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malusokay · 2 years

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How to get better

The first step to living the life of your dreams is being in-tune with yourself. Getting on track can be challenging and confusing, so I made a list of suggestions that might help you start your journey! <3

Body :

Drink a large glass of water first thing in the morning. Gotta stay hydrated!

Take vitamins. I personally like taking my vitamins on an empty stomach. If you can, go get a blood test to see what your body actually needs.

Don't skip meals! Food is fuel. You also DONT have to earn food through exercise.

Try going on morning walks. Feeling the fresh morning air always makes me feel better.

Cut down on caffeine. We all know that too much caffeine is bad.

Start including more vegetables and fruits in your meals. If you guys want a 'what I eat in a day/week', let me know! :)

Stretch regularly. I try to stretch for 10 to 30 minutes a day; it helps me with my migraines and overall makes me feel better.

Get some sunlight. You don't have to spend hours tanning if that's not your thing, just a bit of sunlight will already help you feel better.

Track your water intake. I'm guilty of being constantly dehydrated, so keeping track of my water intake really helps me!

Use lotion. Your skin will thank you.

Mind :

Read more. I've been neglecting my book lately... don't be like me.

Get rid of clothes that don't fit. There is no need to keep them, especially if you struggle with your body image.

Use your phone less. Weekends mean Phone free evenings/nights for me. It really helps you reconnect with yourself.

Focus on something you're passionate about, and invest all your efforts into developing it.

Write down things that you are grateful for. Journaling is great too!

Establish a propper morning/night routine. Taking care of yourself should always be your main priority.

Listen to more music. Listening to music helps me to get out of my mind when I'm overthinking.

Plan your days. I started planning more about a month ago, and it's actually really fun!

Get a Cat. Adopting my rescue kitten Charlie and slowly helping him heel and get comfortable really pulled me out of my worst depressed phase, and I've been doing a lot better ever since. Would totally recommend haha.

Soul :

Watch more Sunrises and Sunsets. I try watching one of each at least once a week.

Go for walks in nature. Going on walks in the forest/countryside really has become one of my favorite things.

Meditate. It doesn't really do much for me, but I recommend giving it a try! (maybe I'm just doing it wrong, lol)

Learn to say No. Still one of the hardest things for me, but it's getting better day by day also, remember that you DONT have to explain yourself when saying no! <3

Try reading poetry. You can also check out the App 'Motivation'.

Get a Plant. A year ago, I planted an avocado seed, and now I have a really cool plant! Slay.

Say goodbye. Don't surround yourself with people who don't bring positive energy into your life.

Complain less. It can be tough to stay positive but try to focus on the good things, even when they are really small. <3

As always, please feel free to add more suggestions in the comments! <3

✩‧₊*:・love ya ･:*₊‧✩

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littlepatchofhell · 1 year

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OC tea tag!

Tagged by @ryns-ramblings!

Using this picrew below, make tea for your OCs

Vanita Mori

Vanita regularly microdoses various toxic plants. The berries represent belladonna which is a doozy. From what I understand, it affects your sympathetic nervous system so it makes you feel like you're going to die until you die. Being the Empress, her cup would have a lot of gold inlay which has the bonus of helping Xilo differentiate between their drinks. Realistically, her cup would also have a lid.

Xilo Graphia

Xilo does not like stimulants, so if they were to drink tea it would be something decaf with lots of foamed milk. They are blind, so cup needs to be textured and specifically textured differently from Vanita's because they often eat together.

They don't like caffeine, but they still often need a pick me up for getting through the day, so their tea is often very heavily spiced. Like, it's mostly just finely ground black pepper in milk.

The palace staff also throws in a few munchies out of solidarity. (And because the chef tried their tea order for himself once and came to the conclusion that whoever takes their tea like that is Not Ok.)

Junonia/Prince Ah

Junonia had never been offered tea before. Hell, Junonia had never been offered anything before. Their only conception of "tea" is an awful juniper concoction her aunt made her drink when they were sick. So they don't know what their ordering, but theyre ordering the fuck out of it.

They want the kind that has the coolest name (rooibos) in the fanciest cup with the little flowers petals floating on top (that don't affect the flavor at all) and... make it a latte (even though rooibos does not work as a latte)

Oh, do they want a sweet with that? Abso-fucking-lutely they want a sweet with that! Make it the sweetest.

Tagging @spuddlespud @measlyfurball13 @penspiration-writing and whoever else wants to join in or no one if they dont!

#tag games

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iamirissss · 2 years

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Purging harm reduction for us mia girls (and boys n enbies ofc) - copy and pasted from MPA with some tips of my own

Okay, to dispel some of the harmful “Pro-Eating Disorder” tips, I’m going to share a list of safety tips. Mainly since I know if I ask you to quit doing what you are, it will fall on closed ears.

1a. Somebody just messaged me with this, thank you to that person, this is a huge risk and very important!! vocal cord dysfunction, its fucking terrifying, i thought i was dying when it started happening to me. i’ve never purged, but my stomach sphincter is weak and stomach acid leaks into my throat daily. it burns my vocal cords, giving me VCD. it can happen to anyone who commonly has stomach acid coming in contact w/ the vocal cords. the sensation of VCD is similar to being strangled. the extreme constriction of the throat is terrifying. Laryngospasm is the worst form of VCD. were NO AIR gets through the vocal cords. you are literally choking at this point. you can help reduce the risk of developing VCD by drinking, eating or taking something to neutralize the acid in the throat. pepto bismol is honestly best for this, but milk or creamer also can work if you dont have it i really dont want people to have this happen to them and freak out because of it, since there is literally nothing you can do when it happens but stay calm and focus on doing breathing exercises but when you suddenly feel like your being strangled and your making a noise you’ve never made before, its really fucking hard to stay calm

1b. @strwbrrypoundcake reblogged with this and i thought it’s important to add: flushing" is horrible. Do not drink water in between to get it out. It dehydrates you even more and is not worth it.

Pro Anorexic sites say, to purge, you “Tie a small candy to a string, and swallow it, then pull it up and you can purge” THIS IS NOT TRUE: - What if it goes down the wrong hole? - You will choke. - It doesn’t work. At all. Don’t try. - According to a study, those who came into the emergency room for choking, a portion of them tried this method. It didn’t work and two people died.

DO NOT USE: - Spoons, Toothbrushes etc. Choking is prominent.

WASH YOUR HANDS RIGHT AFTER. The stomach acid will burn and damage you’re hands.

After you purge. Have an electrolyte replacing drink. Hydrolyte, Gatorade, Powerade, etc. You don’t want to have a heart attack. A girl in America, after being bulimic for only 6 months, was normal weight and died from a heart attack.

If you purge a tablespoon of blood, that’s enough to go to the ER.

Don’t use ipecac syrup. That stuff is death in a bottle! Seriously, they don’t even use it for poisoning anymore because so many people have died after taking it.

If you do purge regularly it is worth asking your doctor from time to time to have your blood electrolyte levels checked.

If you must purge, use a saline rinse and wash out your sinus cavities. Stomach acid and food particles can make it up into these areas and cause serious infections, chronic breathing problems, etc.

If you’re purging via laxative abuse: - 2 full glasses of prune juice is as effective as pills and is kinder to your body. - Eat things like grapes, oranges, cabbage to help the difficult process of weaning yourself off of laxatives. - Drink plenty of water. And do NOT be an idiot and take both lax and water pills, or you’re going to seriously dehydrate yourself and pass out.

If you feel dizzy or lightheaded stop immediately.

If you repeatedly blackout during/after purging, take a break for a few days if possible.

If you heart flutters during, stop immediately.

If you lose sensation in your legs and feet stop immediately.

