#Worst Exercise for PCOS

[truwellth]

PCOS Exercise

Here get detailed info on: PCOS Exercise. Learn about, PCOS Exercise at Home to Lose Weight. Exercise for PCOS to Get Period. Best Time to Exercise for PCOS. Exercise for PCOS to Get Pregnant… from Rajashree Gadgil… the best dietitian in Thane, Mumbai & the founder of TruWellth Integrative Health Center… the best dietitian center in Thane, Mumbai.

[clownov]

peculiar gender euphoria moment: scan just showed my ovaries are enlarged which means i literally have massive balls (internally) 😎😎😎👍😎👍😎😎👍😎

[ohtobeleah]

thank you 🙏

How’s being back at work??

It’s good. I remain impartial to the whole logistics and management side of the job…I hate admin. But I’m back to full time coaching after my August 2024 to April 2025 hiatus. (I have PCOS and Endometriosis for those playing along and it was the worst my body has ever felt)

The boys (my two work colleagues) are great. They know way more about my anatomy than I’d like but they need to. There’s still some exercises I can’t do…there’s probably a tone that should be added, but I’ll continue doing anyway.

I could write an in depth essay on those two. I love them. My husband loves them. I feel so safe and secure. I can just do my job and know that even if I’m struggling, mentally or physically, they have my back and they will tell me to my face when they know I’m just in my own head about being back at work and being the only female trainer.

It feels like a lot right now. I’m encouraging and supporting an entire community of women who already feel underrepresented within the community, and I don’t feel like I have my head screwed on right most days. I'll get there tho.

I start at 4am most mornings and finish around 1pm. So the body is well and truly feeling like it hasn’t done this shit in a while.

My own training is on a slow but steady increase. I cooked myself pretty good on Tuesday, I’m still feeling it. All in all, though, it gives me something to do and I enjoy what I do.

[agirlunfilteredsblog]

HABITS TO IMPLEMENT IN THE MORNINGS

Hi girls! As a PCOS girly (let me know if you want a post on PCOS 💕), I know how important it is to have healthy morning habits. Mornings influence how your whole day goes, capitalizing on it is the easiest way to start a smooth day!

1. NOT GOING ON UR PHONE RIGHT AWAY

I know how easy it is to fall to temptation and open your phone, but this is one of the worst things you can do to your brain first thing in the morning. Watching a screen first thing in the morning triggers a hormone called cortisol, which spikes your fight or flight. Allow you body 15-20 minutes to adjust before checking your electronic devices.

2. JOURNALING

Something I want to start doing is morning journaling. I don’t know if this is simply for me, but I feel as though my thoughts are fresher as I wake up. Writing down what I’m grateful for puts me in a good mood from the get-go.

3. DOING MY BED

Now I say this, but 90% of the time, I forget to do it 😅.. However, 2024 is the time to implement good habits!! Doing your bed shows discipline in scheduling and gives you a sense of control in the beginning of the day. It is a simply task that shows responsibility and cleanliness.

4. DOING MY MORNING SKINCARE AND HYGIENE ROUTINE

I saw an article that says that brushing your teeth after you eat isn’t good because of all the acid, so I try to brush my teeth before eating. I also give myself some time between brushing my teeth and breakfast so I don’t have that minty breath as I eat.

When it comes to skin care, I try to keep it simple as the more products you use, the less healthy your skin becomes. Here’s what I do (I can post a more in-depth routine if you want 😊):

1. Daily facial cleanser

2. Moisturizer mist

3. Boosting serum

4. SPF

5. Water sleeping mask

6. Under-eye cream

7. Lip repair cream

5. DOING MORNING YOGA

Once again, as PCOS girl, getting my cortisol levels as low as possible is my priority in the morning. Doing yoga reminds my body and hormones to relax and that I am safe. It is also an easy way to get your body moving in the mornings!! I highly encourage starting yoga or somatic exercises :)

6. EATING A BALANCED BREAKFAST

Everyone’s lifestyle looks different, so I’m not here to tell you what to eat/not to eat. You know your body, so fuel it accordingly!! Personally, I enjoy having eggs with cheese paired with either potatoes, oatmeal or yogurt. I’m not huge on fruits unfortunately so I try to get my needed vitamins in gummies or during the summer time, I’ll indulge in mangoes, pineapple and strawberries. I also love applesauces and pastries, but it’s all in moderation. Because of my PCOS, I equally need to watch my insulin levels, but I’m still sure to ALWAYS enjoy my food and indulge in whatever I want to eat. Restrictions do nothing positive and eating what you love is no crime.

so much love,

a girl unfiltered 💋

[thejournalofawanderer]

Surgery and How I Got Here

Hello all! It’s been such a long time since I last made a post. So much has happened to me. So much has changed. I’ll start with some life changing stuff first. I had surgery in April of 2024 (nearly a year ago now).

It took me a long time to get to that point. I noticed that my health and my overall state of being wasn’t quite right. I just wasn’t feeling like myself. I started out by going to my primary care physician (PCP), and I felt dismissed and greatly understood. My labs were “normal”, and I was told that I just needed to focus on sleep, exercise, drinking water, a healthy diet, and acknowledging I was getting “older”.

I was not satisfied with this response. I started doing some digging and some investigation on myself. I opted to seek further treatment from an endocrinologist. I had expressed my concerns and how I felt. She also said similar things my PCP said. But, she opted to run more labs and more tests.

Meanwhile, I met with my naturopath physician to make sure I was covering all my bases. I didn’t want to leave any stones unturned. I had a Dutch test done on my urine. I tried it all. I learned that not all doctors respect other doctors tests and forms of medicine. I mean, it’s all backed by science, so what’s the issue?

