cptsdstudyblr

[cptsdstudyblr]

Kinda fucked up that we all coo and sympathize with "former gifted kids" but never talk about the students who had to stay late after school or over the summer for remedial classes/clubs, who struggled to get above a C, who were given up on or punished. Who tried so hard to understand or just couldn't. Who were grouped with the "stupid kids" (a classmate called us that in remedial math btw)

Autistic kids and adhders who can't relate to their gifted peers and are constantly alienated by them. Kids who struggled in school due to dealing with a chronic or mental illness or physical/learning/developmental disability. Those of us who have had to drop out of highschool or college. Kids who worked so hard and wanted to be seen as smart, but never were. Who watched as their peers seem to fly by them in school, while they were left behind. Who were bullied and put down by those in the gifted and honors classes. Whose confidence was absolutely destroyed by education.

I love you all and I'm so sorry the school system failed you. I'm sorry you weren't properly accommodated and given the education you deserved. I'm sorry people put you down for something that they never had to fight for.

[cptsdstudyblr]

Fatigue feels like you have sandbags tied to your feet while trying to walk. It feels like you haven’t slept in weeks. It feels like gravity is pulling you down. It feels like cotton balls are in your head, clouding everything.

Fatigue is NOT the equivalent to being tired.

[cptsdstudyblr]

There’s no such thing as work-life balance for neurodivergent & chronically ill people.

This is because everything in my life requires work:

maintaining friendships

keeping up with my hygiene

managing bills

making money

remembering my basic needs

sleeping regularly

outputting creatively

All requires some aspect of work for me.

And when everything in your life requires work, your balance goes out the window.

If you're neurodivergent and overwhelmed — I see you.

If you're chronically ill and overwhelmed — I see you.

You're not dysfunctional.

You're not incapable.

You're doing your best.

[cptsdstudyblr]

"This mental health disorder is WORSE than this one!" "Which of these disorders under the same umbrella are the WORSE ones to have?!"

If you have a disorder, it is disordering! I see some people think that aspects that are more prominent in some disorders are automatically more disordering, but that is subjective between people with the conditions. I hate this implication that some people seem to believe wherein there are "simple" disorders and then there are Horrific and Scarily Awful disorders. It helps none of us who actually are affected by certain mental health conditions.

As somebody with a condition that is stereotyped to be the Horrific and Scarily Awful disorder, I don't feel helped when people say I'm "worse off" than someone who got "lucky" by having a comparatively "simple" disorder. Somebody's "simple" mental health disorder could be just as or more disabling than my "severe" one - a disorder is DISORDERING first and foremost. Should we not be focusing on helping each other, regardless of how disordering we assume a condition is?

[cptsdstudyblr]

A lot of people have gone through a lot worse than what you have.

You are absolutely right.

There are hundreds of thousands, possibly even millions, of people whose childhood was way worse than yours.

So?

And?

No child on the Earth deserves to experience anything even slightly traumatic, nevertheless endure any kind of trauma. Especially prolonged.

Any abuse, any trauma, any assault inflicted on a child is “bad enough.”

Yea, even if others have had it worse.

There are eight billion people in our massive world. You will never be the best or the worst, the most or the least at anything. Putting yourself on some kind of scale of severity, especially when it comes to something like childhood trauma where any amount of trauma is too much, is pointless.

No child deserves to be traumatized.

Whether it was once or every day.

Whether it was an accident or purposeful.

Whether it was mild or severe.

No child deserves to be put through trauma.

It doesn’t matter so many people have had it worst than you. That doesn’t take away the fact you were a child who went through trauma, which is something no child deserves. Something that is “bad enough.”

You deserve help, your symptoms are justified, even if people have gone through worse.

The suffering of others doesn’t take away from the fact you are suffering.

All childhood trauma is too much childhood trauma. No child deserves it and everyone deserves to heal.

[cptsdstudyblr]

You can do hard things. Even if that hard thing is as benign as brushing your teeth. You are stronger than you'll ever know, and you can accomplish so much. Keep trying, even if you have to take a step backward sometimes. Steps are still steps and progress is not linear.

Like, you know how load bars on computers are a lie? Think of progress like that. Sometimes you're only at 15% and suddenly it jumps to to 80%! And other times it takes hour just to progress 5%, but it always makes it in the end.

You can do this <3

[cptsdstudyblr]

drink some fucking water

[cptsdstudyblr]

"everyone should care about accessibility because most people will become disabled at some point in their life" is a logical argument and I understand its popularity

however, everyone should care about accessibility because disabled people are fellow human beings living in the same society as you who deserve the same rights as you

thank you good night

[cptsdstudyblr]

Take a Moment for Yourself

Hey, you. Yes, you reading this. I just wanted to remind you that it’s okay to not feel okay sometimes. Life has a way of throwing unexpected challenges our way, and it can get overwhelming. But please remember: you are not alone in this.