After a purge, dissolve baking SODA in warm water. Gargle it, rinse your mouth, etc. Wait about 20mins then brush your teeth.

Do NOT brush your teeth right after a purge. It’ll actually rub the stomach acid into the enamel!!!

Helpful things: -avoiding acidic foods -avoiding spicy foods -drinking LOTS of water -avoiding soda and other carbonated drinks -avoiding or limiting caffeine consumption

my own things to remember:

make sure theres at least one person you know irl who knows in some capacity about ur ed in case something goes wrong and you need someone to talk to doctors for you

avoid purging things you’ve heard are hard to get up as they can be a choking hazard! these include bread, peanut butter and thick oatmeal.

DRINK WATER!!! lots and lots of water, before, during after

if you cant purge, up your cals for a few days if ur restricting, take a week long break or whatever, if you still cant, go to the doctor, something might be wrong

my biggest tip of all:

DONT PURGE!!! if you can help it

if theres any chance of recovery, recover! im just posting this because bulimia is a illness and not everyone has the chance to get better

#tw ed in the tags #ana rules #education #bulimba #bulimima #educateyourself #important

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purplespaceace · 3 years

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very few characters actually have adhd in media, and when they do, what people mean by that is just that they fidget a lot, not that they have adhd. the only character with adhd I can think of where I’ve watched/read it and I’ve gone, “oh, this character actually has adhd” is Jake peralta from Brooklyn 99. so, here’s my take on how to write adhd, with examples from Brooklyn 99.

I’ll do the best I can to separate them into three categories; the three things people look for in adults with ADHD, which are rejection sensitivity dysphoria, an interest-based nervous system, and emotional hyperarousal.

I’ll also randomly bold and italicize bits so people with ADHD can actually read it.

Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria, or RSD

Rejection sensitivity dysphoria makes people with ADHD overly sensitive to criticism, even if they perceive a rejection and there actually isn’t one. Their emotions are also very strong generally. Because of RSD, people with ADHD become people-pleasers and can develop anxiety because they’re so eager to please.

For me, RSD makes me cry an embarrassing amount for any little reason. in your writing, make your characters overdramatic, criers, and/or people-pleasers. They’ll have trouble saying no. They may also be over competitive, as their perceived rejection may include losing.

how does Jake show this in b99? When Jake comes up with a catchphrase and Rosa says it’s terrible, jake is far more hurt than he should be. He hates losing, and he gets overly upset whenever someone says they don’t like him or don’t trust him, etc. he’s also a people pleaser who has trouble saying no.

An interest-based nervous system

An interest-based nervous system includes hyperfocuses and an inability to pay attention. It stems from the fact that we can’t make as much dopamine as neurotypicals. This means that while neurotypicals get dopamine after completing a task, people with ADHD don’t. That means that people with ADHD don’t have any reason to do tasks, especially those they don’t like. This leads to executive dysfunction—people with ADHD will know they have to or want to do something, but they can’t seem to do it. people with ADHD hyperfocus on things that bring them dopamine. I was obsessed with warrior cats for three years. But hyperfocuses can also last a short amount of time—I’ll have a drawing idea in the middle of class and won’t be able to concentrate on anything else before I finish it. this is where our impulsiveness comes from. we can leap into things we think will give us dopamine without thinking, which can lead to injury. We also tend to tell people personal things they don’t want to hear because of this, and don’t have very good boundaries. We sometimes say whatever comes into our head, which can also result in us being rude on accident. Our voices can also get very loud or we can interrupt people frequently because we’re so impulsive. When people with ADHD hyperfocus, they can forget about anything else. I’ll forget to eat if I’m busy reading a Wikipedia article about feminism in the 1850s, and won’t go to the bathroom or drink water either. It’s also important to note that taking away distractions doesn’t help, because we can do things like pick at our skin and daydream—something that people with ADHD do a lot of. Because of executive dysfunction, people can call people with ADHD lazy or irresponsible.

people with ADHD can also be extremely indecisive because ADHD affects our executive functioning, and making decisions requires planning and prioritizing, and task initiation, which are both executive functions!

people with ADHD also have poor memory for important things, but tend to remember random bits of trivia. Poor memory leads to object permanence problems, which means people with ADHD can forget to call a friend back for weeks, forget that they need to read library books in a closed cabinet, or forget that the vegetables they got will go bad. People can sometimes say that people with ADHD don’t care about anything because of this.

people with ADHD can also be prone to depression because of under or overstimulation. Boredom feels painful for people with ADHD. If we’re overstimulated, we can experience sensory overload—if things are too bright or too loud, if too many things are touching us at once—often it’s not because the thing is too intense, but because too many things are happening at once.

We also have something some people call dolphin brain, where we jump from one thing to another. From the outside, it looks really random, but I find that when I’m talking to another neurodivergent communication is generally easier. For instance, someone with ADHD might see a bee at a baseball field and tell their team about the time they saw whales at seaworld because their little brother was also stung by a wasp there. people will see no connection on the outside, but it makes perfect sense to the person with ADHD.

people with ADHD can also be overachievers, either because they hyperfocus on schoolwork or their RSD makes it so that failing at something isn’t an option. people with ADHD can also be very controlling and stubborn, probably because we hyperfocus on something and cant handle it being any different, and any change to our plans can be seen as rejection.

we can also have a hard time ordering our thoughts or doing stuff like math in our head. a lot of the time I number my thoughts like, 1. this reason, 2. this reason, etc. even if theres only two or sometimes I just need the 1. as a transition for my brain. when I don’t write it down or organize it like that it feels like I’m trying to grasp ropes that have been covered in oil (it’s not going to happen) and then my brain gets all jumbled and I have to restart at the beginning. this is probably just me, but it feels the same way when I’m reading long paragraphs of something uninteresting, or even short bits of historical documents because the way they phrase things is really pompous and hard to process.

also, stuff like caffeine calms us down and helps us focus. people who don’t take medication (me) often drink coffee or caffeinated sodas to focus.

another random tip, but if your character with ADHD also is genderfluid or genderflux, they might have a hard time figuring out their gender sometimes, because we can be known to have a hard time putting our feelings into words or our brains will just go, “nope, not thinking about that right now” and move on, which can be pretty frustrating.

people with adhd also have a trait called time blindness, where we have no idea how long something takes and therefore can’t manage our time very well. this often results in us being late or just sitting around the house because we got ready way too early.

we also have something called consequence blindness—we do things and are completely unaware of the consequences. if I don’t brush my teeth, I get cavities. but I don’t think about that when I’m deciding I’m too tired to brush my teeth.

in b99, jake regularly stays up all night solving cases and watches documentaries on random topics. He’s also very distractible—when they’re trying to find the person who sent Captain Holt death threats in the train yard, Jake says he and captain holt should take a train trip together sometime. Jake says that he’ll forget Amy if they don't work together because he’s like a goldfish.

Emotional hyperarousal

This is the only thing people tend to include when writing characters: the fidgeting. People with ADHD tend to need more stimulation than others, so we’ll do things like draw during class and chew on pens.

people with ADHD can also have apd, or auditory processing disorder. we tend to watch shows with subtitles on and may take a second to process what you’re saying, or hear it wrong. The subtitles thing may be partially do to creating just the right amount of stimulation, but if I don’t have subtitles, me and my other friends with ADHD will watch tv with the volume turned up very high. People with ADHD also can have a hard time interpreting other people‘s tone and have a hard time controlling their own. They can be bad at social cues and have poor manners because we don’t pick up on that stuff.

people with ADHD also tend to observe everything or nothing at any given time, mostly based on the amount of stimulation they have—if they dont have a lot in their main task, they’ll need to take in something else at the same time. Likewise, if I’m hyperfocusing on something I often don’t notice anything else, like if someone asks me a question.

in b99, Jake fidgets with things a lot. In the intro, he’s picking up and examining a figurine on his desk, likely because he was bored with paperwork or some other task.