BUT, before I went to see my endo. I opted to fly to Colorado to meet with a different doctor that my friend had a lot of success with. Needless to say, she was a dud for me. She tried diagnosing my with PCOS based on no further testing. Cushing’s is oftentimes misdiagnosed for PCOS. I was on medications that did not help or support me. Luckily I went with my gut and opted not to take those medications anymore, and move forward with meeting my endo.

I got a sleep study done, because of my excessive daytime sleepiness. Let me tell you. I don’t know how those studies could tell you anything. It is literally the worlds worst sleep. You’re in an unfamiliar place looking the scene in Star Wars, where C3PO and R2D2 get all dissembled with wires everywhere. It was so uncomfortable, and they wake you up a million times. After all was said and done, the results were, “You do in fact have daytime sleepiness”…..NO SHIT!

I had mentioned my ADHD and anxiety, and my endo wanted to blame all of my symptoms on that. Like, I’ve ADHD and anxiety my whole life. My sudden change in weight and everyday functionality is not a result of these things. Something else is wrong, and it isn’t that or the medication that I sometimes take for my ailments.

I continued with more labs and 24 urine collections. I got a CT scan, and it came back showing that I had a 2 inch mass on my right adrenal gland. I was kind of surprised, and excited, because I was FINALLY getting closer to some sort of answer or diagnosis.

SO, after nearly a year of almost 20 different labs and tests, she then referred me to a super specialist endocrinologist at the main hospital. My labs were in this gray area, and I wasn’t satisfied with my answers. My labs were 50/50 for Cushing’s.

I met with my second endo, which my first meeting was abysmal. It was her resident that I met with…a guy. You see the thing is, I always request women doctors. I feel more comfortable with them, and I usually feel understood. When I got into this appointment (which I waited 4 months for), I was a bit disappointed to see a guy. He was very dismissive of my self diagnosis. I was under the impression that I had Cushing’s. He did not.

So, I got more labs and more tests. I got a second CT scan that confirmed the 2 inch mass on my right adrenal gland. Due to the size of the mass or nodule, they were going to opt for surgery, regardless of the results on my labs. But, my labs came back supporting the findings.

I think met with my surgeon. We discussed my pre-surgery expectations and scheduled my surgery. He was the one that told me I had Cushing’s. I felt relieved and accomplished. I had finally had an answer. All of my self advocacy was finally paying off. (Huzzah!)

So, I had my surgery on Thursday, April 18th. It was the first surgery I’ve ever had. I was nervous and not nervous at the same time. I remember the operating room. I remember how kind everyone was. I knew that I was in good hands. I remember waking up to see my mom and brother in my room. I was so tired, and kinda nauseous.

My time in the hospital after that was interesting. My IVs kept blowing my veins. I had put myself on a liquid diet a week prior to surgery, per my surgeon, and I hadn’t eaten real food. Post-op, I was so repulsed by food, but I had to eat. I couldn’t go to the bathroom without help out of bed. They took my blood from a vein that was receiving fluids, and it through everyone into a panic, because obviously my labs were dangerously wrong. So, I then had to become a human pin cushion every 1/2 hour to run my labs again to make sure I wasn’t going to die. Good times! Did I mention the IV blew my veins 4 times?

Overall, the worst part of post-op was trying to pass all of the gas or CO2 they pumped into my abdomen. It was HORRIBLE. The pressure had moved up into my chest, and it felt like someone was sitting on my chest. I couldn’t breathe. I only felt comfortable laying down. It took about a week for it to finally dissipate. Just in time for me to head back to work!

Then 6 weeks post op, I had to fly to Wisconsin/Minnesota to take a rock climbing assessment. Haha wild times.

Anyways, I am healed up from the actual surgery. Sometimes I feel like a little part of me is missing. They ended up taking out my whole adrenal gland with the mass. So, I am left with just my left adrenal gland. My cortisol levels have evened themselves out for the time being.

But here’s the kicker. Since surgery, I’ve had follow up appointments and my endo was like, “You don’t have Cushing’s, you have MACS”….I’m like, what are you talking about. My surgeon said I had Cushing’s and that having this surgery would cure me. Apparently I have a subclinical form of Cushing’s. MACS, which stands for Mild Autonomous Cortisol Secretion. (Mind was blown)

With this condition that I have, it’s an overproduction of cortisol in a system. So, imagine being in a state of fight or flight for so long that your body starts packing on weight to protect itself. That’s how I ended up where I am. It’s wild and exhausting. It’s a condition that takes time to recover from.

Folks keep asking how I am, and I honestly don’t know. I feel the same, but different. I’m still trying to lose all the weight I gained (50lbs) and find some sort of normalcy in my life again. I feel like an alien in my body. I don’t recognize the person I see looking back. I have my ups and my downs. I am trying my best to get through it. It’s hard, but I’m here.

Women are forever dealt the shitty hand. Our hormones dictate so much of our lives and when things go array, the whole body is in red alert. It’s frustrating and exhausting. I still feel deeply misunderstood when I am battling an illness that no one can see. It’s an invisible battle, that receives little sympathy or praise for how well I’m doing. I just wake pt wake up and hope for the best.

In the end I met with so many doctors (8). They all ran so many tests and labs (30+). I also juggled an extremely toxic relationship in all of this, that did not help my health and overall mental wellbeing. To say that this has been a challenge is an understatement. I am on a path to healing my physical wellbeing and my mental wellbeing. Thanks to everyone who has been with me through it all. It truly means a lot. Life is hard. It continues to be hard, but I am taking steps that will give me the strength to get through it.

