#i do not seek and am not seeking medical advice from any of you so dont start

[nocturniashifter]

𝓦hat is your friendships like in your dr? | pick a pile

Hello, my angels! After a long time without posting any PAP, here I am. I really hope you like it and that it resonates with you ;) ♡

┈─★ Disclaimer: This reading is for entertainment purposes only and shouldn't be taken seriously or used as a substitute for medical and professional advice. It's also a general reading, so it may or may not resonate with you.

┈─★ How to choose: Close your eyes, take a deep breath and choose the image that catches your attention the most – trust your intuition.

MASTERLIST | PAID READINGS

── .✦ PILE 1

Shufflemancy: Hippies - flipturn, Picture Frames - rei brown, Knight - Maddox, I Love You But I Need Another Year - Liza Anne, Persephone - The Tragic Thrills.

It's funny because from the first moment you started your friendship, you and your friends are “the weird ones” together – you might have a more alternative style or you just don't fit into the boxes that society tries to put you in/don't follow the expectations that society imposes on you.

In your friendship, you accept and love each other exactly as you are and since there is no judgement, you can let your weirder sides out because there is this safe space in your relationship lol. But although you may be judged as “the weird one” by other people or even by yourself jokingly, your friendship is very beautiful!

You really are there for each other whenever one of you needs. If one of you is going through dark periods in life, the other will not abandon you in those difficult times and will reach out to help as much as they can – you are like each other's knights in armor. I say this not only metaphorically, but for those who are shifting into a DR that involves a lot of action and is more dangerous, your friends will really be there to protect you because they want to keep you safe. They would even risk their lives for you if necessary – and they wouldn't do that for just anyone but you. It's so cute, you are always in their hearts 😔💗

You and your friends really love each other. But, one of you is facing mental health problems – you may not even have a diagnosis yet because this person is avoiding therapy, if it's you go now or I'll pull your foot when you're sleeping 🤨 – and you don't want to become a burden to the other person in friendship.

Because of this, this person who is facing this problem may end up distancing themselves from other people because they don't want to drag them into this situation even if all they want is for someone to be present in their life supporting them during this difficult time. Be there for that person just like they were there for you when the world was falling apart.

Demonstrate through words and actions that you care about that person's well-being and encourage them to seek profissional help because it will be beneficial for them - and if you are the one going through this, be there for yourself, take care of yourself and, above all, seek professional help. Know that, regardless of what happens, your friends love you very much and will always be here for you – when the world is falling apart or when everything is fine.

── .✦ PILE 2

Shufflemancy: Five Foot Tree - Flannel Graph, She Sings in the Morning - Pierce The Veil, The Fall - half•alive, What the Heck - Tried to run away, Ultimately - khai dreams.

Your friendship is so beautiful, pile 2! Your friends love you so much that if they could, they would take away all the suffering you have and leave you with only the best that life has to offer.

Your friends may think that they don't have many material things to offer you, but they give themselves completely to you and hope that that is enough.

In your friendship, your friends are not the type of people who tell you what you want to hear – no, on the contrary, they tell you what you need and often give you reality checks or make you wake up/open your eyes for a certain situation that you weren't seeing things right or lying to yourself, but they do it for your good.

Due to negative experiences in previous relationships – whether platonic or romantic – you or your friends have developed trust issues and therefore do not feel safe opening their hearts and being vulnerable with other people for fear of being stabbed in the back like It's happened other times. But, it seems that little by little you or your friends are learning to open your hearts, to share your thoughts and ideas and to trust each other despite the fears and insecurities you feel and that is very good.

You're the kind of friends who can talk about literally any topic or sometimes just make small talk – one moment you can be talking about the silliest, most idiotic things, making jokes, and the next moment you're having deep conversations about serious and important topics.

You and your friends are learning and growing together over time and through your experiences. You love and accept each other exactly as you are – including all your flaws. When you make a mistake, you admit it and always do your best to keep your friendship working. You support each other, care for each other, respect each other and generally bring out the best versions of each other. This is very beautiful, pile 2!

── .✦ PILE 3

Shufflemancy: Corpses - Saint Sisters, Cocoa Hooves - Glass Animal, To Love Someone Else - Avery Lynch, Tesselation - Mild High Club, new skin - VÉRITE.

You and your friends have more than just a friendship. Your friendship goes far beyond that: you are each other's family and you are truly there for each other in the worst and best moments you face in your lives.

Your friendship is so strong that you will spend your entire life by each other's side and will remain friends until old age. You've been through a lot together and will continue to be by each other's side whenever one of you needs it, until death.

Just like in pile 2, you or your friends have difficulty opening up due to negative experiences in previous relationships – be it trust issues, fear of judgement, fear of rejection or their own insecurities – and may end up trying hide parts of yourself. But all this effort to try to hide who you really are is in vain, because your friends can clearly see through you.

As I mentioned earlier, your bond is so strong that your friendship will last until old age and your friends know you better than you know yourself, so there is no need to try to be someone you are not because they love you exactly as you are. It is. Your friends really love you and you make them feel great, so stop thinking you're not enough.

For some of you reading this pile, one of these friends is your s/o and they really love you but they need to keep it a secret because they don't know if you reciprocate their romantic feelings and they're afraid of rejection or ruining their friendship with you.

Although you and your friends have many things in common, you are still completely different people who share world views that are not the same as the other person – and in your friendship this is not a problem, on the contrary, you end up learning a lot with the other person, gaining new perspectives and experiences. You take yourself out of your comfort zone and, thanks to you, your friends feel like they are different people than they were before and even better.

That was all, everyone! I hope y'all liked it. Until the next PAP! ♡

© nocturniashifter – don't copy, redistribute or edit my content | dividers

[turtletaubwrites]

Bend Until You Break ~ Part 1

Thank you for this request from the lovely @anemptypuddingcup for a Yandere!Law that the Reader goes to for help with a serious health condition, only for Law to take a liking to her... I swear I will write sweet Law one of these days, but for now please enjoy Yandere!Law. This contains !!DARK CONTENT!! so please check the warnings, and skip this one if it may be triggering or uncomfortable for you. This one's for us hypermobile baddies out there. 🥄

Pairings: YANDERE!Trafalgar Law x Fem!Reader

Bend Until You Break ~ Masterlist

Word Count: 2679

Ao3 Link

Summary: You have struggled with mystery pains and injuries for most of your life, and had resigned yourself to suffer after every doctor told you there was nothing wrong. But when a world renowned doctor/pirate comes to town to offer aid in exchange for supplies, you decide to give hope one more chance. Maybe you'll finally find a doctor you can trust.

Rating/Warnings: Explicit Sexual Content, 18+ ONLY, MDNI, AFAB!Reader, She/Her Pronouns for Reader, Reader-Insert, DARK CONTENT, DUBCON, Dubious Consent, Swearing, Eventual Smut, Yandere, Manipulation, Power Imbalance, Hypermobility, Medical Examination, Medical Trauma, Medical Conditions, Chronic Pain, Injury, Physical Disability, Physical Therapy, Doctor/Patient, Abuse of Authority, Kidnapping, Possessive Behavior, Other Additional Tags to be Added, (Reader is described as having hair "above her shoulders" that she can brush)

A/N: This chapter is SFW, but I'm adding in many tags to start out with since this mini series will contain heavy/dark content. PLEASE heed the tags, and do not read this fic if you aren't comfortable with these topics. Some of these medical issues may or may not have come from personal experience 🙃

Extra A/N: I am not a doctor, and this is not meant to be educational, or to contain any health advice. Please seek a health professional. Hopefully you'll have better luck than Reader 🙄

| masterlist | about me | rules | ao3 |

I should just leave. He’ll just tell me the same things. It’s a waste of time. 

You were close to convincing yourself to walk away, especially as the discomfort and pain of standing in one place for so long started radiating up your body. 

The line got shorter, and you stretched and bounced, trying to hang onto a sliver of hope.

“Hello, how’s your day going?”

A talking polar bear in an orange jumpsuit waved at you from behind a small table, handing you a clipboard. 

“I-I’m well thanks. How…”

“Good! It’s always nice when the captain can help people. He’s the best! Just fill that out, and he’ll be with you soon.”

Looking at the form brought you out of the shock of speaking to a bear. Instead, it filled you with intense frustration, until you were practically boiling in your skin.

‘Rate your pain from 1-10.’

How the fuck am I supposed to rate all the different types of pain I’m in on any given day?

‘Circle the parts of the body where you are experiencing pain.’

I could put circles over so many things. Might as well circle the whole fucking chart, and have them call me a liar.

‘List your diagnoses, and family medical history.’

I don’t have one, doctors never find anything. Mom has some similar symptoms, but they're so mild that she's never tried to get a diagnosis. You’re the one who’s supposed to figure this out!