#adhd #writing #writing adhd #brooklyn nine nine #b99 #brooklyn99 #Jake peralta #Adhd Jake #neurodivergent #writing tips #adhd problems #adhd misconceptions #nd #neurodivergence

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subtlereferencetomyinterests · 2 years

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Alright girls let's go

DNI if you:

Don't like scary movies, can't handle gore, don't listen to pop, hyperpop, breakcore, OR rap; regularly and voluntarily post on twitter, regularly and voluntarily post on tiktok, you boycott archive of our own, get your porn from twitter or reddit, know all your signs and what they mean, dont even know your sun&moon signs, fully enjoy reading classical literature, drink alcohol but don't smoke weed, think cats are mean, pay to watch movies and tv, pay for mainstream video games, don't shop at thrift stores, only listen to classic rock, use 2-in-1 shampoo and conditioner, shower more than once a day and less than twice a week, exercise every day, are lactose intolerant and actually don't consume dairy, like STEM over humanities, like math over science, can't handle caffeine, rarely say "I love you", don't cry at movies, cry less than every week, prefer earbuds over headphones.

#i like this trend :)#this is mostly a bit #if you have five or less you get a pass #between 5-10 i would tolerate you but begrudgingly #more than 10 and i kill you #people r going to rb this and call me unbearable and it will be accurate

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ghoulsbrain · 3 years

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*harasses you for Rustball and Flatwatt hcs*

this'll take some time probably, :))

okay, letsa' go

both flat-top and kills are (more or less) caffeine addicts, tho flattop is more after enegry and kills is a coffee guy

kills is full on gay, no female attraction whatsover, fully mlm

rusty likes gb's hands a lot

the height difference is hilarious; whilst rusty and flattop are small bois (around 5' - 5'5") kills and gb are tall bastards, like up to 7 feet (though i dont have specific height hc's yet)

kills and gb think their smol husbands are adorable and they also regularly tell them that

tho flattop aint really keen on hearing that hes adorable, he wants to look badass, not adorable

rusty too is fully mlm, the relationship with pearl was just a temporary thing, bc he hadnt figuered himself out yet

gb drinks too much coffee in rustys opinion and rusty also regularly tells gb to stop drinking so much coffee

none of them can cook, tho all of them try to take cokking classes from dinah, but not even that helps much, so they often just eat out, or ask others to make them some food

#i wrote anything that came to my mind down that even made only a little bit sense #also i listened to some fancy opera gx background music while writing these down #so yeah-#tea's hc's #istg there was more stuff in my head about them before #its all just gone now #:(#flatwatt #rustball

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cham-chammity · 3 years

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Hey, everybody. I'm just gonna have this post be some kind of rant or word vomit thing, I guess TW for emotional/mental distress? I don't know.

Anyways, I apologize to those who's messages are sitting left on read in my DM's and to those who have asks sitting in my ask box unanswered. I struggle really hard with getting back to people or answering them. I feel really bad because I'll ghost someone because it takes too much mental energy to text or reply to them, I even ghost people without even realizing it. It makes me feel so, so bad--I promise I don't want to ghost or ignoring anyone. It's just a constant struggle for me.

I've also lately been having a really hard time with my emotions. I experience intense, prolonged amounts of emotion such as sadness or excitedness. The experiening sadness part has been much worse for me lately. I also am having such a hard time with doing school work, and it's only been two weeks since school started up again. I'm already behind on homework with some classes and I'm freaking out because I don't want a repeat of last school year. Last school year I was unmedicated for my depression amd anxiety so it was a literal living hell. I'm so goddamn scared I'm going to somehow go through all of that again. Hell, my mom is already on my ass about some "missing assignments" I have and I just cannot deal with this.

You see, my anxiety and depression was worse than ever last year. Because of that they heavily masked my ADHD symptoms. Now that I am back to how I normally function, I'm realzing now how much my ADHD really affects my day to day life. And it's so goddamn stressful. My mom won't let me go on medication due to quite a few reasons I don't feel like explaining right now--but if it means I can get tasks done and actually be able to regulate my emotions like a goddamn normal person, I want to try it out. I do however regularly drink caffeine since it is a self-medicating way to help treat ADHD, but it certainly isn't enough.

And what's worse about all of this going on is, whenever I reach out, people always say "omg that's so me too!" "Ugh I can relate" "i have trouble with x and y too hahaha!" And it makes me so goddamn fucking mad.

No, you dont know what I mean. You cant relate. YOU DONT KNOW WHAT IM EXPERIENCING. why?? Because if you did, you'd empathise with me and take me seriously and not jokingly laugh while you explain why its so "hard" for you to do something that doesnt even relate to what im talking about all while by default sayinf "oh same lmao". Also, most of the people I reach out to about this arent neurodivergent like me. ADHD makes things x10 harder than what youre experiencing. Im sick of the bullshit responses I recieve whenever I talk about my struggles.

I know I talk a lot about ADHD on my page, but I usually only ever adress the silly, stupid, minor stuff. The surface level stuff. Im gonna be honest, ADHD sucks. Its not some personality trait that makes someone extra quirky and cute. It legit makes life so much fucking harder. And so many people in real life I talk to about this dont fucking realize that.

Anyways, I just needed to get that all out of my brain. Thank you so much to those who read through the whole thing.

Please be patient with me, and I know there's quite a few people who follow me that are neurodivergent as well, so some of you here probably know exactly what Im talking about. But all in all if i ever take awhile to respond to something or my actual response is weak and short, please please please know it's not that I dont like you or arent interested in what you have to say.

Thanks everyone, I love you all :)

#adhd stuff #mentallyill #mentalhealth #mentalheathawareness #neurodiversity #neurodivergent #depression #rant #word vomit

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juni-ravenhall · 3 years

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ive been worrying a lot about my health (and ive managed to exercise everyday for a week and didnt eat any sugar, wheat or dairy for 3 days :D ive not been able to be healthy for past 2 years due to my mental health but im trying again to dig myself out of that pit)

we have heart disease in the family, my dad’s younger brother died a few days ago of a heart attack even tho he was more fit than my dad. (however he prob didnt handle stress properly, not sleep properly etc, typical normie lifestyle i assume) his death made me feel exceptionally stressed about my own health

the one thing that makes me feel a bit better when i research about health stuff, is realising that me not drinking alcohol and not drinking coffee and not smoking may have really kept me more safe than i wouldve been otherwise (having been very overweight for many years spread out)

like in total ive drank maybe 1 beer and 1 glass of wine *in my entire life*. bc my dad was an alcoholic my whole life etc and i hate that shit, i have trauma from it. coffee i just never was interested in bc i dont like the taste. i like it when its a mild flavour, just a hint, but not the drink itself. bc of this i avoid the large amount of caffeine that most ppl use. (i dont drink anything else with caffeine regularly either.) smoking i dont get the point so never interested, all sorts of stuff like this and drugs i just dont like bc of growing up with abusive addicts

but yeah like... when i despair about how im not taking care of my body i try to remind myself that the fact that almost everyone else drinks alcohol and coffee and i dont and this might be rly good for my body

#personal #not sso #non sso #health #death mention #alcohol #drugs #smoking #text post #abuse

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heyswagmoney · 3 years

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techno and wilbur would drink coffee in secret - phil doesn't know and that's why he still thinks that it was good he never gave them caffeine even tho his kids are giants and regularly chug coffee. no one wants tommy to even touch coffee -❄️

LMAO ALL I IMAGINE

“wilbur- wilbur its time”

“time for- you dont mean-“

“its finals. its time.”

and then they find out that coffee is at the lower end of caffeine drinks and laugh because they realize just how paranoid phil could be. (and just how much he cares, in his own special way).

