Ya know that room in some art exhibit where it's raining, but you can walk around and not get wet because of some program they set up?
Having an invisible chronic illness is like walking into that room full of dry people who are having an amazing experience and ending up soaking wet and everyone is just staring like..what is wrong with that person???
move your finger back and forth so it looks like the cat is following it
This is more entertaining than it should be.
This is why I love Tumblr.
two hours later i click reblog
five hours later i click reblog
It’s more fun if you move a quarter of a second before the cat does so it looks like it has a shitty reaction time
UNMUTE THIS
😩😩😂😂😂😂
“Turn one way and stick with it, Tina. TINA, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, TURN AWAY OR STOP! THE BRAKES, TINA! THE LEFT– YOU’RE ABOUT TO HIT THAT CAR! THE BRAKES! HIT THE BRA–!”
[thud]
“Ohhhh my god it’s bad.”
Heat up chicken noodle soup and drink the liquid while resting on the couch.
Keep ritz crackers on hand for nausea or those random rare times where my stomach actually feels empty. I eat a handful to ease the hunger ache. I also keep bottled water next to couch and bed for times when I can’t get up easily. I don’t mind room temp water.
Buy multiple heating pads and leave them on the couch AND on the bed, so if I’m in a lot of pain, I don’t have to go far for one.
Don’t be afraid to stock up on the things you know you use daily. If you have someone to help you at the store, it will take the stress off if you have your daily needs to last all week. I go through a lot of sprite and I make sure to grab 3 big bottles every weekend when my husband takes us grocery shopping. I’ve also had to learn not to stock up too much on things that don’t stay fresh for longer than a week. So produce, try to only pick 1 or two different things and only get a few of each unless you know for sure you will eat it everyday.
I also use a notebook app to keep a shopping list. I keep the weekly stuff saved so I can just check if we need any refills on supplies and don’t have to think about it.
I use a big dry eraser board in the living room for reminders. I put it next to the tv stand so I won’t miss it. Mostly I have to write “move clothes to dryer” but it works for most reminders.
I have an alarm on my phone to remind me it’s time to think about taking my aleve pm if I want to be asleep before 3 a.m. Another idea might be to add alarms for self care reminders. I’m seriously thinking of adding an alarm for brush teeth. Someone suggested using warm water so it won’t feel so bad for sensitive mouths. Think of something you probably could do but just put it off out of actual laziness and forgetfulness. Try to picture your normal routine and work out a time that an alarm wouldn’t stress you out to take on that task at that time and set that alarm for whatever days of the week you want.
When I’m having a good energy day, I try to get the bigger chores done. Laundry and dishes. Maybe even a shower. Learn what you feel comfortable doing on the not so good days. Save the small stuff for those days.
Be honest. This may sound simple and not relevant but once I was completely honest about how my illness has affected me….knowing my husband knows how I feel about not being able to work, and knowing that he just wants to help and is not frustrated about it…makes the rest so so much easier for me to deal with. Try to keep an open mind as those who stick by you, learn how best to help you. Be open about your feelings and try to be patient with theirs.
Keep a journal for the times in your life you want to look back on. I have a terrible memory and no concept of time. The year I got married, I got this idea because it was a huge time in my life and I was so scared of forgetting it. So I take down dates and events and feelings and thoughts because I know I will never remember those dates or what I was thinking or feeling.
Use baby powder in your hair when it gets greasy and showering is not an option. If you can find a dry shampoo spray that works for you, even better. I prefer baby powder because its cheap and the smell doesn’t bother me.
Try some essential oils. DoTerra is the brand I use. They aren’t cheap but there is an oil called Peace that I use in my diffuser and it helps calm my anxiety and stress and racing thoughts. Frankincense also helps relieve migraines in most of my cases. I use that with Excedrin for extra relief. I also use peppermint oil for nausea.
Make a list of foods you should NOT eat so you don’t forget and buy those. This may sound silly but I keep forgetting certain things upset my stomach and then I’ll buy it and eat it again. Just frustrating!
Use the calendar on your phone for event reminders or appointments. Also, have your insurance card in hand if you are making an appointment at a new doctor’s office.
If you have trouble verbally explaining yourself to a doctor, try typing something up when you are level headed and can collect your thoughts. Then you can read it or just let the doctor keep it. Start this several days before your appointment so you can add things as you think of them.
Find a good concealer makeup product that works for you and use a beauty blender to apply as foundation for the low maintenance days. Also find a lip balm that has a little color that you like.
If you suffer from hemorrhoids, they make Preparation H wipes. Less mess, quick and easy. I also keep some kind of feminine wipes to freshen up between my weekly showers.
Speaking of showers, I use a shower chair. I got mine at Walgreens. Really helps when a shower is necessary and I’m still really tired.
Try smoothies to get something more healthy in you. I got a small blender at Target and buy frozen fruit bag mixes and add sprite to cut the sourness. You are supposed to use juice, but I prefer sprite. Figure out what works for you. It took me months before I could make a smoothie that I could finish. Learn amounts of fruit to liquid ratio. Some add yogurt. Just figure out what you like and what your stomach can handle.
Don’t set goals. This is just my personal opinion from experience. I would tell myself that on Mondays I will do laundry and shower. Tuesdays would be kitchen and bathroom cleaning. Wednesdays would be cook a meal for dinner. I would quickly be unable to follow these and get frustrated and give up doing any of it for weeks. If you have health goals with your doctor, that’s different. You should definitely pursue those as you see fit. I mainly mean non-health related goals. Take care of you, then on the spot decide what you can or can’t get done.
These are some of the ways that help me in one way or another. If I think of more, I’ll make another post! Hope this helps some of yall in some way!
How to feel better after your brain reminds you of that thing you did or said that one time that was embarrassing....