You resisted the urge to vent your anger onto the page, bullshitting your way through instead. You tried to write in the most convincing way to get this new doctor to take you seriously. 

This new doctor. “The Surgeon of Death.” A fucking pirate. 

But he was supposed to be the best, and he was here on your shitty little island for a couple of weeks, trading medical treatment for the town's supplies. You had already heard reports of “miracles,” that he could perform surgeries in an instant, that he could fix anyone. 

Please fix me.

This was it. You couldn’t take anymore trying after this. Just trying to get a doctor to listen to or believe you was almost worse than the daily pain. Almost.

“Miss Y/N? The captain is ready for you now. My name is Bepo, by the way,” the bear grinned as he took the clipboard from your clammy hands. At least you hoped it was a grin.

He handed the form back to you as he led you through the dimly lit hallways of this strange submarine. It felt like you’d entered some other realm, an underworld, on your way to strike a deal with a demon. 

As long as he can fix me…

“Here you are,” Bepo motioned as he opened a large metal door. “You’re in great hands.”

Hands. 

Hands were the first things you noticed as you entered the examination room. 

Those hands were tensed over the back of a rolling chair, gripping the thin padding as if waiting for you so he could sit down. 

Long fingers mesmerized you, tattoos etched along the back of each hand. And as you stepped into the well lit room, you saw the word “death,” spelled out across both sets of those fingers. 

The sound of his throat clearing snapped your eyes to his, your skin flushing as you realized he’d been speaking to you. 

As you realized how fucking gorgeous he was. His black hair looked a bit mussed, but it only added to the effect, along with his goatee, and his dark, pretty eyes.

Already more useful than my other doctors. Easy on the eyes. 

“May I look at your form, miss?”

‘Oh, of course,'' you stuttered, thrusting the paper toward him. “I’m Y/N.”

“Dr. Trafalgar. You can take a seat.”

Well, his bedside manner seems pretty standard, you thought with a small sigh, sitting down on the familiar crinkly paper covering the exam table. 

He circled behind you to close the door, and what sounded like a lock clicking into place had your heart rate spiking. 

“Stand up, please,” he said firmly, your form still unseen in his hand. 

“Oh, sorry. I thought you said–”

“Walk to the corner, and sit back down, please.”

His voice was unreal. You would have jumped through hoops for him anyway, praying that any doctor would listen. 

But his command seemed to curl into your brain, and you followed it immediately. 

“Why are you favoring that hip?”

“Oh, it…” 

Here’s where your credibility would fall apart. Your nails dug into your palms as you willed him to believe you.

“Sometimes if I stand too quickly, it feels loose. Sometimes it pops, and is so painful that I can’t put any weight on it.”

He stared at you for a moment, and you fought not to recite a list of excuses, to try to explain why it hurts when you’d never been injured before. 

“And your right knee?”

“Oh, it’s not bad right now. It used to swell sometimes, and was really painful. But it’s not as bad as it used to be.”

“Did you sustain any injuries?”

“N-No. None that I can recall.”

His lips quirked a bit before he reviewed your chart.

Believe me. Believe me. Believe me.

“You’ve reported your shoulders as being your most pressing concern. Why is that?”

His eyes were almost painfully sharp as he scanned you, focusing on your face as you answered him. He’d sat backwards on the rolling chair, his arms folded across the back with his legs spread wide to either side.

“They’ve been acting up recently. They often feel… loose. That’s how it feels to me. Sometimes if I move a certain way it almost feels like they pop out of place. But I can still move them after, it’s just incredibly painful. And then it’s weak, and I can barely hold anything.”

“What are some of the activities that have caused this to happen?”

He was impossible to read. But you couldn’t lie. He wouldn’t be able to help you if you lied.

“Um, brushing my hair. Taking off a jacket. P-Putting a sports bra on.”

“Did you used to have longer hair?”

“What?”

“Do you keep your hair above your shoulders to prevent shoulder pain? Or does brushing it still cause issues at this length?”

“Oh. Yes, actually. I used to have much longer hair.”

“I imagine you’ve adjusted many aspects of your life to cope with this pain.” 

Warmth flowed into that deep voice, and you shivered as you watched him steeple his fingers against his lips for a moment. 

“If you are comfortable, I would like to run through a few simple movements to check your flexibility. Many of which you can do on your own, but I will check in again if you are comfortable with me touching you for the others. You can always let me know if you would like to stop.”

“Okay.”

The doctor dug through a drawer to pull out a clear measuring device, almost like two rulers connected at one end. He adjusted it, creating an angle before setting it aside. 

He never picked up the device again, and you fought not to shake. He looked at your elbows, your knees, your thumbs, your pinkies, frowning slightly as you followed his instructions.

“Now, please bend over, and try to touch your toes. Just go as far as you– hm.”

Your palms were flat on the ground, just as they’d always been able to go. You could even put the back of your hands down, and stretch them along the ground behind you if you wanted to. 

“Doctor?”

“You can take a seat.”

Wincing as you sat, you shook out your legs, feeling his eyes as he watched your every movement. 

He stood, towering over you as he came close.

“For this next part of the examination, I will be touching you with my hands, and in some cases leaning or holding parts of your body against mine so that I can check the range of motion in your joints. I may also massage certain tight muscles to help you relax as we move through the problem areas. You have quite the list for us to get through, but if at any time you wish for us to stop, just let me know. Do you understand?”

“I do,” you breathed, your face angled up to meet his.

“Do you consent to me touching you?”

His voice came out softer once again, and you couldn’t hold in a shiver as you consented.

Those fingers…

His long fingers were so gentle as they crept across your body, testing, pushing, pulling. You fought to listen to his commands, pushing against or holding your body how he told you. 

“I imagine that seeking treatment has been challenging for you,” he rasped as he leaned over your face, his fingers gently massaging your shoulders. 

The pain and pleasure of his hands testing you had brought up a strangely emotional pressure, almost like tears in your throat.

“It has.”

“I’m sorry, Y/N. It must be incredibly difficult to suffer so much pain, and not be believed.”

You started to nod to keep your voice from cracking, but he pressed his fingers into your skin just a bit.

“Can you keep still for me,” he whispered, and it sounded so close that you opened your eyes.

“Just relax,” the doctor soothed as he stepped away, pulling a few tissues out to press against your cheeks and temples, catching the tears that had spilled when you’d opened your burning eyes.

“I’m sorry, doc–”

“No need to be sorry, Y/N. You have been suffering, been living with pain for years. It’s all those doctors that left you like this that should feel ashamed.”

His fingers had returned to your body, still relaxing, and testing.

“Thank you, doctor.”

“Please, call me Law.”

He was pressing gently along your collarbones as his name rolled over you, a small sound escaping your throat as you melted beneath him. 

“Do you have a good support system? People in your life that can help you with this?”

“I mean, my mom and my boyfriend help me. They’re supportive.”

He took those fingers away, and you mourned them, wishing you could feel that soothing touch forever.

“I’m going to test your hips now, Y/N. Please tell me if you experience any pain.”

“Okay,” you agreed, feeling self conscious of your breathy voice. His words just kept pouring over you, his voice so relaxing, so good. 

“How does that feel, Y/N?”

“Fine.”

He had your leg stretched along his torso, your foot dangling over his shoulder. You clamped your eyes shut. The sight of him between your spread legs, pushing your leg toward you, had you biting your lip, trying not to make any more embarrassing noises. 

“How’s this?”

“Fine.”

He hadn’t gotten close to your limit, but he went agonizingly slow. You could feel his firm abs warming your thigh through your clothes, his thin shirt not doing much to keep the press of him at bay. 

“You said that your mom and your boyfriend support you. How do they do that?”

“Oh, uh,” you shook your head, trying to focus on the question, and not the gentle rocking motion he’d started as he pushed you even further.

“They help me when… They help me when I’m having bad days. They listen. They both do little different things when things are bad.”

“How’s this?”

“Still fine.”

“You can go further?”

“Yeah, I can–,” you had reached for your thigh, planning to pull it toward your chest to show him, but his eyes above you stopped you before his voice did. 

“I’ll get you there, Y/N. You can hurt yourself if you rush. Can you take it slow for me?”

“Perfect,” he praised when you nodded, still gently rocking your body forward and back as he pushed, finally reaching the limit. 

“That is quite the range of motion,” he noted, carefully laying that leg down to move to the other side. “May I?”

He set himself up again, moving slow as he used his body to stretch you.

“You said that they help you on bad days, is that right?”

Meeting his sharp eyes, you took a minute to understand.

“Yes, they do.”

His face tilted a bit as he pressed closer. He started that gentle rocking motion, almost thrusting against you to help your body relax. 

“But Y/N, from what I’ve seen today, it seems like all of your days are bad. Aren’t they?”