#special anon!!!#philza headcanon #technoblade hc #wilbur soot hc #wilbur/techno are twins

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sealdoggostudies · 3 years

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WOOO I made the TERRIBLE mistake of drinking monster energy at 10 pm!!!! Like I felt like I had to study some more, since I hadn’t done much the last two days and the exam’s tomorrow (in the morning!) and I thought that this evening was a good moment to drink the can of monster energy that has been waiting for me in the fridge the past 2 months………. NORMALLY I tell myself no caffeine after 2pm bc I feel like I’m quite sensitive to it (aka I won’t fall asleep quickly). Also two years ago I drank monster energy (and other energy drinks) regularly but I really felt it was bad for my health, so I quit drinking it regularly. The monster punch pipeline ??? idk!! the pink one is reaaallly tasty thoo.

Wow I just wish it was 8am already. I’m so ready for the exam and tbh I dont wanna go to sleep, in particular i dont want to wake up, bc i just KNOW i’ll feel tired.

#sealdoggostudies

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kingneptunesthinninghead · 3 years

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How much do you weigh? what a weirdly personal question

If you are outside, what are you most likely doing? sitting in the shade reading a book

Do you think you can love someone without trusting them? yes but not in a way that will ever be truly fulfilling

What’s your opinion on people who go hunting for sport? i live in a very rural area so i grew up with hunting for sport extremely normalized but once i actually developed and used my critical thinking skills i realized how morally reprehensible it is. literally just begging these people to use their brains.

Do you have a fairly fast or slow internet connection? eh its pretty fast

Have you ever been someplace tropical? florida lmao

Are you sensitive to caffeine? somewhat. i dont really consume it that much

How do you usually get around? driving myself

Have you ever been accused of being too clingy? no bc i’m generally pretty independent unless i reallyyyy like someone

What do you think about Kim Kardashian? neutral

Can you speak any French? je parle un peu français

Favorite yogurt flavor? i’m lactose intolerant so i recently tried dairy free yogurt and i hated it sooo i guess none

How much money do you have in your wallet right now? i dont have any cash in my wallet rn lol

What bottled water brand do you like? deer park or aquafina

Your favorite way to eat chocolate? brownies

How often do you listen to country music? sometimes.

Linkin Park or Avenged Sevenfold? neither

Last surgery you had? my wisdom teeth surgery

Have you ever played guitar? no but i wish i could

Is there someone in your life whose career/life choices you find immoral/unethical? Have you ever told that person your views? Do you find it difficult to support them (emotionally or otherwise) because of their choices? um i dont think so

What trait do you feel you lack that you wish you possessed? a little more confidence

Have you ever considered writing your memoirs? maybe

Do you find it difficult to stay invested in online relationships? i dont have very many online friends anymore but when i had a bunch i loved talking to them

Are you the type of person who pays close attention to the release dates of movies, music, etc., and will, for example, go see a movie or buy an album on the date it is released? If so, when is the last time you did so? only for something i really like.

Do you have any stickers on your laptop? a bunch

Would you rather have a job for which you had to go in early in the morning or one you had to stay late into the evening at? early in the morning so then i have the rest of the day to myself when i get off

Do you use any apps to track your health or medications? i have a workout app but that’s it.

Whose opinions/recommendations do you value most? my mom, sister, and my 2 best friends

If you could’ve been at any historical event, which would you have liked to witness firsthand? probably the women’s suffrage movement or the civil rights movement

Is there something that you really want to do but are afraid of doing? If so, why are you afraid of doing it?i want to tell him how i feel but i’m afraid i’ll ruin the friendship

What is something society “expects” you to do that you don’t want to do and/or don’t plan on doing? wear a tampon i’m sorry but i can’t do it

Have Jehovah's Witnesses ever come to your door? no

Are you well-known by people in your area? eh somewhat

Have you ever experienced sleep paralysis? no and i dont want to

What's your favourite type of bird? owls!!

What tv show(s) have you been watching currently? i’m watching loki, hsmtmts, planning to watch s2 of never have i ever, and i started one piece but i haven’t watched in a while

Have you ever dated a smoker? no but that might change😳

Do you share a middle name with any of your siblings? no

Have you ever been a member in a band? No.

Can you cry on command? If so, have you ever used it to your advantage? No.

Do you have separate emails for personal and business? i have my school email and personal email

Have you ever missed a flight? no

Have you ever seen a lunar eclipse? i think so.

Have you ever taken a ride in a convertible? i literally rode in my best friend’s convertible last night lmao

Why did you last need to use a band-aid? i dont remember

What fruit do you eat most often? bananas and clementines

Who was the last person you visited in the hospital? maybe my great uncle?

Has someone ever tried to start an argument with you over Facebook? What happened? no but i’ve been in a few on insta and twitter.

Have you ever had an unusual type of milk (eg. oat, rice, almond)? i don’t straight up drink milk but i love things made with almond milk.

If you could experience life as a Disney princess for a week, which princess would you pick and why? elsa i want ice powers

When you’re at home, do you spend most of your time in your room? sometimes but normally during the day i’m in the living room with my family

If you like to sleep in late, have your parents ever told you off for doing so? No.

Do you find piercings attractive? Yep.

Do you like potato chips? Loooove 'em.

What’s the most stalker-like/creepy thing you’ve ever done? If you don’t think you’ve done anything like that, what’s the most stalker-like thing someone’s done to you? i’ve looked up a few people’s houses on zillow in my day.

Do you think it’s a double standard that a woman can hit a man and expect to get away with it, but if a man hits a woman it’s assault? absolutely, you shouldn’t hit anyone

What’s your favorite old Disney movie and favorite new Disney movie? my top 3 are princess and the frog, tangled, and frozen 2. i also love the little mermaid

Name something “trendy” or popular that you dislike. idrk

“Dirty talk” in the bedroom…love it, like it, don’t care, dislike it, or hate it? it depends on what it is. it should also be mixed with some loving or praise talk imo

What is/are your favorite type(s) of ethnic food, and what’s your favorite food within that type? i LOVE italian food specifically fettuccine alfredo and i also love asian food such as general tso’s, sweet and sour chicken, lo mein, shrimp fried rice, LUMPIA 🤤

How would you describe your relationship with your hair over the years? i’ve always liked my hair color and thickness. i always go back and forth between growing it out long and cutting it short bc i can never choose which i like more also it has lots of red undertones so i’m thinking about dyeing it a deep red

How do you feel about your SO daily/regularly checking up on a couple of his exes on social media? hypothetically it would be a red flag to me. a clear sign they haven’t moved on from the past

Do you prefer your guy to wear cologne or not? a good smelling cologne on a man will quite literally make me bust a nut.

Ladies, how important is it to you that your SO wears/would wear a wedding ring? i’d want them to unless it didnt fit or something

What was the turning point that led you to decide for or against having children? i’m very close with my family so i’ve always loved the idea of having one of my own with my future spouse

Is having your “dream” wedding really that important to have? i definitely have ideas for my wedding and i would want it to go a certain way according to our plan but in the end if things go wrong or plans change it wouldn’t matter as long as i’m marrying the loml.

Do you consider it cheating if your SO goes to a strip club and then doesn’t tell you? i wouldn’t consider it cheating if he was just watching but i would be angry that he hid it from me

How old is too old for trick-or-treating? i dont think it matters unless ur posing a danger to little children

Do you sleep with your arms over or under the covers? depends but mostly under

Do you own any t-shirts of your favorite band? i have nsync and harry styles shirts but thats it

Fries or onion rings? Fries.

