they need to be alone. That's okay, just give them some space... But stay close by if you think they might be in danger of hurting themselves. D: Day-by-Day. Take it one day at a time. Not years or months... Days. Maybe even hour by hour. Remember to help them and make them feel strong when they make it through a rough day!