“I…”

“All these years with no one to believe you. It must be hard to believe yourself sometimes. Do you think they really believe you, Y/N? Do they believe how much pain you’re in as you struggle through each day? As you stand up too fast, or brush your hair? Do you think they understand?”

He’d pushed closer, looming over you as he held your thigh against him. 

“Why are you–”

“I need to make sure that my patients have the support systems they need.”

His voice had smoothed back now, from almost heated to cool and detached.

He’s the only person that’s ever seemed like they understand. He must believe me. Of course he would be passionate about it, he’s a doctor. A doctor that believes me.

Closer and closer, his eyes watching yours.

“Do they believe you?”

“I think,” you started, eyes wide as you fought more tears, “I think they try to believe me. They just… They don’t know what it’s like. They don’t understand.”

“How’s this?”

“It’s fine.”

“Alright, last push.”

Your thigh was pressed between your bodies, and he stayed there.

“Does this hurt, Y/N,” he rasped, his breath warming your face. 

“No.”

He helped you stretch your leg out on the table, sitting backwards in the rolling chair before he told you to sit up.

“I believe I understand the cause of your pain, and why you’ve had a difficult time obtaining a diagnosis.”

“Can you fix it?”

Your thrill of excitement got caught in your throat at the look in his eyes, his palm up to halt your questions. 

“I believe it may be a connective tissue disorder, which would explain your hypermobility, as well as the complications you’ve had with many parts of your body. You've already met the criteria for one type based on our examination today. I would like you to come back tomorrow so that we can review more of your symptoms to be sure, and to discuss treatments.”

“You can do surgery, right? Can you fix it?”

You had gestured to him, your body panicking with failing hope. A gasp left your throat as those tattooed fingers caught your hand, his thumb rubbing over your skin as his voice went low.

“I’m sorry, Y/N. This is not a condition that can be cured,” he confessed, squeezing your hand as your body slumped. “Connective tissues run throughout our entire body, and if I am correct, yours may be weaker than most. 'Loose,' as you said. Unfortunately, there is no known way to repair or replace those tissues.”

A weight fell over you, and you found yourself not quite in your body. Your body that you’d fought so hard to fix.

That can never be fixed.

The doctor pressed your hand between his, smoothing over and warming your fingers until you were present enough to meet his eyes.

“It may not be curable, Y/N, but it can be managed. You don’t need to suffer alone in such pain like you have been. I’ll do everything I can to ensure that things are better for you. Do you trust me?”

There was something so intense about his face. The way he looked at you felt heavy, like he really did see the weight you’d carried all these years. You sank into those gray eyes, and realized you did.

“I trust you, Doctor.”

“Please. Y/N,” he hummed, releasing your hand, “call me, Law.”

Likes and reblogs bring me much ✨dopamine✨ thank you so much!

a/n: Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it! Welcome to my frustration with the health care system 😅

Tag List: @shewrites02 | @jadeddangel

Part 2

| masterlist | about me | rules | ao3 |

[butchspace]

I guess I kind of just use this account for PSAs now, and this has been on my mind a lot lately.

I figured out that I have OCD a few years ago, and recently I’ve seen a lot of bad advice around dealing with intrusive thoughts and obsessions.

There’s that post that goes around occasionally about “taking pictures of your oven knobs before you leave” or other things I’ve seen that say to “make a weird face when you lock your door.” THESE ARE COMPULSIONS. If you have/suspect you have OCD or you often struggle with things like that, please do not follow this advice. Instead, try to accept your intrusive thoughts and move on, not argue with them. Over time, they will get easier and easier to deal with. Ruminating, stressing, or arguing with them just makes them worse in the long run.

If you think you might have OCD and want to seek a specialist, the IOCDF’s home page has a lot of resources under the “find help” tab, including a locator.

I’m going to put the rest under a read-more because I’m going to talk a bit more in depth about intrusive thoughts and compulsions. This mostly because good OCD info is so sparse on line, and I’ve spent many hours compulsively researching OCD lmao.

Content warning:

discussion of unreality/doubting one’s own perception

discussion of specific compulsions

I’m not going to push this point too hard or shame anyone who doesn’t want to follow it, because OCD doesn’t really just go away. It’s a constant struggle. I give in to compulsions regularly, even though I am medicated and have seen a specialist to learn actual coping skills. It’s hard to resist sometimes and you don’t always have the energy, the awareness, or the power to ignore them. You do what you have to do to get through your day. The main difference is that the right medication and the right therapist make it easier to stay out of the spiral and to leave a spiral when you’re in one. They still happen. You still kind of have to play everything by ear.

Similarly, it is super fucking hard to get help or even get diagnosed. No regular therapist actually knows what the fuck it looks like, and specialists are few and far between and often don’t take insurance. It’s not fair or easy or necessarily productive to try and do exposure response prevention on yourself. Your “good coping skills” can even turn into an obsession or compulsion, where you’re constantly worried about what is an intrusive thought and what is not, or if you’re responding to them properly.

What I want to do is try to give at least some useful advice to people who are struggling with intrusive thoughts.

The best way to respond to them is not at all. This is especially true with OCD, because the response to them is sort of the root of this disorder. Sometimes, it’s recommended that with depression or anxiety you challenge your thoughts. In OCD, it’s the opposite. Challenging them can so easily lead you down a compulsion spiral. (More about that cycle from a professional.)

Compulsions can be entirely mental, but I’ll use a common behavioral one to look at how engaging with compulsions can go:

You start by taking a picture of the your stove knobs to make sure they’re all off. That works for a few hours or days, but then you start wondering if the knob is ever-so-slightly in the “on” position. You wonder if the picture proves they’re off enough. You forget to take the picture at all, and have to go back in to check anyways. You check your phone a few times before leaving to ensure that the picture is still there. You take several pictures because you can’t tell if you actually took any at all. You start to wonder if you can even trust what you see before your very eyes. What if you’re just imagining that the knobs are set to off? What if you’re just imagining the whole picture to begin with? The picture allows you to engage with your checking compulsion throughout the day, strengthening the connection between the intrusive thought and the urgency to do something about it. That means it gets worse. That means you find new ways to doubt your perception or your memory or whatever.

It can eventually get really bad. It’s hard and awful to try and deal with this on your own, but sometimes you have to.

It’s so shit. It’s so fucking shit how long many people suffer with mental illness without even knowing what’s going on. I didn’t know that my constant, overwhelming guilt over almost everything I’d ever thought or said or done or maybe did and couldn’t remember was the result of a disorder. It was so freeing to realize there was actually something that might help me, and I could learn to just live with myself and my weird ass thoughts that don’t necessarily mean anything at all. It’s so shit that OCD-awareness is so low among therapists. I was never going to get diagnosed until I found an OCD SPECIALIST (bold, italicized, all caps. Don’t trust people on psychology today who just put OCD in the list of what they treat.) and went over the Y-BOCS with her. It’s all so shit that several therapists I came to with textbook examples of OCD either ignored me or didn’t have the tools to help. I told one of them I “didn’t feel connected to reality” and he kind just went 🤷.

I just want everyone who is in that/a similar situation to at least have this information available to them.

If you want to learn more, these blogs from Sheppard Pratt were the best discussion of OCD I found online that really described what I was going through. They’re written by licensed therapists, several (all?) of whom live with OCD. They’re very healing to read if this is something you’re struggling with, or something you think you might be struggling with, and great in general if you want to learn more about OCD.

Whatever’s going on, OCD or not, have some grace with yourself. Take a few minutes today and do something kind for yourself, even just think one nice thing about yourself. You’re doing the best you can.

[unstablenoodle]

Just graduated, and I’ve been dragging myself by my hair through the last 4 years. here’s advice if you’re new to college:

Basic advice:

Make friends in your lectures. You will know some of those people all four years, and some of them are better at this than you. You’re still capable, but there’s always a bigger fish and you should make that fish into a study buddy

Get a job at a food court/ campus restaurant. You get a free meal, which might be your only one for the day if you don’t have a meal plan. Work can also be a mental break from academics.

Abuse office hours. Annoy your TA. make them scared to see you. TA’s are tired grad students and you won’t have a formal relationship with them: they are students too.

Study advice:

Flash cards are for review and rote learning only. 15-30 minute power review sessions for things you already know. If you’re going over familiar shit, do it in short, repetitive bursts.

Be the bitch with annoying decorative notes. Make it a game, it’ll force you to look at the material more. I will say though, make sure you decorate with purpose.

Those friends you made in lecture? That’s where you get the big studying done. If you’re going for a higher 4 hour long study sesh, bring other people. They know things you don’t and vice versa, so you can fill in the gaps for each other. This type of studying is for unfamiliar or confusing material.

Big study sessions usually only happen a couple weeks out from exams at most. Before exams, your homework is your main means of studying.