True/False: you’ve had an odd dream this week. all the time but most of the time i forget them right after i wake up

Do you find tattoo sleeves attractive? depends

Do you like carving pumpkins? Yeah.

What’s an animal you want to have as a pet but can’t? i think raccoons are adorable but its kindaaaa hard to domesticate them

Have your parents ever caught you drinking? no bc my parents let me drink in the house and i’ve told them abt every time i’ve drank at college

How would you react if your celebrity crush came to your door? i would absolutely piss and shit on myself.

Has your mom/dad ever walked in on you kissing or anything more with someone? no

The person you have a crush on is drunk and goes to kiss you, you know they don’t realize what they’re doing, but do you kiss anyways? i would stop it even if i want to bc i don’t want them to regret anything and i wouldn’t want them to kiss me if they don’t like me bc it would hurt too much.

What would you prefer to get from a guy/girl: flowers, a hand written poem, a picture he drew of you or a nice night out? i would love them all but something abt a guy taking the time to write a poem for me makes me melt

Do you any shirts with any kind of images of food on them? no.

Which holiday is the most fun to decorate for? halloween

What was the first website you had an email account on? gmail

Have you ever written a fanfic? YES AHSHDH.

Tattoos or piercings? tats for sure.

What’s the last gross movie/show/video you saw? the scene where alexei breaks the inmate’s wrist in black widow is SO GROSS i cringe every time

Would you rather live in a huuuge house or a little cozy one? definitely a little cozy one

Do you have a tutor for anything? No.

Who’s the best kisser you know? i’ve only kissed one person.

Has anyone ever threatened you with a knife? No. I'd like it to stay that way.

(If you’re a girl) Has anyone ever called you "shortie" instead of girl? no and i hope they dont

Do you have a deep voice? not really

Do you play games with boys/girls, like 'hard to get’? no thats dumb

Is there a Sonic where you live? yes i’m a whore for sonic

What do you like on your pizza? pepperoni or sausage

#surveys #survey

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babysprouseisart · 4 years

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tag game! get to know me

tagged by: the darling Anna @edamamechips, thank you <3 Sorry, my dear, that I am answering so late, I appreciate your mention, and thank you for not forgetting me!

1. what is the color of your hairbrush? dark blue with black

2. name a food you never eat. liver or fish soup with cod/mackerel (I only accept trout/salmon soup, and it's not because I'm so rich or biased, I just don't like the smell of other fish)

3. are you typically too warm or too cold? if we are talking about temperature of the body, then - too cold, for sure, It’s because I have vegetative-vascular dystonia

4. what were you doing 45 minutes ago? I was taking the English grammar olympiad (contest)

5. what’s your favorite candy bar? Bounty bar or the sesame bar, cause I really love coconut and sesame

6. have you ever been to a professional sports game? no (if only the figure skating is considered a sport, then - yes)

7. what is the last thing you said out loud? ‘fuck it’ (not kidding)

8. what is your favorite ice cream? I like sherbet, fruit ice and a cone with any filling, but more with currant jam or chocolate.

9. what was the last thing you had to drink? had? a whole glass of water (for medicinal purposes)

10. do you like your wallet? I don’t work, don’t have any wallet, only some pocket money

11. what is the last thing you ate? soup and bread with ketchup and tomatoes, I suppose

12. did you buy any new clothes last weekend? nah

13. what’s the last sporting event you watched? Ummm, I sometimes watch F1 (Formula 1) with my brother (he plays it on his phone so fucking loud, so, yeah, here I am again, and I don’t now it is countable, but anyways)

14. what is your favorite flavor of popcorn? sweet popcorn is my favourite

15. who is the last person you sent a text message to? I rarely send text messages (SMS), cause I have a pushbutton phone right now, and it takes a lot of time to send a text message, but I have messaged my classmate by telegram using computer recently.

16. ever been camping? no (only had been in the forest searching the mushrooms several times and had a quick bite sitting on the glade)

17. do you take vitamins? yes, I often take ascorbic acid

18. do you regularly attend a place of worship? no, just on occasions sometimes

19. do you have a tan? no, why? And it’s weird, cause: 1) It’s autumn and it is getting colder and colder and it is raining sometimes, so no almost sun and 2) I NEVER get a tan, I just immediately get burned under the open rays of sunshine.

20. do you prefer chinese or pizza? hmmm, I remember trying chinese food and I getting sick after, and I haven’t tried it again, so I am not completely familiar with it, I don't know if I really enjoy it, that’s why - pizza

21. do you drink your soda through a straw? nooo... But fun fact: I love drinking soda with a loaf or with drying with poppy seeds

22. what color socks do you usually wear? I usually wear beige nylon socks (with shoes) or white socks (with sneakers)

23. do you ever drive above the speed limit? I don’t drive by myself at all, but, yeah, my brother and dad do sometimes

24. what terrifies you? a lot of things actually... Like, death of the relatives, upcoming exams, unfairness of life (more like irritates me), poverty, war, the possibility of non-reciprocal love, violence, cruelty, drunkenness and drug addiction of the partner and suffering with a child alone, I do not know, there are other fears, like heights and spiders, but much simpler...

25. look to your left, what do you see? notebooks and telephone

26. what chore do you hate most? cleaning the kitchen and mopping the floor

27. what do you think of when you hear an australian accent? I feel curious and think about australia: kangaroo, coalas, Sydney, Stewart and Meghan (native speakers with whom we sometimes have classes), the tribes, the heat

28. what’s your favorite soda? Duchess, Mojito, Schweppes

29. do you go in a fast food place or just hit the drive thru? 50/50, sometimes I don’t have time to sit inside, and sometimes, when, for example, I hang out with my friends, I go inside and sit there eating

30. what’s your favorite number? I don’t have one and only, it changes every time, let it be 25, my birthday number

31. who’s the last person you talked to? my brother, Alexey

32. favorite meat? beef I think, but I also love chicken

33. last song you listened to? oh, God, grant me memory it was daytime and now it's evening... I think it was “What you do to me” by John Legend

34. last book you read? errr, only school programe, so - “Sotnikov” by V. Bykov”, Russian story about war

35. favorite day of the week? according to the school timetable - monday, and in general - friday

36. can you say the alphabet backwards? ohhh, no, i am so silly, yeah?

37. how do you like your coffee? I like coffee in any shape, form or whatever, just give me coffee and I am yours... *winks*

Just kidding, I really love latte (with milk)

38. favorite pair of shoes? actually, I love my autumn boots, they are cute and fit anything

39. time you normally get up? at half past 6am at weekdays or at 11am on the weekends

40. what do you prefer, sunrise or sunsets? sunsets are my love

Just look at this:

41. how many blankets are on your bed? one currently, cause it’s pretty warm still

42. describe your kitchen plates: ummm, i don’t know what does this exactly mean, but...we have the flat small plates, they are mostly white with a pattern of flowers, or deeper, with a gold border (border) or with a pattern, there are also salad bowls of different colors and saucers for tea or lemon

43. describe your kitchen at the moment: what? okay, there is now soup and stuff cooking, kettle boiling, my brother is washing dishes and so on, we have only one finished part of the kitchen (white cabinets, table), a bit old stove, sink, spices and microwave on the windowsill, some other small things, we have a gas boiler there too...