For more information on MACS

[schizodiaries]

I’ve haven’t really opened up about this on this blog because it isn’t schizoaffective related. But I hope you all don’t mind that I vent a bit about this. In addition to mood and psychotic issues, I also struggle a lot with body image and poor eating habits. It’s apparently not severe enough to be considered an eating disorder, but it’s pretty heavily influenced by decades of diet mentality and internalized fatphobia.

(More under the cut, but I’m putting a content warning for mentions of weight and dieting, as well as potential disordered eating habits.)

I’m overweight. In fact, on my medical records, it says I’m obese according to my BMI. It wasn’t always that way. I used to be quite thin, maybe even underweight. But ever since the pandemic/lockdown, and ever since taking antipsychotics, my weight changed rapidly and dramatically.

I’m trying not to see this as a bad thing, but fatphobia is not easily unlearned especially if it’s been instilled at such a young age. Not only that, but because my weight change happened so suddenly, it came with some health issues. Prediabetes, for one, and some mobility issues too. Being at a heavier weight so suddenly has put so much strain on my legs, feet, and lower back, and walking up and down the stairs has become painful and a struggle for me. I can’t move around, turn my body, or bend over as easily as I used to, and it’s causing me a lot of stress physically and mentally.

Now for the social aspect. As we all know being fat is looked down upon in society. Especially in female bodies. I was already aware of the insanely fatphobic standards that women are often held to but I haven’t been on the receiving end of that until now. I have also gotten so many hurtful comments from family members and people close to me about my weight. The worst one I got was from an older, non English speaking relative who wouldn’t even call me fat to my face. She had to say it in her native tongue and direct it to my parents, while I was clearly in the room. What she doesn’t know is that though I don’t speak my family’s language, I can understand just enough to know when someone is saying “Jesus, she got fat!”

That encounter was the last straw for me. I knew at that point I needed to lose weight, by any means necessary. I put myself on countless diets, tried intermittent fasting, dusted off my fitness watch, forced myself to go on walks despite the pain, weighed myself multiple times a day, and started counting calories. At first, it worked, and I started to see some weight change. My mom commented that i was “getting my figure back.” I was being praised for all my work. But the process was slow. And it wasn’t enough, for anyone. Not my parents, not my doctor, not me.

I gained all the weight back and then some because my heavily restrictive eating habits came back to bite me in the ass and I was so hungry to the point of overeating to compensate for the lack of food. I got burnt out from exercise and became sedentary. My plan had failed, and I am now at my highest weight I’ve ever been. My doctor put me on Metformin, a medication typically prescribed to treat diabetes and PCOS. But it can also cause weight loss. My doctor strongly suggested i take the medicine, and even lamented my thinness on my behalf. In her words, “You used to be so skinny!” I am now at the highest dose of this medicine, which has given me gastrointestinal issues, and I still have not noticed a change in my weight.

I’m trying my best to keep a positive mindset about this. I’m trying to stay body positive, to love and accept my bigger body, and to embrace my change in weight as just another part of getting older. But it’s so difficult. My struggle to move my body like I used to, the nonstop comments I get from family members and healthcare professionals, the fact that I keep outgrowing every new clothing item I buy for myself and having to buy new ones every few months. It’s making me depressed, and angry.

I’ve reached out to my therapist already, who referred me to an eating disorder specialist who subsequently determined that I don’t have an eating disorder. They then referred me to a dietician, where I learned about consistent and balanced eating. I attended webinars about eating skills, body image, and rejecting the diet mentality. I’ve put in the effort to fix my relationship with food and body image. And I’ve certainly made a lot of progress in that regard. But I’m still fat. And the people in my life make it a point to remind me of that frequently.

Today I spoke to my mom about the pain in my lower body. She offered little to no sympathy, and told me to just lose weight and it will go away. She later sent me an Instagram reel about water fasting. I know she’s just trying to help, but i think this hurt more than it helped. The instagram reel I found to be particularly triggering, as now I am highly considering doing a water fast to lose weight.

The only person closest to me who hasn’t made any kind of negative comment about my heavier weight is my boyfriend. He has consistently been my biggest supporter throughout my weight journey. Except for when I relapse. Whenever he catches me restricting or starving or skipping meals, he expresses disappointment and accuses me of “giving up” and “not trying hard enough” to recover. Which is a huge slap in the face considering I’ve been putting so much effort into changing my relationship with food - seeing a dietitian every month, reaching out to an ED specialist, attending webinars about food and body positivity. But apparently, to him, if I relapse at any point, then all that effort would have been for nothing.

So I don’t know what to do anymore. If I try to accept and love my bigger body, my weight stays the same, and I’m bombarded with comments about my body. If I decide to do something about it and end up relapsing, I’m scolded by my boyfriend for “giving up” and “not trying hard enough.” If I reach out to doctors or family members about my weight they just tell me to lose it. But if I try to lose it, I fall back into unhealthy habits. I’m in a real damned if you do, damned if you don’t situation.

It’s hard for me to say what I really want to do without feeling like I’m promoting unhealthy habits. So I will just keep it to myself and hope that my efforts will have some results. Until then, I think I’m going to do things on my own terms and not listen to what any family member or medical professional has to say about my body and relationship with food. I’m going to do what I think feels right to me and my body. And I’ll do it by whatever means necessary.

[mrsackermannx]

Thank you for your reply. You are really kind ily 🥹🥹

Pcos is really hard to deal with. It has fucked me up so bad. From facial hair to hyperpigmented private parts, it has given me everything. I'm so fucking insecure. It's hard not to be😭 I wanna look pretty. My doc gave me heavy meds I was nauseous the whole time I took the tablet. It was hell. Besides i had severse foodpipe ulcers. Now I'm off tablet. I'm just so much so worried about my hair only. I also had to have dandruff!!! Just my life ugh. I had hair down upto my knees. I had to cut it short as it got tangled all the time and it made extra hairloss. Im jsut 18. Haven't even joined university yet. Other girls are pretty ugh. Sorry I jsut ranted. I'm tempted to just shave my head at times. I cry every night lmao.