Think about the last time you remembered or thought about someone else doing something embarrassing. Can't remember? Haven't thought about it?
That means no one else is currently thinking of your thing either.
Also, anyone who was cruel to you at the time is too self centered to be thinking of others anyways.
So either way, you're good!
“ur so quiet” thanks i do not want to talk to you
Realising you don’t have to tell anyone anything about yourself or your life is.. a very liberating feeling. Realising you can tell the trees and the rivers and the lakes and the mountains instead? Even more so.
heres a little.. controversy
Compression Stockings help so much.
But dammit, I wanna have bare feet sometimes. And it gets hot having them on all the time.
And I've tried different types to combat these issues. The ones that don't have feet to them don't help as much.
They help so much but I wish I didn't need them all the time.
hey fellow migraineurs
since I still haven't found ever trigger of mine and there seems to be one (or a few) that just love to tip me over the edge, I would really appreciate if you could reblog this list with your triggers or what you suspect them to be.
the few I'm sure about are:
- direct light (any type/ big ball of burning hell in the sky or just my lightbulb, both like to taunt me)
- smells (perfume or strong food)
- hot stuff (hot showers/ heat packs/ anything hot on my body)
maybe this can make it easier for us too keep our eyes on the lookout for potential triggers (if where not currently trying to spoon them out of our brain of course)
My "for sure" triggers are:
Being in a loud social gathering for hours. (Also movie theaters, which I've started wearing ear plugs to and it's so nice.)
Too much sleep (13 hours) and also being awake for too long (16+ hours).
Heat (any situation without AC set to 65).
Storms/rain cause full body flare with a migraine.
Also for me, my menstrual cycle causes bad migraines.
Something that is more often than not a trigger is soda/ sweet teas.
This is a first and foremost a disability blog, and I saw a post regarding these protests that I knew I would have to address at some point. I know that all kinds of people follow me and this message is for all of you:
Social Media activism has its role, but a limited effect. You can do far more by donating to a legit movement than by reposting every little post about these protests. You can be aware of what’s going on, do your part, and still take care of your mental and physical health.
I know that the favorite line in response to acknowledging these limits is “black people can’t take a break from racism” which I agree but I also don’t get to take a break from ableism, sexism and classism. They’re soul crushing too. Just being physically disabled means I can’t even get up for my own rights, meanwhile I have severe anxiety that I know is worsened by gluing myself to world events.
Some of those people who need to step away do deal with racism. And by suggesting non black people can only support black lives by creating undue anxiety that can in effect cripple our ability to actually do something substantive is nonsense. It’s a guilt tripping performance of ideological purity, and downright harmful to all people no matter their identity.
Everyone needs a break, even those on the front lines, or your movement will die from pure exhaustion. So my fellow anxiety sufferers, you are not in any way letting black lives down because you aren’t rebloggong posts. I’m more concerned with donating if you can, and your vote this November. You can do so much more with those tools than any mindless page sharing.
Stay updated, stay involved, and don’t be ashamed for taking mental health breaks because by doing so you can be a more effective supporter. Right now there is a long YouTube art piece going around to raise funds for BLM movements though ad revenue, which I will Reblog again immediately after this post. Doing things like that is far more helpful than rebloggong every single protest post. You don’t have to do that no matter how many people shout out at you that you have no excuse, but they don’t know a thing about your life and what you deal with.
Support where you can but don’t let this become so destructive to your physical and mental health that you can’t even continue your support. We’re all human, we all have unique individual limits, even admidst a protest.
Stay safe, stay healthy, and stay mad about police brutality and racism.
Thank you for this. All the posts I've seen have been "if you can't protest you have to give money, if you can't donate you need to be at a minimum reblogging everything out you're part of the problem" and I had a complete shutdown yesterday and couldn't move or speak for a few hours. I have C-PTSD and got trapped seeing those videos on loop in my head, it was like flashbacks but worse because I couldn't get myself out of it by saying it wasn't happening now, because it is. It took a good few hours of my partner trying lots of different ways to get me back in the present, and was really hard.
I'm disabled and reliant on PIP and UC to survive, and those don't cover bills and rent so I feel awful for not giving my money. I feel so useless and such a failure because I had to stop reblogging things and unplug from the internet entirely, and according to all the posts that means I don't care and am part of the problem. I don't have the spoons to engage with this right now because I need the spoons to be able to do things like shower and eat, maybe even get dressed if I have enough, and I know that makes me selfish and I should be putting everyone else first, but I'm super close to burnout now and I've already had one catatonic evening and I'm no use to anyone in that state. I know the people living through this are struggling so much more than I am and I can't even imagine how awful it must be for them, but I'm not able to engage with this right now. There are lots of people doing awesome work and directing people to really useful resources. Check them out if you're looking for resources and ways to help.
So yeah, I'm really sorry but I'm going to stop reblogging things to do with the riots and murders now and try to keep myself alive and functioning. If you disagree with that feel free to unfollow. Look after yourself and each other.
This was the exact kind of stress I was trying to address and if it helps one person it’s worth it. Thanks for taking the message to heart and doing what you need to do to say safe.
I’ve reblogged it a few times but I just want to keep mentioning it because I know this is a way the broke and disabled can make a tangible impact.
This has been getting a lot of notes but if you can reblog the version with the link to donate that would be appreciated!
To all my black followers and friends, stay safe.
Also, I would like to add that black lives have always mattered, will always matter.
It’s awful that we even have to say that because it should be a given. However, we need to say it loud and clear for the racists.
We cannot be silent.
Yes! And if you are thinking "all lives matter", you are not wrong, it's just not the place to bring it up as an argument when fighting for a specific group that is suffering because of the color of their skin.
Fighting for justice for Black Lives does not take away from anyone else.