44. do you have a favorite alcoholic drink? I don’t drink alcohol AT ALL, I have only tried energy drink (with caffeine)

45. do you play cards? yep, but rarely

46. what color is your car? I don’t have a car as I don’t drive

47. can you change a tire? again, for the 29325932 time - no car no problems

48. your favorite state or province? in our country there aren’t states, but I love the silent sceneric places, near the sea or lake, or river, I dont’ know, somewhere like this... Also, if we are considering other places, I love and would like to visit California, Florida, Oregon

49. favorite job you’ve had? to be honest, I haven’t had the job, only was planning to get one

tagging: @hbiccjsblog, @aliciarm, @cs-bh22, @raymondebidochonlifechoices, @aussiejonesandsprouse, @monia-sprousehart and anyone who wants!

#tag games #game #tag #get to know me

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scripttorture · 5 years

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Sleep Deprivation

It’s really past time we talked about sleep deprivation. It’s a mainstay of modern torture and it’s been used for hundreds of years.

It’s also one of the clean (non-scarring) tortures that’s most regularly dismissed. The damage it causes is downplayed. And we often don’t even recognise it when it’s shown in fiction.

Sleep is a physiological need, like eating, drinking and breathing. Deprived of it we start to become ill and eventually die.

I’m breaking this down into sections, we’ll start with ‘normal’ sleep, talk about what sleep deprivation does to physical and mental health and then talk about how torturers deprive victims of sleep.

I’ll finish up by talking about how the long term symptoms of torture can impact sleep.

How much sleep is enough and what is normal sleep?

There is some variation in sleep patterns between individuals but if you let someone sleep for as long as they like most people sleep for around 7-9 hours a night. When we’re ill we tend to sleep more.

If you plot life expectancy against average hours of sleep a night you get a sort of U shaped graph. People who routinely sleep less then 7-9 hours a night have shorter lives and so do people who sleep more.

But there’s no evidence that sleeping too much actually causes poor health. People who sleep more on average may have underlying health conditions that shorten their lives.

And we have a lot of evidence that sleeping less causes poor health.

Sleep is divided into two types, REM and NREM sleep. That stands for Rapid Eye Movement sleep and Non Rapid Eye Movement sleep. Most people know REM sleep as dreaming sleep. Both are essential for human health.

All animals that have been tested sleep but only birds and mammals have been shown to dream. There’s also considerable variation in how long different species need to sleep for, most animals seem to need more than humans.

We sleep in cycles, chunks of time roughly an hour and a half long when we go through different stages of sleep. The initial cycles focus heavily on NREM sleep and as the night goes on we have more REM sleep, but every cycle contains a little of both.

The time of day we’re most likely to naturally fall asleep and naturally wake up varies with age in a non-linear fashion. Young children wake up early and tire early. Teenagers famously stay up late and sleep in late. The elderly wake up incredibly early and sleep incredibly early. This variation, along with individual variation, is thought to serve a protective function: humans are pack animals and varied sleep patterns within a group ensure that someone is awake most of the time in case of emergency.

It’s perfectly healthy for the time we want to go to sleep to vary, but the amount we need to sleep is more or less consistent after infancy.

Drugs, including caffeine, may effect our ability to fall asleep or our perception of how sleepy we are but they do not fulfil our need for sleep.

Keep in mind that even a character who is voluntarily depriving themselves of sleep will feel the effects. Repeated experiments have shown that we can be consciously aware we’re sleep deprived and aware of the effects of sleep deprivation but can not compensate for them.

Your character can’t get around the effects of sleep deprivation by willpower any more then a drunk can get around the effects of alcohol. Stimulants might keep them awake and raise their reaction time but they don’t effect other symptoms and may make some symptoms worse.

We need sleep after roughly sixteen hours of being awake. After that point our ability to function well starts to drop.

Effects of sleep deprivation

We’re still in the process of pinning down all the effects of sleep deprivation. Some of these effects are things we know happen but we don’t know why.

The more sleep deprived a character is the more symptoms they’d have, both physical and mental. Some of these symptoms are apparent after just one night of poor sleep (for the purposes of this post five hours sleep the previous night). I’m going to mark these early symptoms with an asterix (*) so you can easily recognise them.

Keep in mind that these effects are cumulative.

A character who gets into a pattern of not sleeping enough will get worse rather then staying at a steady level. The longer the character isn’t sleeping the more symptoms they should develop.

Physical symptoms

Shakes

Headaches*

Muscular pain

Increased blood pressure*

Reduced alertness*

Lower immune response leading to:

Increased infections

Longer recovery times

Longer reaction times*

Worse reflexes*

Lower natural testosterone levels and lower sperm counts

Abnormal menstrual cycles and lower fertility levels

Hunger*

Poor coordination*

Increased chance of accidents*

Subtle changes to physical appearance that cause a character to appear unhealthy*

Microsleeps (short periods of unconsciousness)

Psychological symptoms

Agitation

Reduced ability to interpret other people’s emotions*

Increased feelings of distrust towards other people*

Paranoia

Hallucinations

Increased chance of substance abuse

Confusion*

Memory loss*

Impaired ability to learn*

Increased risk of developing false memories

Suicidal thoughts and urges

Delirium

Markedly reduced concentration*

Consistently underestimating their level of impairment*

Impaired ability to think logically*

Increase in depressive and anxious symptoms, possibly inducing depression and anxiety

Reduced creativity*

Reduced problem solving ability*

Reduced ability to plan*

Increased risk of violent behaviour

Symptoms similar to psychosis in the long term

Long term effects

These aren’t symptoms exactly, these are a list of conditions people who are chronically sleep deprived are more likely to get. They develop several years later, usually in the 40-50s at the earliest.

Any amount of sleep deprivation is thought to increase the chances of these conditions but the longer and more consistently a character is sleep deprived the more likely they are.

Diabetes

Cancer (various kinds)

Heart failure (and coronary heart disease)

Strokes

Dementia, especially Alzheimer’s

Higher miscarriage rates

Vaccines may be less effective if the person was sleep deprived before the vaccine was administered because the immune response is suppressed. Research on this isn’t quite as thorough yet and it isn’t clear if the smaller immune response actually equates to less immunity against the real disease.

Sleep deprivation is also thought to increase weight gain. It makes people feel hungrier and crave unhealthy foods. While not nearly as serious as the other effects here it is a noted long term effect and as such I felt it needed to be included. Especially since there is a correlation between higher weight and sleep disorders.

How torturers deprive people of sleep.

Sleep deprivation is sometimes portrayed as a ‘modern’ innovation. This is untrue. Scottish witch trials used it heavily in attempts to force confessions and the Spanish Inquisition explicitly forbid its use (they thought the delirium and hallucinations would prevent victims from truly confessing and repenting their sins).

Not all of these methods would result in total sleep deprivation (ie absolutely no sleep in 24 hours). Some of them would lead to less sleep, poor sleep or disrupted sleep. This is still profoundly harmful.

Some of these methods could fit easily with a historical setting. Some wouldn’t. Some would work better in a pseudo-interrogation or forced confession scenario. If you’re planning on using sleep deprivation in your story pick a method that you feel fits your plot and setting best.

And if you’re not planning on using sleep deprivation but you see something you have used on this list take a moment to think about what you might be implying.

Poor cell conditions including:

-Constant light

-Constant noise

-Insufficient room to sleep

-Wet cells

-Extreme temperatures in cells

-Lack of beds and bedding

Stress positions such as forced standing. These are generally used for between 24-48 hours continuously meaning they’re automatically combined with sleep deprivation.

Constant use of restraints, especially if the restraints stop the character from fully extending their limbs or fully lowering their limbs.

Forced exercise such as forced walking (this was used in Scottish witch trials).

Forced labour for prolonged periods.

Guards disturbing the sleep of prisoners. For example shaking people awake every few minutes.

Prolonged interrogation without rest such as relay interrogation. Relay interrogation involves switching interrogators regularly so that prisoners can be kept in interrogation for over 24 hours at a time.