It is kinda good to know that I'm not alone (although I hope none of us have to grow through this) and thanks for the "don't"s 🫶🫶

Do you have any scalp washing tips btw?

If I touch my head, there's no hair..it's just touching my scalp directly lol bald me

BEAUTIFUL GIRL OF COURSE! I never want my pcos girlies to feel silenced???😚😚 first of all….Oh the facial hair has been kicking my ass since i was 15 and im 21 girl 😭😭 but i will say, at 19-20 it peaked for me, i hit rock bottom and i do think that the external stress of uni pushed it but i also thing it’s a genuine like canon event for us pcos girlies, i truly believe that until ur pcos really gets you down, you can’t rise up from it. i was the biggest id ever been, lost all my hair, facial hair was insane!!

i mean this in the best way, because I’ve been there girl, i still am there, i get laser on my face and neck, i wash my hair and like it gives me anxiety just washing my hair and seeing the loss, feeling the loss of density, like you i had hair down my back my whole life and i cut it over a year ago and now it has grown back thicker at least bc mine was all straggly at the worst point😭 i KNOW your pain.

BUT everybody always told me that the older i get it will level out and trust me it does!! and it did. im 21 and things have settled, we can only go through this process. i promise you, it gets better. my hair is still thinner but it shines and i put love into it!! i oil my scalp every time i wash it, I’ve been doing it for 8 months religiously.

and girl you are pretty!! i used to read the r/pcos thread a lot bc it made me feel less alone and like, i saw a post once venting about how hard it is having so much maintenance, to wake up and have to shave your face, to be conscious, to have to cover hair loss. that constant weight of having to get up and do all these steps that you feel other women don’t. i know the frustration, i have bumps and marks and body hair that makes me sob if I don’t shave it and then I look down in the shower and it hits me. but it’s also okay to pay for the things like laser or waxing, or learning how to wax etc, we have to manage in any way, we are allowed to prioritise and do things that make us feel beautiful bc we deserve it. we have to adapt rather than hoping it might just disappear, and we have to accept it🥺🩷

but diet is huge!! at least try and have a protein heavy breakfast!! 30g of protein is such an important aim, I promise that makes such a difference. definitely try not to have a lot of sugar in the morning. i only drink water or spearmint tea. matcha tea can be good bc it’s better then coffee, but I never drink caffeine because it’s so bad for us pcos girls especially on an empty stomach!! try and eat good fats!! and also integrating exercise!! and also MANAGE STRESS BABE I MEAN IT

but you are still beautiful, effortlessly and with your ways of coping. there is nothing wrong with us!! don’t be sorry for ranting at all, i also wanted to shave my head at the height of my weight loss i had a huge bald spot and it’s still kinda there 😭 i know this shit is REAL

but definitely check in with a doctor if you can get any advice/meds that could help, maybe a birth control pill could help you but again I don’t recommend that due to my own experiences bc it gave me severe acne, migraines and other things but tbf my hair was lucious😜, pcos is a lot of trial and error and seeing what might work for you.

as far as tips go!! look into Indian/arab/ayuverdic routines on TikTok/youtube!!! look up ways to massage your scalp!!!

here are my fave creators !!

@golabbeauty on tiktok for hair loss, hair oiling, diet, she has pcos herself!

@zoeantonia_ tiktok + instagram!! pcos positivity for facial hair, bloating, skin!! she also gives great diet and workout advice and she’s amazing!!

@mila.magnani on tiktok! pcos creator amazing!!!!!!

but i want you to know that you don’t have to start everything now, that you can eat something one creator says not to!! you will find your rhythm with this! steal, twist, tailor everything you hear and see creators doing !! whether it’s making your own mixture of oils for oiling or making some kind of nightly mock tail for your hormones you’ve found!! either way i believe in you and im always here <3333 educate yourself but don’t overwhelm yourself! time is your biggest ally, my heart goes out to you angel <3

[asterdeer]

things I’m looking forward to with my new exercise regimen: strengthened airways/heart, powerful thighs

things i am not looking forward to with my new exercise regimen: stretched-out kneecaps that are primed and ready to subluxate at any given fuckin moment

[vvatchword]

Guys. If any of you can help me figure out why I'm suffering from the world's worst fatigue, and yet cannot wake up refreshed despite taking plenty of time to sleep...

Idk man I'll think of some kind of reward,,, you'll be my hero

I can't work in long stretches worth a damn and i often have to stop and lie down in dark rooms. I get constant headaches behind my left eye. Often it's just a nagging discomfort, but sometimes it advances into day-ruining territory. Which will it be? Nobody knows.

What makes this particularly pernicious is that i have several conditions that could cause this. PCOS could cause this. Depression could cause this. Sleep apnea could cause this. I'm treating all these things, though. Maybe medication is kicking my ass?? Idk man. Fucking rip

You should see my sleep logs. I go to sleep around the same time each night, but the results vary wildly. One night I'll sleep ten hours with 90% efficiency and wake up feeling like shit. The next i will lie in bed for seven while not sleeping at all and get up feeling like my forehead is filled with cotton. The next I'll sleep five hours with 75% efficiency and then wake up feeling okay.

Wat

But "okay" is as good as it gets. I always wake up feeling hazy. Exercise does help with my endurance, but exercise also wipes me out and increases the possibility of getting super tired in the middle of the day and drifting off while sitting in front of the monitor. It doesn't refresh me. In fact, it often hurts me.