Just go to the lecture. I don’t care if it’s at 7:30 am, go. Participation points could be the difference between a B and a C.

TI-84 graphing calculator

Pub chem

If a professor, for some ungodly reason, says you aren’t allowed to work on the homework with other people, fuck that guy.

Your $168.99 textbook is likely a free PDF online.

Date someone who fills in your gaps. I dated an engineer I met in a physics class and it worked beautifully.

Mental health (my advice on this is very specific):

Basic advice: drink water regularly, eat vegetables, exercise. You know all this.

Stay far, far away from any substance called a “study buddy” or something like that

Get a hobby. Actually. Something to do in your free time to keep you from going insane. I personally like knitting and drawing, but it can be anything. I’d say avoid something involving technology because it’s easy to fall into that for hours at a time. Do something that engages your hands and your brain. You might not be creative, but creativity is good for you. Your painting looks like shit? The benefits you have reaped from its creation are the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. Good job.

If you are having any kind of hallucination (visual, auditory, presence, etc.), seek professional help immediately. I have lived half my life with the feeling of eyes on me and the presence of people who aren’t actually there and never tried to fix it because I could “work around it.” Just go get help. Hallucinations can also be a symptom of neurological issues and physical illness.

OCD and disorders involving psychosis are aggravated by stress. Your classes will stress you out. Disorders like this are scary and debilitating, so you absolutely need to be in therapy, possibly on medication. They also tend to be episodic, so you may have periods of recovery where your life quality improves. Do NOT be fooled: you still need to be in therapy even if you feel good. Preventative measures are the best measures!!

Social:

Get a job. Work friends are funnier and way more entertaining than any other kind of friend

I recommend a group of 2-4 people you chill with regularly. Movie night with them once a week (barring exam weeks and extenuating circumstances)

Talk with your roommates at least occasionally. It’s no fun living with total strangers.

Do not start smoking cigarettes. A lot of people are repulsed by the smell and it clings to you.

Hygiene. Mainly you should smell good. You don’t have to go crazy with an expensive perfume/ cologne, but shower and always have a decent scent. Also try not to wear stained clothes.

Not sure how useful this is, but it’s the first thing I could think of. I’ll come back and edit if I think of more.

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for asking my mother not to do certain things?

Let me start off by saying i'm homeschooled. I've been homeschooled my entire life. I don't have any friends offline, so I've pretty much come here to ask for outside opinions from my friend groups (online).

Prefer not to state ages, if that's okay. It makes me uncomfortable.

I have ocd, suspected autism, and either auditory processing disorder or misophonia (we're not sure which.) as well as a plethora of other issues. my mother is very aware that i have ocd (she has it herself) and i've mentioned misophonia to her several times. she doesn't know about my other mental issues, as for reasons you're probably going to see here, as i don't feel comfortable or safe telling her. (or, i've tried, and she doesn't listen, or tells me i'm "being dramatic.")

my ocd is quite crippling, to the point i've tried medication, herbal tea (chamomile seems to work a bit!), asking friends for advice, and even asking her for advice. as of the last year, it's had a grip on my life and has been quite a problem for me. i'm unable to do things i want or need to a lot, and especially struggle doing most things, even basic tasks. i'm unable to see a therapist/counsellor or psychologist/psychiatrist for personal/financial reasons.

a lot of my triggers (well, not exactly triggers for the ocd, but they stop me from doing things.) revolve around sound, especially people talking. whistling is a major trigger for my misophonia/apd, as are other high pitched noises.

my mother has a tendency to watch tv a lot, and i often ask her to not do this when i'm trying to do certain things, as it makes my ocd a bit worse, and it's often rather loud. (please note i wear headphones a lot of the time for sensory issues.)

however, when i ask her either to turn it down, pause it temporarily, or ask her to turn it off for a bit, she has a tendency to get mad/upset. to the point of throwing a bit of a fit over it, in a way that to me seems a bit attention seeking (in the bad way). she says things like "fine, whatever." and flaps her arms about dramatically or slaps her legs, or she says "i don't even wanna watch it now, it's ruined."

i'll go ahead and say she's a bit self-centered in a lot of ways. for years she has said i've "targeted" her and "treated her terribly" even though any time i was (to her) doing these things, i was usually defending myself or telling her to do something that she needed to do that had been requested for days/weeks/months/sometimes years. i also have a tendency to ask her what she's doing, either out of genuine curiosity, or because she has done something strange to me that i didn't understand. which she gets mad over.

she also gets mad if i ask if she's coming over here (i have a tendency to walk/pace in certain areas to music, it helps with stress/adhd/also helps me write/act things out. she is very aware of this and this isn't really a problem.) or ask how long she will be over here. she seems to think me asking this is telling her she can't come over, or desperately trying to get her to move. admittedly sometimes i DO want her to move, but 90% of the time i am just asking so i know if i need to move to a different area to walk or just stop temporarily.

sometimes when i am having a particular peak in my ocd/anxiety/whatever else, i ask her not to talk for a moment/few minutes, either so i can do something i need to, or because i'm afraid it will make it worse. she'll either get mad about this, or go on a tangent about "not catering to me" and saying things "the real world doesn't work like this, and nobody cares that you have ocd/issues." she has a tendency to take my issues as a personal attack on her, when in reality i would ask anyone to stop for a moment.

she has a tendency to belittle me in a sense for it. i've tried to explain some of it to her (without revealing details of my trauma she doesn't know about, as most of my ocd is linked to severe ptsd.) and she says it "doesn't make any sense" and i "need to stop" and i "need to just make myself stop." she has ocd, and knows compulsions are not always rational, and yet still says these things.

part of my desire not to go to a therapist is because of her. she claims they will either try to put me away take me to another home/put me in foster care, or drug me up on medication that will make me dull. (the other part is more personal, and unrelated to her, but to my aforementioned trauma.)

one of the things i especially ask her not to do is whistle, or make a few other certain noises (eating loud, using nail files around me, etc) because they are especially triggering to me. she'll either blatantly refuse and say i "don't get to tell her what to do" or i don't "control her" (please note i am just asking, but when i DO specifically tell her to stop, it is because she either already knows this sound is triggering to me, or i've already asked, and i'm losing my patience.) or she'll do it louder/more just to trigger me further (my father also does this. sometimes as a joke which in some ways is worse.) or she'll go on the "not catering + nobody cares" tangent again.

i know my ocd and other issues can be a bit interrupting, but i don't ask huge things of her or anyone else. all i ask is for them to not make certain sounds around me, temporarily ask them to not do something/stop doing something, or ask them to do it a bit quieter for me. please note she has the ability to watch tv/videos on other devices with headphones easily, she just chooses not to. and worse of all, they treat it like it's not interrupting to me, when it affects my everyday life in ways far worse than asking/telling them not to do something.

it makes me feel unwanted and unappreciated, and i'll admit, i've contemplated....not existing, if you will, many times over this issue and others.

i just don't really know if i'm asking too much, or if they're just being shitty. i want outside opinions on this.

so, AITA?

(id put a tl;dr in here, but i don't really know what to put. feel free to do it for me. also, i know this was kinda long, but i needed to put some extra things in, sorry if thats like an inconvenience or anything!)

(adding my sideblog here so i can get notifs, @ocdaitathrowaway)

What are these acronyms?

[ceilingfan5]

HEY! How does your brain work?

Okay, so I've been thinking a lot about how my brain works recently, and I've continued to make a lot of interesting discoveries, but I also find myself super frustrated with assessments for neurodivergence and the general tone they take, and what kind of information they prioritize, and how they try to get that from you...and wondering, what if they were better?? and kinder?? and more focused on the person's experience?

so in the age old method of "if you can't find it, make it yourself," I have scrumbled something together.

You can find the document here.

This is a list of essay questions (because I desperately wanted to elaborate on nearly every little thing, which also says a lot about me), not an easily scored multiple choice quiz. This is not an evaluative tool. It is a framework for self-reflection with regards to neurodivergence (NOT MEDICAL ADVICE). Make a copy of the document or just pick out a few questions that you feel strongly about.

Do not worry about answering all of the questions.

The idea is to skim through them and just privately answer a few that stick out to you, and then reflect on what that tells you and how you feel about it. You should also consider how many of them catch your attention, and how much you want to elaborate.

Kindness is vital in this process, to yourself, your past self, your future self, and others. If you feel comfortable doing so, share this with others that might benefit from considering these questions, but please only do so with kindness.

This is also a living document and I am in no way claiming to be an expert in any of this. This is subject to change. I would like to improve it. So if you are comfortable sharing I would like to hear what you think and if there's anything that can be improved or added, in a kind and constructive way. However, please consider your privacy when sharing this information.

Above all else, the point here is seeking and celebrating joy, as well as inviting the discovery of ways to accommodate your needs.