Starvation, hunger reduces our ability to sleep well and get as much sleep as we need. When combined with poor cell conditions poor sleep becomes inevitable.

Denying medical treatment to injured characters.

Poor sleep in survivors

Most of the long term symptoms of torture have the potential to disrupt sleep.

Depression, anxiety, hypervigilance and suicidal thoughts can all prevent survivors getting to sleep and disrupt sleep.

PTSD often involves intense nightmares which can both disturb sleep and make a survivor dread falling asleep. The majority of PTSD sufferers have difficulty sleeping.

Chronic pain can prevent sleep and many of the drugs commonly used to treat it can also lead to disturbed sleep. Like commonly abused addictive drugs pain medication can lead to poor quality sleep.

This doesn’t necessarily mean every survivor will have trouble sleep or be sleep deprived. While a lot of people with mental health problems have poorer sleep not everyone does. Medication for depression and anxiety can sometimes help people sleep and this in turn can reduce the intensity of symptoms.

Think about the combination of symptoms you’ve chosen for your character and consider whether they could lead to long term sleep loss.

Our need for sleep isn’t something we can debate, bribe or drug away. It’s a fundamental part of our biology.

Losing sleep is serious, being actively deprived of it is abusive. Be aware of what your story is doing and be prepared to show the consequences.

Sources

Why Torture doesn’t work: The Neuroscience of Interrogation by S O’Mara, Harvard University Press, 2015

Why We Sleep by M Walker, Penguin, 2017 - This book contains references to a lot of sleep research papers and is a very good introduction to the subject. Walker and Jagust conducted research together on the link between lack of sleep and Alzheimer’s. He also recommends D Dinges’ (University of Pennsylvania) body of work on sleep and concentration, response time and car accidents.

The Mystery of Sleep by M Kryger, Yale University Press, 2017

Available on Wordpress.

Disclaimer

#tw torture #sleep deprivation #sleep #mental health #insomnia #masterpost #effects of sleep deprivation

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hollyteague · 4 years

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Adult Acne Battle - £3000 Later (What I’ve Learned)

If you HAVEN’T struggled with Adult Acne - congratulations! Long may it last! The below is less relevant for occasional breakouts, but you still might find some bits useful... here is a table of contents so you can skip ahead.

NB: I am a normal person with 0 skincare qualifications, the below is my advice based on my own experience.

1. Intro

2. General Useful Info

3. Active Acne: Drugs from Docs

4. Easy Fixes/General Well-Being

5. General Rules

6. Acne Scarring (Clinical Treatment, Home Remedies)

7. Recommended Brands

8. Points of Interest

Intro

... it’s all you see in the mirror and every photo... it feels like a constant battle against yourself, you feel unhealthy and it actually REALLY HURTS. ... And it makes no sense, because you NEVER struggled with acne at school?! And you’re 25?! Life is hard enough!!!

Good News: you DON’T deserve it. Here is a list of things I’ve tried/researched and paid for (🤦‍♀️) so that you can explore some options with much less financial upheaval.

Bad News: it’s probs going to take 6-12 months before you see some results/work out what’s most beneficial to you. Sorry! But - slowly slowly catchy monkey & you will learn SO MUCH MORE than people with good skin in the process (knowledge = power) ... think that’s the only positive thing I can offer right now.

General Useful Info

- Your skin takes between 26-30 days to completely regenerate

- Your face is 64% water... DRINK DRINK DRINK

- LESS. IS. MORE. If you have problem skin, you are the beauty industry’s DREAAAAAM. There are SO many brands, SO many treatments and SO many people wanting to help, and you will pay ANYTHING for better skin. Proceed with caution! (Recommends for what I believe is “worth” considering are at the end of this doc)

- FROM NOW ON, use ONE cleanser TWICE a day & ONE moisturiser TWICE a day, then ONE scrub to be used ONCE a week. Even LESS if possible

- As an NB to the above 👆🏻 right now, you may well be making things worse (sorry). I visited a dermatologist who reminded me that the skin I do the LEAST with (he used my inner thigh as an example ... bit dodge 🤨) is currently the healthiest. That doesn’t mean there isn’t a problem, but does highlight the importance of giving yourself a break. Scrubs and I washes will really really irritate if used excessively.

Active Acne: Drugs from the Docs

(... because it’s NOT normal and it’s been going on FOREVER and the NHS need to sort it out and life isn’t FAIR 👊 💕 🌈 )

- LEVEL 1 - “Zineryt” - antibiotic which you apply to the skin. Note: you’re really only treating the epidermis here but if used in conjunction with:

- LEVEL 2 - Oral Antibiotics (various names) - internally treat 👍 you need at LEAST a three month course for this to be beneficial, and I don’t personally believe that using one without the other (oral and topical) would have much of an effect. They need to happen together

- LEVEL 3 - “Benzoyl peroxide” ... this really stings 😣 works as an antiseptic to reduce bacteria. NB: “peroxide” = bleach 🤢 😳 This is effective almost immediately but definitely causes skin irritation, and needs to be applied regularly... ie, regular stingy stingy. For some people, surface bacteria is the cause (even post-washing) so this treatment is a life-saver!

- LEVEL 4 - DUN DUN DUUUUUN - 🧙‍♀️ “Roaccutane” also known as “ Rizuderm” or “Isotretinoin” ... “when all else fails”. This is a nasty naaaasty drug and there are lots of waivers to sign before taking including promising not to get pregnant! I did not take this medication (although I was eligible) because it is highly dehydrating, and I didn’t know what effect it might have on my voice. However, I have three friends who have undergone the course, and aside from having to bath in coconut oil ever day, it was by FAR the most effective treatment. IMO, this is absolutely a last resort - read the side effects and decide if you really HAVE tried everything else before going to argue with a doctor 👩‍⚕️ 👨‍⚕️ 💕 they don’t particularly like prescribing it either

- For women, contraceptives willllllll be discussed as they’re the cheapest & easiest of the hormonal offerings (combi pill recommended for adult acne). This is really a personal preference thing, DONT feel pressured into switching like it’s the ONLY option. Try to keep a log of any significant skin changes through the month (even if you’re on a pill where you don’t bleed 🩸yum!) and if you HAVE recently switched contraceptives, it’ll take a good 6 months for things to settle/work through your body

- Topical Retinoids (various names) - discussed later under “Home Treatments” but occasionally prescribed by doctors... much less popular and much less effective for very active acne IMO

Easy Fixes/General Well-Being

- Try to drink a minimum of 2litres of water per day - much more if you are exercising. For every caffeinated or alcoholic drink, you -2 glasses of water 🍷 ☕️ ☹️💔 keep drinking! (Water, not wine!) Permanently attach a straw!

- Vitamins with biotin & keratin can really help (if you’re good at taking vitamins!) although I’m sceptical (I don’t think a keratin deficiency is the root cause of acne) & results are too slow for someone like me. However, if you DO have brittle nails/thinner hair, it may be worth considering

- Usual Mantra - happy body, happy mind - and undoubtedly better skin. Feed the machine good foods, and be mindful of sugar content, which really will have a direct effect. NB: Post-workout glow is definitely a thing! 💪

- Adult acne can often be a sign of something going on internally... have a health check & gets some bloods done. Initially I was diagnosed with early menopause (yikes!) but after additional tests I was told I (like lots of women) have PCOS. Not life threatening, but very useful information that I would have really appreciated a good 5 years ago 🤦‍♀️ and now shapes a lot of my diet/approach to health

General Rules

- Try not to touch your face/back/areas with breakout. Even clean fingers will transfer additional oils

- If you have a spot NEVER. EVER. EVER “pop” it!!! Leave it ALONE until it comes to a head, then use a sterile needle to make one SINGLE hole and gently squeeze. The more you pop, the more scarring you will have

- Wash face twice a day - once additionally if you exercise (try to wash as quickly as possible after you run to rebalance pH).