It's gotten so bad that i often have to take a rest in the middle of the day for two hours at a time. I now know better than to schedule more than two appointments per day or three per week.

There are a few methods i haven't done great at: reducing screen time before bed, reducing sugar and carb intake (specifically cheap carbs), and over-scheduling. That's my next pursuit: the cleanest eating i can possibly manage, even if it costs me an arm and a leg, and going to sleep by 9. Also, i should research my meds and see which ones might not okay nice with each other... or with me.

[pcos-fighter]

As some may know from my group chat, I am currently in therapy to manage my anxiety and I’ve been learning grounding techniques and the kind of questions to ask myself when I get in one of my moods where I might spiral into an attack or spark it. I slowly have been working through how to manage and my therapist sent me techniques in the Betterhelp app which is how I’ve been going to sessions. The techniques I have started to learn and apply I am finding to actually be helpful when I actively work on them in a moment of panic.

For instance the other day at work I started to feel my heart race and that overwhelming stomach knot I feel when my anxiety spikes. I was in the middle of paperwork and received a text from a dear friend who supported my desire to leave my current job and sent me multiple job postings every few days. But the posts she sent me some of the listings just overwhelmed me and in my head, I began to spiral with thoughts about my abilities to handle those kinds of environments and I could feel myself start to panic a little. So when I walked to the mailbox to get the mail, I did one of the techniques I had read about previously and started to say out loud everything I saw outside to ground myself. I kept my focus on the things around me, naming each tree or car which helped calm me from a full-blown attack.

I am sharing this story because I know with PCOS many of us struggle with anxiety and depression and I know not everyone can afford therapy as it can be very expensive. Shoot I barely can afford it but with the app Betterhelp, it's a lot more affordable than other avenues so I make it work. This is why I am writing this post to share a few grounding techniques so that any of you who struggle with anxiety can have a tool that will help ease at the moment. Now it's not a cure-all so some may work better than others, but at least it can help (as a few help me) to ground you when your anxiety gets high.

There are seven ways you can ground yourself so take what works for you the best and use it to overcome those moments.

1. The Grounding Chair

The first step in this technique is to sit in a comfortable chair where your feet touch the ground. Close your eyes and breath in slowly to the count of three and then out slowly. Bring your mind's focus to the rest of your body in the chair. How does it feel? Scoot your bum right into the back of the seat so that the whole length of your back is pressing into the back of the chair. Can you feel the contact of the chair against your body?

If the chair has arms, touch it, is the material smooth or textured? Press your arms down the length of the chair's arm, notice how your hands hang off the end.

If your chair doesn't have arms, touch the material of the seat, how does it feel?

Next push your feet into the ground, imagine that energy drain down from your mind, flow down through your body, and out through your feet into the ground. As that energy drains from your head, feel how heavy each body part becomes, your torso feels heavy, and now your arms as you relax your muscles. Lastly, feel the heaviness go down your legs through your feet and down into the ground.

2. The 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding Technique

This technique uses all five of your senses to help get you back to the present. It starts with you sitting comfortably, close your eyes and take a couple of deep breathes. In your nose (count to three) then out your mouth (to the count of three). Now open your eyes and look around you. Name out loud five things you can see, you can look within the room and out the window. Name four things you can feel, (such as the silkiness of your skin, the texture of the chair you're in, or what your hair feels like.) What is in front of you that you can touch? Name three things you can hear, (traffic noise, birds outside, noises in the room you're in.) What noises do you hear? Name two things you can smell. Do you have something scented nearby or in the area that you can walk to? Name one thing you can taste, (it might be a good idea to keep a piece of chocolate or mint handy in case you are doing this grounding exercise.) You can always leave the chair in this exercise and taste whatever it is you have chosen with a small bite. Let it swill around your mouth for a couple of seconds, letting it really savor the flavor. Take a deep breath to end.

(This one works a bit better for me personally.)

3. Hold Something and Really Focus On It

Hold an object in your hand and really bring your full focus to it. Look where shadows may fall on parts of it or is there something about it that is textured? Or are there color variants in it or on it? Feel the weight of it, is it heavy or light? What textures do your hands feel while holding it? Is it rough or smooth? This can be done with any object you have lying around or if you know you are going into a stressful situation, take one of your favorite small objects and put it in your pocket so you can do this calming exercise on the go.

4. Distract Yourself

There are several ways to distract your mind so it stops thinking about whatever it is that is worrying you and focuses on something that isn't emotionally driven.

You can pick a color in the room you are in. How many things in different shades of that color can you see around you? How about out the window? Still feeling stressed? Pick another color.

Count backward by 7, starting at 100. It isn't easy and requires you to concentrate.

Or my personal one I use sometimes is having some friends send me pictures of cats on the internet or their cats and it stops me in my worst spirals. (Mostly cause I love cats.) But if you have a creature you love look them up. Or watch a video with them in it. Whatever works to pull you out of that spiral find that image online or video.

5. Draw Around Your Foot In Your Mind

Place your feet on the ground and in your imagination pick your favorite color to draw an outline around each foot. Start at the heel and using your imaginary pencil slowly go up on the side of your foot to your pinky toe and then around each toe then back to your heel. Repeat on the other foot.

Another way you can focus on your feet in a stressful moment is just wiggle your toes inside your shoe. Pay attention to the sensation as you move to separate each toe. Do some move independently of the others? Tense your whole foot then stretch it out. Now do the other foot.

6. Let Your Thoughts Come and Go

So this one is simple in that most of us with PCOS constantly have our minds overthink and wander. Personally, I know when my mind lingers on the parts I can't control or can't fully change my anxiety spikes and it just spirals till I have a panic attack because I don't stop myself and observe my thoughts. And I am learning in therapy that part of this is all due to cognitive distortion and the challenge to overcome those thoughts is to really think about what those thoughts do to my feelings and then my behavior.