If you're struggling today, be gentle with yourself. It’s okay to take a break, to rest, or to say no when you need to. You don't have to be perfect, and you don’t have to have everything figured out. Healing takes time, and every step forward—no matter how small—is still progress.

If you’re feeling lost, remember that your feelings are valid. And just because things feel tough now doesn’t mean they always will. Your worth isn’t defined by your lowest moments. You are important. You are loved. You matter.

If you need help, it’s okay to ask for it. Whether that’s talking to a friend, seeing a therapist, or just finding a quiet moment to breathe. Your mental health matters, and you deserve the support you need to take care of yourself.

You are strong. You are doing your best, and that’s more than enough.

[cptsdstudyblr]

You are not “hopelessly behind” everyone else. Every person moves at their own pace and your life path is unique. While expectations of achievement within a certain time period may feel set in stone, there is always a way to keep going.

[cptsdstudyblr]

Apparently this needs to be said so

Forgetting things is morally neutral! Memory issues are morally neutral!

You're not a bad person if you...

forget things quickly

forget people

can't remember entire stages of your life

can't remember important things

can remember some things very well and forget other things all the time

can't remember things (or anything!) about your interests

forget to eat, sleep, go to the bathroom, etc

forget to reply to texts

remember things and immediately forget them again

can't remember birthdays, events, etc

frequently answer 'I forgot' to questions

can't retain new information

forget things you used to know

only remember things when it's too late

have vague, distorted and/or unreliable memories

depend on others to know how an event you were in played out

have other symptoms that are worsened by memory issues and vice versa

... and anything else I might have missed!

[cptsdstudyblr]

Sooooo who else feels like the trauma should’ve killed them off but it didn’t so now they’re stuck here against their will battling every day just to make it through

[cptsdstudyblr]

As someone who has to take medication to sleep AT ALL, this!

my heart goes out to you if you're a disabled person who has a complicated or negative relationship with sleep. if you need to sleep a lot but can't due to life circumstances, or sleeping extra causing other symptoms to flare up. if you can't sleep enough due to pain, or nightmares, or psychosis, or bipolar, or depression. if you sleep way too much and find it hard to stay awake. if you can't fall or stay asleep. if you need medication in order to be able to sleep. if you don't feel rested from sleep. if you wake up a lot in the night. if you have bladder or bowel accidents while asleep. if you twitch or convulse or move too or get injured in your sleep. if you can't control your sleep schedule no matter what. if you can't sleep during "normal" sleeping hours. if you can't sleep for 8+ hours straight but can sleep for shorter amounts of time. if sleep is what you need but for one reason or another you just can't or refuse to do it.

i care about you. your disabilities deserve to be seen and acknowledged

[cptsdstudyblr]

Your best is not the same as your 100% capability. If you always go 100% you will burn yourself out. It’s okay to be doing your best and giving your 75% or 50% or 10%, whatever makes it so you can keep going. Your best differs from day to day and that is alright.

[cptsdstudyblr]

study tips: staying motivated

i get asks about my approach to productivity, grades, and study routines every so often so i'm planning to start organizing some of my thoughts and tips into their own posts. please send in anything you're curious about <3

at the root of productivity is motivation. getting stuff done is hardest when you're sitting there wondering "wait, why am i even doing this?".

my big, macro-level motivation is my career. i know exactly what i want to do after i finish my PhD, and everything i do is a step in that direction. at the same time, i try to nurture more achievable goals to get me through the day-to-day, especially for weeks when everything feels overwhelming. some things i've used as motivation in the past:

this class is difficult, and i might get a bad grade, but i want to be able to say i did my best

i'm annoyed by this silly mistake i made on an assignment, i want to make sure i don't do the exact same thing a second time

i have plans with friends this evening, i want to get some homework out of the way so i won't be stressed later

i want to show this professor that i'm working really hard in this course because maybe they'll write me a letter of recommendation one day

this topic is related to something i'm interested in, i want to understand it better so i can see that connection

you'll notice that these are all fairly achievable goals. they take effort, but they don't require me to get straight A's or understand something perfectly. relying on unrealistic goals as motivation is a recipe for anxiety and will only make you less motivated in the long run.

[cptsdstudyblr]

When you're sick, you're sick. That's a time for healing and resting and self care and not time for another episode of the guilt show. Don't torture yourself thinking about what needs to be done, how much more useful you could have spend your time or how this is setting you back. Everyone is allowed to be sick. Everyone is allowed to rest and heal, you are not an exception.

[cptsdstudyblr]

having a freeze response to stress is so funny in the context of normal adult stressors. millions of years of evolution are trying to tell me that the email will not find me if i stay very still and do nothing