- Use medium temperature water. If you need to open pours or want to help a spot along 🤦‍♀️ use a hot towel on the one area rather than across your whole face, and make sure you finish with a cold compress to close everything back up again

- Invest in a silicone sponge to wash your face (link attached) they are cheap and help to keep hands away & bacteria at bay. There are lots of expensive silicone products (eg foreo luna have a silicone range that also vibrates ... I have one, it feels nice, but it’s just a gimmick!). Get rid of any muslin cloths/face flannels you’ve previously invested in

- Use ONE moisturiser, ONCE a day and make sure it has a good SPF. Brands recommended under ... “Recommended Brands”

- Exfoliation &/ glamorous face mask MAXIMUM once a week. (Less is more less is more less is more). Again, see “Recommended Brands”

- ... Ahhhhhh lovely makeup covering all of those unlovely lumps and bumps and then making additional lumps and bumps 🤦‍♀️ MINERAL MAKE UP ONLY, HENCEFORTH. And whatever happens, do NOT fall asleep in it.

Acne Scarring

😔😔😔😔 (when the battle is kind of (mostly) over, you realise this is the hardest bit to fix).

If you have scarring AND still have active acne, DONT BOTHER WITH ANY OF THE BELOW. There’s really no point. Get the initial problem under control, THEN you can start thinking about how you’re going to get yourself to bare faced freedom.

Clinic Treatments

- LEVEL 1 - “Milk Peel”- the least abrasive chemical peel... between 4 & 8 treatments recommended, each treatment lasts about 45 mins. Lovely experience! No makeup for 24 hours and healthy skin looks kind of glowy for a day or two......... however, absolutely zero effect on scarring (total cost, £200!)

- LEVEL 2 - “Chemical Chemical Peel” - this was called a “Cosmo” - no idea what that means really other than it hurt MORE than the milk peel and left my significantly more red, with peeling etc. These treatments definitely DID have an effect, and perhaps with another round of 4, I would be a disciple... I really feel that the aftercare is annoying though... and it really is an uncomfortable procedure (acid on the face... yeah... hmmm). Cost - £250 for 4 appointments

- LEVEL 3 - “Micro Needling” - NOW. THIS ONE, if you can afford it, makes the most sense. Essentially, the needle re-damages the skin, encouraging it to re-heal itself, promoting collagen and elastin in the process. Hurts less than a chemical peel too 😂🤦‍♀️ course of 4 - £400. Excellent. 🤦‍♀️😒

- LEVEL 4 - “Laser Skin Resurfacing” ... I’m too poor to try this, but I would imagine the results are amazing .... it’s a laser, and it re-surfaces your skin, so 🧙‍♀️. Single Treatment, costs range from £600-£1000. Advice: GO TO A DERMATOLOGIST. I’m sure cheaper alternatives are available at salons and I’m SURE all salon practitioners are registered and hygienic but ... again - IT’S A LASER... ON YOUR FACE.

Yum yum yum - after most of these treatments, you might be asked if you want to sit under a LED Light Box - say yes! It takes 15 mins ish and kills bacteria.

DON’T BOTHER WITH:

- Dermaplaning! You might not be eligible anyway if you have particularly bad scarring.... lovely treatment with many benefits, but won’t fix anything

- Microdermabrasion! As above! Also really might not be a good idea if your skin is particularly sensitive after all the lotions and potions you’ve been using to try & clear up all that acne

- Any kind of facial that claims to use super special fancy lotions. It will be a lovely experience, but it will do very little.

Home Treatments

- The Ordinary (see “Recommended Brands”) have an exfoliating peel (ONCE A WEEK. ONCE A WEEK!) which does certainly lift and brighten - search for “AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution” (easy to type, eh)

- Retinols ... to be used with caution. The Ordinary provide an affordable range of %s - retinol works to increase cell renewal and tackle blemishes and pigmentation... Start a lower % and be super careful to use an SPF. If you have active acne, avoid - it will irritate it further

- Home Derma-Rollers - similar concept to the microneedling treatment, but you MUST. MUST. Keep your equipment sterile and keep rolling to a MINIMUM. Every two weeks is still too much! Give your skin a break!!!!!! Rome wasn’t built in a day!

Recommended Brands

- Bare Minerals, for all make up. Other mineral brands are available, but I like the ethos of Bare & the customer service they provide is second to none. They will give you lots of samples to try, and ALL of their staff are real brand pioneers. They’ll also do you a full face of makeup with no appointment, which is very much appreciated on a bad day. Love u Bare Minerals 💕 (Cost: Mid-Range)

- For me, Dermalogica is the one and only skincare brand 💋💋 It’s the easiest of all and feels like a professional product at all times. You only need ONE cleanser (Ultra Calming, to calm me down - thanking you) ONE moisturiser (more options available, but I would stick with Active Moist) and ONE exfoliator/scrub (Daily Microfoliant is fine, but - don’t use daily 🤦‍♀️). For heavier make up wearers, Precleanse Oil is a blessing. Again - samples available and if you go to a department store, lots of advice will be offered. Don’t be seduced by serums. (Cost: Mid-High Range)

- The Ordinary (mentioned above) are kind of cool because they just sell the BASIC product ingredients, making them much cheaper. Woohoo! You can concoct your OWN lotions and potions, how exciting! However, proceed with caution: you may find you end up a failed skin scientist, as lots of the chemicals will cancel each other out/won’t be effective. Eg. Vitamin C Suspension with Retinol in Squalene which you might be tempted to use after some research. There are articles available online to help with this

- CHEAPEST OF ALL - “Kaeso” (available online) sells a box containing cleanser, toner, moisturiser, exfoliator and mask for approx £20. The “Rebalancing” collection is for problem skin, although the hydrating collection may also be nice to try. You get SO much product for so little here, but IMO, if you have particularly bad acne, the cleanser actually isn’t strong enough. Useful to have in the cupboard though/when payday feels a long way away.

- Other brands: Juliette Armand (Cleanser & Moisturiser yum yum!) ZO Skin Health (although these are usually salon based only) Environ (far superior, but less affordable for me!). Again - you only need ONE cleanser & ONE moisturiser, then ONE scrub to be used ONCE a week!!!

Dermalogica, The Ordinary, Kaeso Beauty & Bare Minerals are all cruelty free paraben free microbead free formaldehyde free etc etc but more research needs to be taken with other recommended brands. NB: If you choose to use a moisturiser/makeup that doesn’t contain an SPF, you WILL need an SPF additionally, even on a cloudy day ☁️ Embrace the Vit D but say no to sun damage

Points of Interest

- Male & Female skin have different structures and will respond differently to different products and treatments. Most notable, male skin is about 25% thicker so much tougher, which more sebum production ie. guys are more prone to blackheads.

- There is much research being done into the acne occurrence as a predictable side effect of masculinizing hormonal therapy in transgender patients, after six months or more of testosterone treatment. More research necessary but I HAVE read that antibios have proved to be effective, as well as low doses of Isotretinoin, although this is far less likely to be prescribed due to anxiety/depression side effects.

- Super weird - peanut butter (aside from having high fat & sugar levels ... brand dependent obvs) CAN sometimes contain androgens (male sex hormones) ... give it a google, it’s all a bit strange but might lead you to cutting down

- Toothpaste DOES help to dry problem spots out ... the cheaper the brand the better 😂 🦷

#acne #adult acne #skincare #dermatology #microneedling #beauty #skincare routine #hormonal #hormones #treatment

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