This technique requires you to watch your thoughts for a minute. Imagine leaves floating on the surface of a stream. For each thought that comes to mind allow that thought to take its place on a leaf and watch it blow away in the wind. Or allow them to change into a fish and watch it float down the stream. Allow those thoughts to come and go, you don't need to respond to them.

In this case, you don't have to challenge these thoughts at the moment your anxiety spikes but down the line start to challenge them.

7. Get Your Adrenaline-Fueled Energy Out

If for whatever nothing works at first because your adrenaline is spiked your best bet to kick start the calming down process is to do something physical first to get that pent-up energy out. Go for a run if you can, a brisk walk if you aren't as conditioned to run or hate running, or clean a room like the kitchen, the house, or even outside if you have a yard. Dance around your room or house while listening to loud music. (I do this often, even on car drives for my daily commute and it helps me.) When you're physically spent you can try to return to the grounding techniques above to calm down your mind.

I hope this helps some of you in some form through those moments. I know in the past there are a couple I have applied without knowing these in full as grounding techniques and I am grateful to have a therapist who sent me this information as some others I have started to apply.

Living with PCOS isn't easy and managing anxiety isn't easy either. But hopefully, this helps those of you who struggle to find healthy ways to ground yourself so those overwhelming thoughts don't get the best of you. Take care cysters. You know I care about each one of you even if I am not a frequent poster.

All this information can be found on Dr. Sarah Allen's website.

[thezfc]

Z-D is also fatphobic and misogynistic. She used to call Hailey Bieber and other women "talentless gold digger wives" on her old blog and claim they only got famous because of their husbands. And let's also not forget the countless times she said Tom would never date a fat women because he wants a gf who takes care of her body. //

This whole topic makes me so sad. I am so tired of overweight women being trolled, vilified, cast as the butt of jokes, considered to be the last resort/safety net for the most desperate and gross people who would otherwise face the prospect of remaining perpetual virgins. It’s so demoralising that there’s a constant narrative being spun that somehow being fat is the worst thing a woman can be. The message always seems to be that fat women are undesirable, less worthy of respect and success, less deserving of happiness and love. All of this is part of the relentless scrutiny on women’s bodies and the associated notion that our aesthetics define our worth.

I hope I don’t really need to explain this or provide excuses for myself but it isn’t even as straightforward that being overweight is down to be lazy and useless. Surely most of us recognise life is more complex than that, individuals are more nuanced. Personally, I have PCOS which makes it harder to shift weight and I put on most of my weight after I was raped. Depression, a lack of self worth, self hatred and self flagellation, a desire not to be desired… so many factors drove my weight gain following that incident. Of course I could eat less and exercise more but when you stop caring about yourself that becomes a whole lot harder. And I can attest to the reality that having carried that additional weight (both physical and emotional) now for most of my adult life, it is as though I became invisible and less worthy of acknowledgement. The bigger you get the less visible you become. The less visible you become, the harder it becomes to validate and fight for yourself. And please, I am not suggesting for a moment that there needs to be some traumatic reason to justify weight gain. I am simply saying everyone is different and it is impossible to know what circumstances, experiences, feelings, environments, decisions etc shape someone over time.

It’s then adding insult to injury when people claiming to be feminist / inclusive / progressive instead go ahead in devaluing and dismissing others based on these superficial observations when it suits them. ZD seem to pick and choose when they support women, just like TS appears to be pretty selective in when she wants to champion women. Even the term “gold digger” imo is deeply misogynistic- it is never used to describe men, likely because it is never considered an issue for the man (in a traditional relationship) to have greater means and agency than a woman - in fact, arguably that is the set up people seem most comfortable with. And if they are going to adopt this sexist language why is it inconsistently applied? Why is one woman a gold digger and another deemed to be the one true love and soulmate when marrying a more wealthy and successful man? This grotesque behaviour of cherry picking values persists everywhere it seems and (whilst of course we all have biases to overcome and we will all be less than perfect) the outright hypocrisy of deploying feminism only when it serves their own agenda really sticks in my gullet. Actual real values are not interchangeable based on convenience.

I’m sorry for what you’ve gone through, and I implore you to not take what strangers say on the Internet personally. Yes it’s terrible that we drag each other down for certain physical attributes yada yada yada but that’s not gonna change - the only thing you can change is the way that you react to it, which should be not at all. Don’t allow what strangers say the other strangers that you think could also apply to you have an affect on your feelings about yourself!

[echo-of-sounds]

pcos

How Aizawa, Hizashi, and Fatgum would support and comfort their s/o who has polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). While there are a wide variety and severity of symptoms, I focused more on the ones I’ve experienced.

Warnings: normal period stuff, blood, and cysts

Aizawa Shouta

He’s heard of PCOS though he doesn’t know the details. He’s never known someone affected by it so he’s never had to learn. When you confide in him about your struggles, he’ll study up on the systems and treatments. And since PCOS is an endocrine disorder, all the hormones in your body are affected. It’s not just irregular, heavy, painful periods. It’s migraines, terribly low (almost no) energy, and serious mood drops.

Cramps aren’t merely cramps. It spreads to your whole body. Everything feels uncomfortable and wrong. When you’re bedridden for three days because of pain and heavy bleeding, Shouta will try to be as attentive as he can while working two jobs. He texts often and tries to get home quickly. Any time you want cuddles simply place a heating pad on your lower stomach and he’ll come like a cat to lay right on top of you. He’ll bring snacks and pain prescriptions for easy access between your naps.