TLDR: Look at these questions, think about your experiences, reflect, feel seen, share if you want to, help me make it better if you can.

Thank you! Enjoy your journey!

[qxuiara]

Information about the Playtime.Co Sentience Au

[🧸] PLAYTIME.CO SENTIENCE AU

[❓] What's it about?

Playtime.Co Sentience is an alternate universe where instead of live, human subjects used for the Bigger Bodies Initiative, Harley Sawyer suggested the use of robots who were programmed with sentience. This means that the orphans who had taken part of the experiments were never turned into living toys, this also means that the Hour of Joy never happened either. Basically all the bad things that happened in Playtime.Co *never* happened in this alternate timeline. The Orphanage and Factory have been working alongside each other in harmony. While yes, it still takes place in 1995 and it's quite odd that the sentience of these robots would be too modern, while I am still thinking of an explanation, I can always default to 'logic'. It's better than having actual children piloting the suits really.

[❓] What roles do the toys have?

The toys retain their original roles in the Bigger Bodies Initiative project, aside from Boxy-Boo who's role is still related, but changed to be less gruesome. There are also toys who were not given a proper role in BBI and were given ones here.

[❓] How would they operate with humans?

They operate like Co-Workers, with the toys being extra needed help that primarily take care of Playtime.Co, with the humans tending to be secondary help as the toys are more efficient than they thought. The two parties don't seem to mind each other and respect one another as they fulfill their roles together.

[❓] Could you give me a brief summary of the toys?

Sure! But I'll only be doing the ones who serve relevance in the au.

Poppy - Assistant to the entirety of the Playtime.Co. Responsible for providing help around Playtime.Co and doing daily check-ups around the many facilities. She also takes note of her fellow Co-Workers, seeing which employee or toy needs to be taken to the Medical Bay to be tended to.

Doctor (The Prototype) - Head Doctor, Inventor, and Advisor. Responsible for aiding employees and toys with their injuries, illnesses, etc. in Playtime.Co. They like to tamper with little trinkets they find and helps in concept making for new toy lines-- occasionally fixes toys that orphans have broken in the Orphanage. It also provides needed advice for those who come to them if ever so needed, they're more than willing to have a little pep-talk with you.

Huggy Wuggy - Security Guard for Playtime.Co alongside Kissy Missy. His job is to patrol the entirety of the place and seek out unwanted people who have snuck their way into the factory. They also lead employees to their assigned stations or escort them out if they weren't supposed to be there.

Kissy Missy - Security Guard for Playtime.Co alongside Huggy Wuggy. Her job is to make sure all that enter the Factory are authorized individuals, visitors who wish to adopt an orphan, and other orphans who have been newly taken to the Orphanage. She gets rid of any threatening individuals who try to break into the facilities. Usually seen juggling their stations at the security lead of the Factory or the front desk at the Orphanage.

Mommy Long Legs - Host and Guide for the Game Station. She makes sure the orphans are engaging and behaving while they're doing their activities in the Game Station, serving as an encouraging figure to hype up the children and make them feel confident as they play the games.

Boxy-Boo - Employee Trainer and Defect Inspector of the entirety of Playtime.Co. He works relatively close to Poppy, but rather than being an assistant, he's the one responsible for training the employees and other toys that happened to be assigned to factory duty. They are also responsible for checking for defects in a toy or the machinery used for the factory. VERY BUSY, only talk to them if urgent or necessary, he doesn't like being bothered while he's doing his job.

Dogday - A Caretaker for the Orphanage and the Leader of the Smiling Critters. He serves as a confident, mentor-like figure towards the orphans, encouraging them to stay physically fit and exercise. He's the one planning the activities inside of Playcare, and teaches everyone the importance of getting along together and have a great time while you're with him.

Catnap - The Main Caretaker for the Orphanage, partial Security. He serves as the observer and peacekeeper of Playcare, making sure that the orphans are behaving and are kept in line while performing activities. He also teaches them how to behave and discipline them if needed. Though at night, his primary role is to make sure all orphans are comfortably tucked in their beds inside Home Sweet Home, patrolling the Orphanage for any mischievous orphans or unwanted visitors at such hours.

Hoppy Hopscotch - A Caretaker for the Orphanage. She serves as a Sporty Idol for the orphans and motivates them to play sports. She highly encourages competitive nature, but makes sure that everything is all in good sport. She loves teaching them tips n' tricks and strategies on how to win games. She'll always be your Number 1 Supporter through and through, no matter what happens.

KickinChicken - A Caretaker for the Orphanage. He serves as everyone's friend and guide in Playcare and instructs them on health and safety regulations from time to time. While he loves it when the orphans want to apply the chill lifestyle, it's also important to learn the DO's and DON'T's while you're at it. During activities, he demonstrates what to do and not to do while occupied with what ever activity the children will be doing, sometimes even going as far to do stunts and come out okay in the end. He doesn't seem to mind it, as long as the orphans are learning something new. If you need someone to hang out with, he's always free.

CraftyCorn - A Caretaker for the Orphanage. She serves as the artistic inspiration that the kids need to crank up their creativity. She's very passionate about art and the beauty around the world. She highly encourages the orphans to pursue in their dreams of becoming artists and even offers advice on how they could improve their techniques.

Bobby Bearhug - A Caretaker for the Orphanage. She serves as a Therapeutic and even Motherly figure towards the orphans, willing to listen to their problems and give them advice on how to mend them, as well as teach them on how to solve them on their own in the near future. She adores it when the children come to visit her and tell her about her how their day went during their time at Playcare.

Picky Piggy - A Caretaker for the Orphanage and Chef. She serves, quite literally, food to the orphans. At mealtime, she's always psyched about hearing what the children are looking forward to in their day and even dabble into some of their conversations from time to time. She takes notes of what meal suggestions the orphans want next, as long as they're healthy of course-- I suppose a few cheat meals won't hurt anyone.

Bubba Bubbaphant - A Caretaker for the Orphanage and Teacher. He serves as the 'complex' teacher for Playcare's School, teaching children more complex school topics in the school; Mathematics, Science, History, etc. While he knows his subjects are hard to grasp, he does teach them well and even encourage them on their homework. He's very passionate about his work, and some day, the kids will thank him for them.

[high-priestess-house]

𝕿𝖆𝖗𝖔𝖙 / 𝕴𝖓𝖙𝖚𝖎𝖙𝖎𝖛𝖊 𝕽𝖊𝖆𝖉𝖎𝖓𝖌𝖘

Tarot & Intuitive Readings are: Open

As we approach the powerful Lion’s Gate Portal, I will be offering one Tarot or intuitive reading per person each day to help you navigate this transformative time. This period is ideal for gaining insights, clarity, and guidance on your journey. My readings are designed to provide you with a deeper understanding of your path and to empower you with the knowledge you need to move forward confidently.

Readings Available Until August 8th:

Tarot Readings: Using the ancient wisdom of the Tarot, I will help you uncover hidden truths and gain clarity on your current situation.

Intuitive Readings: Tapping into my intuitive abilities, I will provide you with personalized messages from the universe, offering guidance and support.

How to Ask

Please submit your requests through my ask! You are welcome to do so anonymously or publicly. Please include your initials, but any other information you wish to include is up to you.

Important Note on Ethics:

There are certain topics I will not address in my readings to maintain ethical standards and respect for all individuals involved. These include:

Health-related Questions: I am not a medical professional, and it’s essential to seek guidance from a qualified healthcare provider for any health concerns.

Legal Matters: For legal advice, please consult with someone who is licensed in this field.

Third-party Readings: I do not provide readings on behalf of someone else without their explicit permission, respecting everyone’s privacy and autonomy.

Financial Predictions: While I can offer insights on your financial journey, I will not provide specific financial advice or predictions.

Fertility Issues: Questions about fertility are best addressed by a medical specialist.

Disclaimer:

All readings are for entertainment purposes only. They do not substitute for professional advice or treatment in any area of your life. The guidance provided is intended to offer insight and support, but your actions and decisions are your own responsibility. Please remember that the purpose of these readings is to offer guidance and support. Your free will and personal responsibility are paramount in any situation.

If you feel called to receive a reading during this potent time, please reach out to schedule your session. Let’s unlock the wisdom and guidance the universe has for you.

Blessings 🕯️🪐

[overwatch]

I keep forgetting to make this post (you will chuckle in a second) but I've just recently been diagnosed with ADHD (pause for laughter).

It's really weird but extremely validating to have been diagnosed this late in life. Even now, telling family and friends, I'm hearing a lot of 'you're just forgetful', 'oh that's normal you don't have ADHD' (mickey mouse voice: my family most likely has ADHD too), and my favorite 'you just cry from frustration from being unable to focus on your job because you need to pay better attention'. So it's been a lonely process and I'd love to hear if anyone else has gone through the same thing? I am in the process of searching for medication... and idk how to do that or what that looks like for my future. So any advice would be very appreciated.

Also extra thanks to everyone who makes ADHD posts/jokes here and also Travis McElroy that slowly, but surely, made the topic pop up so much for me that it pushed me to do some research about it and seek a diagnosis.

[turtletaubwrites]

Bend Until You Break ~ Masterlist

This completed series means a lot to me, so I've made this masterlist to keep it all in one place, as well as to include asks from those who relate the story, and some resources for those who related to the reader's pain a little too much. I've also included a link to a post where I share my intentions with this story, as well as my feelings about how bad our bad doctor really is. THIS FIC CONTAINS DARK CONTENT. 18+ ONLY. MDNI.

Pairings: YANDERE!Trafalgar Law x Fem!Reader

Ao3 Link

Summary: You have struggled with mystery pains and injuries for most of your life, and had resigned yourself to suffer after every doctor told you there was nothing wrong. But when a world renowned doctor/pirate comes to town to offer aid in exchange for supplies, you decide to give hope one more chance. Maybe you'll finally find a doctor you can trust.

Author's Note: PLEASE heed the tags below, and do not read this fic if you aren't comfortable with these topics. Some of these medical issues may or may not have come from personal experience 🙃

*I am not a doctor, and this is not meant to be educational, or to contain any health advice. Please seek a health professional. Hopefully you'll have better luck than the reader 🙄

Thank you so much @anemptypuddingcup for this request. You helped me write one of my favorite stories 🙏🏼🖤

Part 1 ~ (2679) | Part 2 ~ (4447) | Part 3 ~ (3208) | Part 4 ~ (3451) | Part 5 ~ (2974) Part 6 ~ END ~ (4224) | Author's Notes About the Message & Law's True Nature

If you relate to the chronic pain symptoms and joint issues that the reader has, you might want to learn about hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and hypermobility spectrum disorders. Here's a couple links to get you started: The Ehlers-Danlos Society The Ehlers-Danlos Support UK hEDS Diagnostic Criteria *Once again, I am not a doctor. Please seek advice from a medical professional. I hope that you find one that supports and listens to you. You deserve to be treated with respect and compassion. I believe your pain. 🖤

Rating/Warnings: Explicit Sexual Content, 18+ ONLY, MDNI, AFAB!Reader, She/Her Pronouns for Reader, Reader-Insert, DARK CONTENT, DUBCON, Dubious Consent, Swearing, Eventual Smut, Yandere, Manipulation, Power Imbalance, Hypermobility, Medical Examination, Medical Trauma, Medical Conditions, Chronic Pain, Injury, Physical Disability, Physical Therapy, Doctor/Patient, Abuse of Authority, Kidnapping, Possessive Behavior, Other Additional Tags to be Added, (Reader is described as having hair "above her shoulders" that she can brush), Needles, Drugs, Arguing, Massage, Praise Kink, Pain, Dissociation, Humiliation, Gaslighting, Non-Consensual Drug Use, (Implied), Birth Control, Menstruation, Discussion of Pregnancy, Brief/Implied Discussion of Sterilization Surgery, Teasing, Dom Trafalgar D. Water Law, Hand & Finger Kink, Blood, Spit, Dacryphilia, Vaginal Fingering, Penis in Vagina Sex, Unprotected Sex, (Be Safe Out There), Multiple Orgasms, Rough Sex, Creampie, Pet Names, Overstimulation, Cunnilingus, Biting, Bruises, Hair-Pulling, Aftercare, Inappropriate Use of Akuma no Mi | Devil Fruit Powers

Asks from People Who Relate to the Story: | Ask 1 | Ask 2 | Ask 3 |

| masterlist | about me | rules | ao3 | ko-fi |

[prince-of-petrichor]

i've experienced this same type of thing with other conditions of mine, but for some reason this one hurt a lot. and i wanted to share for anyone else that is going through the same thing.

lately i've been trying to work on coping with OCD symptoms that have been becoming more debilitating due to some current life stressors, and i've actually been managing really well. but, when you have multiple illnesses (mental or physical), and you put a lot of focus on one of them, symptoms of something else can start to crop up.

and so i noticed that my AvPD was starting to get worse. im isolating, and feeling like everything i do will be seen as stupid, selfish, or attention seeking. but i've found that opposite action helps the most in these situations, and that in truth i probably do actually need some attention right now, as i haven't been socializing very much. which yes, even us with SzPD/AvPD, are social creatures who need some level of human interaction.

and so i took to the trusty internet for advice on healthy ways to ask for attention. but sadly, whether i focused the search to AvPD or to just avoidant/shy behavior in general, i couldn't manage to find any tips or resources for those of us that *are* avoidant, only for how to deal with us.

so here are a few tips for anyone else that's struggling with avoidant behavior/AvPD*:

Take deep breaths before asking for help/attention (this helps activate our parasympathetic nervous system so we can feel safer while we do this)

Tell the people that you trust exactly what's going on and how they can help (for example, today I went to my mom and said "I am really struggling today with wanting to isolate because I don't feel like anything I do is right. I am feeling really irritable because of this, please spend some time with me today, but understand that I may be short/grumpy to start." this type of dialogue can be really difficult when you have alexithmyia, but i promise with practice it gets easier)

Take a break from social media (when you're already struggling with poor self image, it's really hard to not make twisted comparisons to those we see online, give yourself some time away from screens to recenter and remind yourself of your value)

Opposite action (I mentioned this earlier but it can look like many different things. For example: doing things you know will be beneficial to your mental health despite feelings of anhedonia like playing video games/making art, asking for help despite the anxiety that tells you not too, or spending time with friends despite wanting to isolate more)

*note that these tips come from my personal lived experience, and I am not a medical professional.

[brosser-les-dents]

How can I make sure that my damaged teeth won't get worse?

I have a chipped tooth and a broken one, and going to the dentist isn't really an option due to a serious fear of doctors and medical procedures

Should I brush the insides of the broken tooth directly? Do I need to brush the damaged areas more or less than the rest?

I've gone and reblogged a response from our resident dentist @nothingiswrongwithyourarmrests right before this one, so check it out. I think they cover your questions about not letting them get worse and where to focus on brushing.

I know there are people who have serious fear of medical professionals and that fear isn't always unfounded. But in this case I strongly encourage you to seek out professional dental help.

My dad, for a very long time, was really afraid of going to the dentist. His teeth are literally falling out and he still refused to go. I've convinced him to start doing a cleaning every 6 months now, and with more exposure he's starting to find it more comfortable going. He literally had a tooth pulled at his cleaning on Saturday and is feeling better.

Once again, I'm just a person on the internet, but I can give you the advice I have given him and other people.

Firstly, let the dentist/dental office know you've got serious fears/anxiety about the dentist and medical procedures and see what they may be able to do to help relieve your fears. If they immediately brush you off, then move onto someone else. Find someone who will listen to you and take you seriously. I realize this can be really difficult bc reaching out is already so scary and you may not have a lot of dental offices you can access. But a quick initial phone call can really help suss out a good provider.

Secondly, I don't know what your particular fears are, but work with them to find some sort of solution for what's causing you the most amount of anxiety. My dad has a particular fear of the feeling of the instruments. We found out they can apply a numbing cream before the cleanings to dull the sensation. I have a friend who hates the sound of cleaning, like it almost makes her physically sick it's so intense, and she's actually found that noise blocking headphones with music really help. I have another friend who has a deep distrust of medical professionals. She actually brings her boyfriend as support during appointments.

I hope some of this advice might be useful for you. You sound like you're suffering and I'd love to see you get to a better place.

Remember to brush and floss everyone!

Edit: upon rereading this, I might have gotten confused and assumed you were cavities nonny. It was very early and I am very tired. I don't have any advice about chipped and broke teeth, so I'm still leaving that to our resident dentist. But the advice remains the same as before about professional dental care.

[multiplicity-positivity]

Hey! Staying on anon because I'm anxious, but god I REALLY need some help.

Do you have any advice on unmasking, especially for systems that tend to fall back on heavy masking at the drop of a pin whenever things get too stressful?

We've known about being a system for nearly 3 years now, and despite it and many other symptoms/experiences that make it obvious we are, I (host) still have so much doubt and imposter syndrome about it because of just how heavily we mask.

We've never been able to get beyond just seeing an outline of things in-headspace due to poor visualization (I'm not sure if it's due to a form of aphantasia or something else), and whenever things are hard we can barely hear or feel each other. It makes it so difficult to know which is real or fake, and the more doubt I see from those I'm close to that used to identify as systems, the more terrified I am of faking it myself.

We can't even remember to talk to each other in Simply Plural or in our system server because our mind completely blocks out all of the reminders we set up.