His concerns spike when he sees you struggling to work. Especially if it’s not during your period. The sharp pains and neverending aches are often signs of cysts and there’s really nothing you can do about it until the cysts disappear. Prescriptions may work but there’s only so many you can take in a day. Even if you know what it is because you’ve dealt with it all your life, he’ll bring up visiting your OB/GYN. He’ll go with you if you want. He’s simply worried and wants to make sure your health isn’t in danger.

He isn’t bothered by body hair but understands why it would bother you. The world has a lot of beauty expectations, the majority of them being unfair towards women. So if you shave your lower tummy or jaw, he won’t judge. He wants you to do what makes you happy. He also wants you to feel comfortable in your own skin and not have to perform beauty a certain way because it’s what society says. Days where self-consciousness and shame hit you harder, he will assure you over and over again that you’re beautiful. It’s one of the few things that makes him vocal about how much he loves you.

Struggling with weight is another common problem. You can exercise daily and eat right but the weight won’t leave. Again, he doesn’t want you to feel forced to be a certain way. However, he is there to help if you want it. He’ll go to the gym with you and plan healthy meals. It’ll be good for him as well because he could also use a better diet plan.

Yamada Hizashi

He gets sympathy pains witnessing his closest friends get hurt. So along those lines, he loathes seeing you in pain. And not just because he feels uncomfortable from it, but watching you grip your side and cry makes him want to cry. As he comes to understand PCOS in-depth, his anxieties begin to calm. 

Those six months where your period disappears, he’d be happy for you at first, saying, “Well most people don’t want their period, so isn’t that a good thing, babe?” You’ll have to explain that it isn’t a good thing because your body isn’t working right: the uterine lining doesn’t shed but can thicken which may lead to other problems, the chance of infertility rises, you have horrible cramps that persist throughout the months, and when you do get your period again, it hurts so much more because your body isn’t used to it. His smile drops and he becomes a lot more worried.

Hizashi’s major points of concern are your heavy bleeding and your sleepless nights because of it. Though he’s a fairly heavy sleeper, feeling your side of the bed shift is enough to rouse him. It’s like his subconscious knows you’re in pain and wakes him up to help. He’ll make tea, ready a rice heating pack, and grab a towel to put under you so you don’t have to fear a leak. He’ll hold the rice pack to your lower stomach for extra pressure. While you lay in the dark, he’ll quietly talk with you, hoping it distracts you from the discomfort.

The days before your period can be overwhelming from the fatigue and migraines. His quirk plays against him as he tries to keep his voice low. When he notices the trend, he suggests (like Aizawa) going to your OB/GYN for medications that could alleviate some of the worst symptoms. Or at least try to find something that could control the hormones better so you aren’t disabled by migraines for a week. He’ll support you through any medication changes and their side effects.

He isn’t an immature teenager. He knows every body is different. Oily skin and acne don’t faze him. Dark and/or extra hair on your arms and breasts is nothing to him. He’ll cuddle the self-doubts away and buy you clothes that highlight how gorgeous you are to make you feel gorgeous. Every now and then he’ll put together care packages filled with your favorite lotions and face masks and join in on your pampering days.

Toyomitsu Taishiro

He has no idea what PCOS is. When you explain it to him, he’d still be confused about it at the physiological level. He’d do some research on his own time to understand it better. And more importantly, how to care for and support you.

Honestly, he’s the absolute best man to be with during your period. He’s perfect for cuddling, he brings you anything you want without judging your bizarre cravings, and he’s basically a giant warm bed. He’s also a total sucker for comedic and/or romantic movies. He’ll watch whatever you choose. Hell, he’d even carry you to the couch or bathroom so you don’t have to walk. He knows periods are often taxing on the body and wants you to be as comfortable as possible.

He’s very concerned when you have large blood clots. In themselves, they aren’t dangerous. It’s when you’re in pain passing them or you need to change pads nearly on the hour that he wants you to go to the OB/GYN. If they say you’re in the clear, then it was over nothing. But if there’s something else going on, he wants you to be aware and be able to treat it. His concern isn’t to annoy or pester you. It’s all out of love and devotion.

Doctor appointments can be rather scary. What if you need yet another medication? What if they find a big cyst? Or something worse in your blood test? Taishiro’s always willing to accompany you. He’ll make sure he has the entire day off just in case you need some extra comfort.

Cramps and mood drops can come at any time without bleeding. You’re left wondering why you feel so shitty out of the blue and it’s hard to manage, especially with added nausea and fatigue. Unlike Aizawa and Hizashi, he doesn’t work multiple jobs so he’s home more to help. He’ll ask if you want to talk about anything or be distracted from the pain. He’s open to movies, board games, bubble baths, or just a nice nap. To let you sleep comfortably, he lays you on his stomach, places a heating pad on your lower back, and slowly strokes your back and arms. He isn’t scared of blood if a leak happens. 

Like the other two, you don’t need to feel ashamed of any part of your body. He truly loves you and hates seeing you feel self-conscious. To let you know you’re not alone, he’ll share his own insecurities. He’ll kiss you all over on your worst days: on your neck and jaw, telling lame jokes, up your arms, tickling you, and down the hair on your tummy, blowing raspberries so he can see your beautiful smile.

[adhdstudybitch]

I’ve spent so long wanting to fight god that he finally got tired of my shit and fucking nerfed me

(Personal health shit below, please don’t reblog. Advice and words of encouragement would be greatly appreciated tho)

So I had a follow up appt with my cardiologist on Monday regarding my cholesterol, and good news! My LDL is down to 116 from 273 three months ago! He still wants to get it below 100 so I’m doubling my cholesterol meds. We’ve been trying to figure out why a 28yr would have such high cholesterol to begin with. The big culprit seemed to be my PCOS but they made me do a urine protein test to rule out anything kidney-related.