Please please help if you can, this is genuinely getting very difficult and painful, and I'm not sure what to do. I've hardly found any posts or advice for unmasking. (Please give traumagenic-centered advice!)

Hello. A few parts started working together on a response to your ask, and it kept getting longer and longer, so we eventually made this post on unmasking instead:

Additionally, we will share this post on dealing with denial, as it sounds like denial, imposter syndrome, and fear of faking have been making life in your system challenging:

Ah, and we may encourage your system to try and avoid being harsh with yourselves for forgetting, struggling to communicate, or reverting back to masking. Rather, you may benefit from focusing on communicating and building relationships whenever you do remember. Positive reinforcement often yields better results than punishment, especially over something so morally neutral as forgetting. If you have a dissociative disorder, there very well could be barriers in place that are preventing you from achieving the results you desire.

It is quite difficult and may end up dangerous to attempt healing from trauma alone, without any help or guidance from a medical professional. If your system has the means, access, and comfortability, it may be for the best to seek our a kind, trauma-informed therapist to help you with this challenging process. Regardless, we do hope our posts will provide some insight for you and help you through this difficult time. We are sending you all our best regards as you proceed with this journey.

[katiifaestarot]

Hello friends, beings, and starlights! Im new to the tarot community (at least on this specific platform) and would like to help guide, give honest/TRUTHFUL advice, and be a safe space for anyone+everyone who feels safe here! 🧚🏽‍♀️✨️

My goals/intentions are always to help others through my experience, to teach/guide them to work on themselves, and encourage them to find the strength, courage, discipline, and honest wisdom within themselves, without looking for outside validation!

I am trying to empower YOU to do the work YOURSELF and SAVE YOURSELF from all the horrors of this land that keep you afraid and stuck in your comfort zone, all the fears and doubts about your life weighing you down (conscious or unconscious fears), and most importantly TO LOVE YOURSELF SO MUUCCCH THAT WHENEVER IT GETS BAD AGAIN (((BECAUSE IT WILL, UNFORTUNATELY THATS JUST HOW LIFE WORKS!!!!!))), you already have, at the very least, some IDEAS about what routines, habits, affirmations, plans, etc-- will make sure you get back up when you feel motivated,positive or okay-to-keep-going again. ((( because it will Be Okay Again, FORTUNATELY, thats how life works ;P )))

DONT rely on the wrong people, situations, THINGS** to help you.

I LIIVVEEE BY GETTING UP AND HELPING YOURSELF!!! so that you already know what you deserve to recieve from other people, places, situations, etc-- when the going gets tough and you're surrounded by people trying to help you.

This process of empowering and helping yourself will also be beneficial for you in another way too. Helping you understand how to ask for what YOU NEED instead of letting things build up and explode, and helping you release any expectations of other people outside of yourself reading your mind because thats fake and no one can tell you what YOU need or what YOU want but yourself. Period💯

** I AM NOT A MEDICAL OR HEALTH PROFESSIONAL; PLEASE USE YOUR OWN JUDGEMENT AND DISCERNMENT TO DETERMINE IF YOU NEED OR WANT TO SEEK PROPER HELP OR TREATMENTS FOR YOURSELF OUTSIDE OF TUMBLR OR SOCIAL MEDIA!!

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My reading today is all about L O V E ˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

**romantic, platonic, family, SELF-LOVE, etc-- and I will channel what chooses/NEEDS to come through; These messages will be short and straight forward today!!!!

Feel free to check out my other readings on my page if you're looking for more guidance, advice, or just want to get confirmation on something!

I will be asking the question: What does Pile(1,2,3,4) NEED to know to help them stay in a healthy/positive mindset about love?

This reading is definitely for anybody worried about family stuff, about self-sabotaging a currently GOOD/POSITIVE/HEALTHY connection of any type!, about being alone/lonely FOREVER, about friendships, etc.

There are 4 piles and you will be picking through crystals this time! The photo is right below this text! Feel free to look at the specific photos for each pile if you feel called too!

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✨️🧚🏽‍♀️please choose your pile and may your intuition and inner knowing guide you to the pile with the energy most suited for you and most suited to help you along your path at this current point in time, no matter what that may sound like🧚🏽‍♀️✨️

PILE 1- Citrine (abundance, optimism, happiness. Sacral + Solar Plexus Chakra)

PILE 2- Black Onyx (strength, perseverance. Root Chakra)

PILE 3- Red Jasper (grounding, passion, protection. Root Chakra)

PILE 4- Yellow Topaz (abundance, prosperity. Solar Plexus Chakra)

** sometimes ( most of the time ) i will pick up on multiple energies that need attention or want to be expressed during the reading so i ASK YOU TO UNDERSTAND THIS DURING THOSE TYPES OF READINGS:

depending on how the reader(YOU) chooses to look at the situation or however the situation resonates for the reader(YOU) and because this is a general reading;

⚠️you HAVE to be able to use your better discernment + better judgement skills to fully absorb the message and be able to do the necessary work to keep you on track for the future you WANT for yourself⚠️

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OKAY PILE 1:

this pile is straightforward as he||:

To help yourself STAY in a positive/HEALTHY mindset about love you would have to stop being complacent, stop complaining, BE GRATEFUL, allow your idea of success to become rooted in a better intention than what it is currently, dont be afraid to mess up//try something different//fail, etc--, Learn from your mistakes, and allow your mind and body to properly rest.

pile 1....you kinda have a lot of work to do, sorry to say, before you can fully accept--OR EVEN RECOGNIZE-- what a positive/HEALTHY mindset about love looks like for you.

You need to explore yourself more! And you can do this by going out of your comfort zone and relying on the trust and faith you have to guide you to what is right for you and what will help you grow and move on from old belief systems, old structures, old ways of thinking, old situations, old people, etc-- so you can have a more open-mind to what love can actually look like for you.

Its scary for you i feel to fully explore your emotional depths.....but i promise if you allow yourself to feel the change and accept it.....and go through those tough emotions, you'll become so much wiser and stronger!!

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OKAY PILE 2:

First off, maybe check out pile 1, from this previous reading I did, If you feel called too!! Maybe for more guidance, advice, or messages you may need to receive!!

AND/OR maybe check out pile 4, from this previous reading I did, If you feel called too!!

Pile 2, stop being so jaded about the past. It is time to let go of the pain associated with that time.. Its done and over with. You dont need to forgive anyone but yourself right now. But please recognize the more you wallow the more seperated you'll be from a healthy/positive mindset about love. In all Forms!

To stay in-- OR GET INTO!!! a more healthier, positive, TRUSTING mindset about love: Love yourself. Celebrate yourself. Release demons of yesterday and focus on the white light shining in and around you. Be grateful and stay steady walking in your truth! You have the strength to over come any and all obstacles, ESPECIALLY mental ones!! Mental Fortitude is something you definitely want to build up right now to help with self-discipline, determination, and motivation. These things will help you achieve what it is you want and then ultimately attract the correct people in your life who will show you how to be loved safely, fully, and most importantly, the way you deserve🥹���

This pile had a lot betrayal wrapped with family, friends, coworkers, ex-romantic, etc-- so PLEASE use YOUR discernment on how this will resonate with you!!!! Clearly though, the message could be applied to all types of betrayal!!!!!

also!! setting and maintaining boundaries:

within YOUR OWN MIND ( holding yourself accountable ) and with other people around you (creating a more solid defense before fully trusting and accepting someone new into your life) would absolutely help you trust yourself more, because you show up for yourself by taking accountability and acting accordingly!!!!! And once you can hold YOURSELF accountable; anybody who tries to play with you will soon realize YOU have NO PROBLEM holding THEM accountable for their mistreatment of you. As long as those boundaries are clearly communicated by and effectively absorbed by the other person!!

When people react negatively to someone else enforcing a boundary with them.....thats when its time to cut them off!! So work on setting boundaries without fear of losing people and the correct people will show up for you the way you need them too.

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OKAY PILE 3:

Pile 3, you need quiet time and space to fully reconnect with yourself. To help you stay in a positive/HEALTHY mindset about love, you would need to connect back to hope and optimism and release old stagnant OR any new anxious energy that keeps you feeling overwhelmed. You have options and choices regarding how to move forward but the clear message is: STAY POSITIVE AND HOPEFUL!

the correct community, jobs, lovers, friends, environments, etc-- will show up for you when you reconnect with what it means to truly be alive. You have to stop being afraid of unknowns, what ifs, and just continue to live and breathe fun, hope, joy, SUCCESS, anything that keeps you moving forward positively.

Take a mini hermit mode to decipher what moves to make for yourself, how to stay grateful, and most importantly so you can finally tackle that do list + get rid of unnecessary burderns + really figure out what options work best for you so you can eliminate any unwanted setbacks keeping you overwhelmed.