I apparently have a lot of protein in my urine, and my albumin levels are low. Which is no bueno. I’m showing signs of nephrotic syndrome. I have an appointment in a month with a nephrologist to do more tests, but yeah. Kidney disorder. Lifelong kidney disorder, with the possibility of remission but relapse could happen at any time, and kidney failure a very real possibility.

I’ve spent the last few days crying a lot and trying to come to terms with all the possible outcomes of nephrotic syndrome. Everything is so uncertain, and I think the worst part is that there’s nothing for me to blame. I won the wrong damn lottery on this one. Even the treatment for it is like...I can take all the meds, change my diet, exercise more...and still end up really fucking sick. Anyone with a chronic illness reading this is probably rolling their eyes because this isn’t news to them. I’m disabled in multiple ways but this is a new flavor for me and it’s honestly pretty fucking scary.

I don’t want to wallow in it though. Whatever is going on is going to force me to make many changes, and it’s safe to say my “normal” will be turned on it’s head. But my new normal, whatever that may be, will be met with strength even if I have to stop and cry once in a while.

If anyone reading this has any helpful advice or words of encouragement I welcome them.

[duetochange]

PCOS rant 1

So, this is not going to be easy for me. I mean, I have vented out my thoughts publicly before but doing it on tumblr feels totally strange (also, do people even use tumblr anymore, especially as a writing blog? who knows lol).

Last couple of days was pretty scary for me. For the first time in like 9 years, I experienced heavy bleeding, and I can’t lie, it did make me panic more than just a little bit. Not to mention I was bleeding for almost two weeks straight and had no idea when it would stop. Having read stories online about women suffering from PCOS who were on their periods for MONTHS (i’m talking 8 months straight) didn’t help my psyche. Of course, the fact that the last time I bled so heavily ( I was 11 at the time), my period lasted for over a month and consisted of serious, excruciatingly painful cramps; didn’t exactly help me relax either.

I guess the hardest part about living with PCOS is the fact that there is really no definitive treatment out there. I mean I guess you can say that there are some things which can be helpful for everyone, for example eating healthy and exercising, but even within those clear cut instructions there are countless nuances. I get that I need to limit my carbs, load up on proteins (according to popular consensus) but I wish I could figure out a way to limit my to the extent that these people are telling me to. Growing up in a bangladeshi family, white rice is all we have eaten on most lunches and dinners so I really don’t understand how I can cut it out of my diet while still living with the rest of my family!

Now let’s talk about exercise: some people say HIIT is the best for those with PCOS while others say its weight training. Some say add in some yoga with HIIT while others go in a completely different direction and say “just 30 minutes of brisk walking a day is good enough”. I just don’t understand, what is it that I’m supposed to do here, exactly?

Despite the downright unpleasant symptoms of this disorder, I think the absolute worst and most cruel part of living with PCOS is that you never know WHAT is going to work for you, because nobody can give you that answer. Even if you spent months or years following a specific diet or exercise routine, a better routine and diet may just be out there which you wouldn’t have had any clue about whatsoever. Everybody’s always all in my ears telling me to ‘reduce stress’ to deal with it better but how can I when this is all just so beyond frustrating?

Anyways, I’m getting my blood test done tomorrow so hopefully my hormone levels show to be normal (I’m not really expecting that though, but atleast I’ll get to know what exactly is wrong, more or less).

[sunspira]

It is DAMN hard to find a body positive community that is somewhat focused on weight loss and weight maintenance that is also not fat shaming.

A lot of body positive and fat acceptance people will talk about how they love being fat and that they can finally be themselves. That’s wonderful but I have really never felt that way. I don’t think it’s just society that I don’t enjoy it.

The best thing body posi did for me though was not feeling so much shame. Really embracing the idea that I’m not obligated to look good for strangers. Because before that the idea of showing skin that isn’t attractive was terrifying but now I realize. Look, it really doesn’t matter. It’s not a big deal and they will live lmao. And generally helping me detach my self worth from appearance.

However maintaining a certain weight and fitness is really important to me. I also have diet and exercise requirements to best balance my hormones with PCOS. When I’m treating it I truly am a much happier person. I love the feeling of being strong and athletic. Being able to run and lift weights and swim. Seeing my muscles and natural curves in the mirror.

But it’s also super hard to find any fitness community that isn’t deeply ingrained with disordered eating and fat phobia. No one is ever educated or informed or remotely sympathetic on the factors that lead to people gaining weight. They’re usually high on the idea that they are more disciplined than any fat person while being in denial about the influences of hormones, metabolism, stress, poverty, mental illness. Then the tirades about the healthcare system and how fat people are oppressing you and stealing your taxes to get diabetes on purpose. I would have to explain to a new person every day that some of you eat and exercise the same amount and same basic things as some overweight people do. Some overweight people work out every day. Plenty of obese people exercise often and usually eat healthy and balanced meals. different bodies handle that intake and outtake differently. There are people with different bodies and medical conditions who would have to work much much harder than you ever do just to be as fit as you are now. But they don’t want to have that conversation. Because fitness people need to feel like they’re working the hardest and all work will show equally on any body. That’s not science

The worst is when the general public who isn’t even into fitness has this fixation that all fat people are shoveling food and are disgusting and lack discipline when many fat people have the same food and exercise discipline many thin people have. I mean they truly think that’s a myth because it’s easier to believe fat people are slobs. Until they hit thirty and get huge because they never pay attention to nutrition and barely exercise but now the only thing that’s changed is that their metabolism is as slow as the fatties they used to judge teehee 🤭