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OKAY PILE 4:

Maybe check out pile 2, from this previous reading I did, If you feel called to!! Maybe for more guidance, advice, or messages you may need to receive!!

⚠️⚠️ If you are triggered by talks of substance abuse or mental health issues: Please find another pile OR check out another reading of mine !!⚠️⚠️

# 1 thing to help you stay in a positive/HEALTHY mindset about love is to let go of coping mechanisms that do not help you progress towards a better mindset IN GENERAL for yourself.

You are worn down and worn OUT pile 4 and i am sorry that you feel life will not get better for you at this point in time.

i understand if your mental health doesnt afford you the same opportunities as others to help yourself and keep going so PLEASE take everything with a grain of salt and PLEASE trust your intuition and discernment here.

You really have been through it so please use your discernment + better judgement skills to help yourself outside of this reading. Im just a simple tarot reader who is trying help guide others to their fullest potential in THE GOOD WAYS!!

You are no exception. You have so much depth, so much capacity to love and live in this world without regret or fear holding you back.

Put down the escapism and pick up taking accountability for your actions.

Put down playing the victim and pick up walking away from mistreatment, disrespect, and negativity.

Put down the substances that help you escape and pick up getting yourself the help you DESERVE!! Whatever that looks like to you:

some examples- taking nature walks in your neighborhood or city, journaling about your problems/feelings/the past thats holding you back, seeking medical professional advice, talking to a trusted community or support group/friends or family.

I could list off so many more examples till im blue in the face, but ultimately, you will know what you must do for yourself to help yourself get through this tough time.

Love comes when you love yourself first, start showing up for yourself, take the proper accountability, forgive yourself, learn from your past, grow, and move on.

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I sincerely hope you received what you needed and released what you don't !! See you again soon!! Take it easyyy and just breathe and fllooowwww!!! you got this! byyeee~🧚🏽‍♀️✨️

**please let me know how I'm doing in any way you can! that is the easiest way to support me and also a good way to signal to me that I should keep going + any helpful advice from the community would be welcomed and appreciated 🥺 🥹 🙏🏼

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**ONCE AGAIN, I AM NOT A MEDICAL OR HEALTH PROFESSIONAL; PLEASE USE YOUR OWN JUDGEMENT AND DISCERNMENT TO DETERMINE IF YOU NEED OR WANT TO SEEK PROPER HELP OR TREATMENTS FOR YOURSELF OUTSIDE OF TUMBLR OR SOCIAL MEDIA!!

⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️

[ed-recovery-affirmations]

I'm so tired. I feel like my whole life I've been fighting to have a healthy relationship with food and my body, and I just can't do it anymore. I can't fight anymore. And it's so, so easy in comparison to restrict and obsess over tracking everything I eat

I'm dealing with symptoms of a currently unknown disability right now, and I'm so tired. I'm tired of doctors saying "wow, I have no idea what's going on, I've never seen labs like this... but I'm sure losing weight will help!" (Or, worse, "looks like everything's fine, just lose some weight!") It's become this belief that if I was skinny my symptoms would be taken seriously. If I was skinny I'd be able to figure out what was going wrong because doctors wouldn't rely on my weight to explain everything. I know logically there are lots of disabled people who are still ignored while being skinny, who still struggle to be taken seriously, but I can't shake this feeling that everything would be easier if I was skinny

It feels like my life is in the hands of people who don't give a shit about me. And they still probably wouldn't give a shit if I was skinny, but maybe they would. I don't know, I've never been skinny, so I can imagine that everything would be perfect if I was

It's definitely at least partially a desire to have control over my body, too. I can't stop my symptoms, I don't have the tools to figure out what's wrong on my own, but I can starve myself! It seems very silly written out, and it is, but knowing it's silly isn't enough

I saw in your about that you've dealt with comorbid chronic illness and eating disorders, so I guess I'm asking... how? That's probably already on your blog somewhere, actually, so I guess I'm just venting more than anything. Advice would be appreciated, though

God, I feel this so hard, anon. So so hard.

First of all, I am so sorry I have taken so long to get to this ask. Work, ny studies, and my personal life have all been overwhelming lately and I’ve been having to focus on some wellness work for myself.

But yeah. What you’re talking about is a REAL problem, and you are not alone. And the constant medical neglect of fat people and the “I’m sure all your mystery symptoms will go away if you just lose weight” is just the cherry on top of the shit sundae that is chronic illness. It hurts peoples’ lives. It can kill. I don’t have a quick fix for this system, anon, but I just wanted to take a moment to validate you because I know that what you’re going through is so frustrating and draining and soul-sucking. I am mentally sending you strength.

First of all, I might have one suggestion for you: lie. Lie to your medical professionals about just one thing, and no other: tell them you are already on a weight-loss journey, even if you are not. If it gets you the help you need in this system - yeah, fib a little. But then, explain to your doctors that the reason you are seeking treatment for your symptoms so proactively is that they are preventing you from doing what you need to do to lose weight. Yes, of course you really want treatment to improve your basic quality of life, but when you’re talking to your doctor, sometimes you gotta frame it in a way they’ll hear. Explain how each symptom has made you unable to pursue an active lifestyle. Or how you’ve been too fatigued to meal prep, or how your symptoms are costing you so much that you are struggling to budget for dietary changes. You don’t have to actually be planning any of these things, but if it gets them to continue pursuing the source of your symptoms, just lie. I know it’s so triggering and awful to have to do this just to get taken seriously, so set aside time to prioritize something that you find self-caring after this.)

I know you say your desire to control your body seems silly written out, but it’s not silly at all. I get it. I really really do because I have the same impulse. When your body keeps acting out of your control in painful ways, it’ll make you desperate. And when you’ve had the message pushed your whole life that being skinny fixes everything, it tends to stick in your mind. You are not alone. You are desperate and being driven by a valid impulse.

Instead of pursuing an eating disorder, remind yourself that eating disorders only give you the illusion of control. Eating disorders only pave the way for the disorder to get more control over you. Not to mention, starving yourself will likely take even more of a toll on your health, doing lasting damage if you lose a significant amount of weight from starving. You are allowed to love yourself more than that. I know it’s hard. I know it’s hard to keep fighting for yourself.

Are you in any chronic illness support groups, online or in person? If you aren’t, I suggest you find some. You may find a good outlet to vent about symptoms, get advice on what got doctors to take other people seriously, and learn more about your own symptoms.

While I don’t recommend starving yourself, you could try tracking your symptoms in relation to certain foods and see if specific food sensitivities worsened them (this was true for me.) For me personally, it helps to remind myself that these foods aren’t “bad” foods - they’re just not good FOR ME, and choosing the ones that make me feel better is a way of taking care of and loving my body. (If you find your symptoms do not change based on dietary experimentation, you can disregard this advice.) For me, it can be really triggering having to avoid certain foods, so I definitely have to take a pause to calm down and talk myself through it sometimes.

Things like meditation exercises, gentle yoga, de-stressing exercises and therapy will not cure your chronic health condition, but may help keep symptoms from spiking as badly because stress is known to exacerbate physical symptoms. (Easier said than done, I know - what you’re going through is stressful. I am not telling you not to feel stressed, just to try and create small pockets of time where you try to give yourself a break from stress, which may not come naturally and may be hard because you cannot go to a place of escaping your symptoms. Just keep trying patiently and be compassionate with yourself.)

Anon, I really really hope this gives you some sort of help and comfort, even though it’s not a cure-all and I did get to it so late. There’s more I could say based on knowing specific symptoms if you’re okay sharing them, but for now I’ll just leave it at this. Feel free to vent in my inbox any time.

[saganssorcery]

𝗗𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗗𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: nGétal / Reed

Today our focus is on our health and well-being. This is a great sign if you're already going through any kind of illness or injury as nGétal is likely indicating that you're on the road to recovery. On a more negative note it can show that, in regards to health, something is out of balance and needs to be brought back into a balanced state. nGétal could be indicating the onset of an illness and wishes to remind you to guard your health by taking precautions. Make sure you wash your hands, eat right, go to the Dr, or anything else you might need to do to protect your well-being and keep yourself healthy. It could also be indicating some kind of hormonal change taking place which needs to be treated with care. On an emotional level the wounded healer archetype is at play here, we might find ourselves being called to look at our wounds in order for us to be aware of them and take the correct steps towards healing. Reopening a wound so we can heal from it correctly is an incredibly difficult task so do be careful if you find yourself taking steps in this direction. The aim of the game today is simply to heal, guard your health and look after your well-being.

Needless to say; I am not a medical professional and this post is absolutely not meant to substitute medical advice. If you have a medical problem that needs medical attention or advice please seek out a professional.

©️Sagans Sorcery 🔥🖋️

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