nmik-agere

[nmik-agere]

I wish you posted all this stuff on instagram, thats where it seems majority of them are. And i know your content would get spread like a wildfire.

It really doesn’t! My follower count is low. I don’t think many people share my post, more than likely because majority of the information is in my highlights.

I’m thinking about reposting the same information on a new account.

[nmik-agere]

Your blog made me not delete tumblr, Getting real sick of minors ruining age regression for me. I've even see 18+ blog owners not allow kinky people to follow, so they can cater to all the minors. It's really sick

Although, I’m hardly ever active anymore I’m glad I made you stick around!

I’ve also seen that too! It’s absolutely sickening that an adult’s primary audience is a much of minors.. Minors don’t need to be around an adult community, The chronological age of a person/the body of a person is also not an excuse for the psychological age of a person to be on social media platforms, especially without an actual caretaker’s supervison, and regression used voluntarily as a coping mechanism for self-help purposes should always be talked about with a mental health care provider first before practiced, and still with the understanding from a professional that this practice is effective and safe for you it still does not permit said individual to be social media platforms.

Adults that have their accounts open wide for minors in the agere community but don’t allow adults in kink to interact have issues. It’s concerning that an adult around these communities want to befriend children rather than adults their own age and that they would encourage a child to post content of themselves in the same manner that adults in kink do. It’s disturbing.

Adults who are super close with the agere community need to educate themselves about regression itself and how the agere communities developed and changed. They need to analyze what is stolen from the kink community and ask themselves what the motive is behind some people in the agere community. They need to understand that kinks can be nonsexual. They need to do research on BDSM power imbalances. They need to realize it’s okay to have a limit surrounding sexual age-play and still follow those that do such or be a part of the community. Many ABDL’s have a limit surrounding ABDL’s that defecate in their diapers. It’s normal to have limits in BDSM. I believe adults that have a problem regarding sexual littles should have a discussion with them, that’s what I’m trying to do. You never know it you are misunderstanding the way they practice something until you ask questions. I’ve been in the agere community for so long and I’ve asked a lot before I left and I still continue to when needed.

I wish minors in regression communities would see that adults in regression communities don’t have their best interest in mind. An adult who had your best interest in mind wouldn’t encourage you to be around an adult community, an adult with your best interest in mind wouldn’t encourage you to post content and use terminology and practices that came from the kink community. I don’t understand how adults do not understand that when you are not an infant or young toddler posting photos of yourself wearing onesies/bodysuits without bottoms or showcasing that you are wearing a diaper is not appropriate. It may not be sexual, and I agree you shouldn’t sexualize individuals without that intention, and it’s repulsive to sexualize someone under the age of 18 but things don’t have to be sexual to be inappropriate. People outside these communities do not see it as appropriate. Adults who see minors with public accounts who post content in such manner do not have their best interest in mind. Adults may think they are doing something good, but the bottom line is they are an adult who isn’t anyone’s legal guardian that can be giving advice on anything these children can be doing around the BDSM community and they aren’t thinking about the consequences of their actions before they do things and they aren’t putting forth effort to understand the reasoning behind why majority of other adults aren’t in their community. They rather take their education from minors that make text post online and listen to the excuses given to them.

Adults in regression communities are such a problem.

[nmik-agere]

Im sorry if you were already asked this but; if age regression is meant soully for people who physically regress bc of psychosis and littlespace is a term coined by the BDSM community and is frowned on, what terms should sfw/who aren't really regressing people use? Im very confused of where i am. Im very anti kink but i don't mentally regress. I use acting like a kid to destress and from minor trauma. So what tags/terms are there for me?

*The term age regression is for people with psychosis, and other mental disorders but it’s also for people with neurological and developmental disabilities and neurotypical people who don’t have any mental disorders but may experience high levels of stress and frustration.

Sorry to keep this short, I just don’t want to answer anons like this when it’s something I’ve already discussed and answered.

The term little and littlespace are ambiguous. I have a post on littlespace that explains why, it’s your choice to use it or not, but you are correct when you say the term littlespace was coined by the BDSM community. The term little was not though.. (currently I’m trying to edit my post regarding that.) but the term little has always been a shared term between the mental health community and the bdsm community.

In my final post, which I will post shortly it will be about terms/tags you can use! Hopefully it will help!

#agere

[nmik-agere]

Don't take this the wrong way but you seem like a very bitter person.

Lol, I understand how I come across that way! In all honesty I actually think part of me is. It’s disappointing and frustrating to see so many people stay uneducated and to come across the same pattern of behavior over time that I’ve explained in detail continuous of times on why it shouldn’t be supported. I don’t see anything wrong with being upset over the wrongs and injustices within the agere community. It’s just natural. I also think it’s important I express myself this way. I know it may seem like I hold onto my anger and I’m hostile and resentful towards people who identify as age regressors, but that’s probably because I’m consistent about what I post about. I like to be straight to the point with matters which sometimes comes across as harsh. A lot of people on here haven’t tried talking to me on a personal level though, those that have actually see me as friendly. I understand that everyone is human and people will learn as time go’s on. I don’t harass anyone to get my points across, people are free to keep doing as they please. I never intend to have conflictual social interactions with people. I’m never looking for people to argue with. I also never take an opportunity to be verbally or emotionally cruel to people. It’s unnecessary, exhausting, and unkind. I’m just here to educate, inform, convince, and persuade those who read my post. Understandably I see how that comes across as wanting others to feel bad, but I think guilt comes with change regarding situations like this sometimes. The more I post the more it seems like I dwell on matters, and it’s clear to see that I have. At this point though I’m too tired to be doing this. Everything that keeps being posted has either been in drafts or it’s a topic I think needs to be discussed in order for me to be less active on this account. I have my last post about age regression saved in my drafts. I don’t really give my audience an outlet to get to know me personally though, but if you look through my blog I do hope it’s clear to see that I don’t generalize or have hatred for every regressor in the community and I don’t continually have a negative outlook on things. Of course I still have things to work on because I do believe that I’m a bit too self righteous and that this has become a grudge in some way, but everyone is imperfect. I try my best.

#agere

[nmik-agere]

Reminder.

If you’ve read my post about age regression and you’ve done factual information yourself and you’re still using the term age regression when you don’t experience that unconscious state and change of cognitive abilities, yet you tell others who are educated that you wish the communities would change for the better and that they’d be educated as well, then you’re a part of the problem. The change starts little by little by people who are already aware. Being scared to speak up and inform others kindly leaves no room for growth and speaks volumes that your likeness for a term because it is popular is more important than accuracy and helping trauma survivors and people with mental and developmental disorders that experience regression. You are voluntarily contributing to the horrible epidemic.

#age regression #agere #agere community #safe agere #nsre #cglre #babycore #kidcore

[nmik-agere]

♡ Littlespace ♡

Sadly, I accidentally deleted an ask regarding littlespace while trying to edit it and add on to it so I decided I needed to make a post regarding it!

What is littlespace?

Littlespace is a term that derived from the 18+ ageplay kink community. It is a term that submissives in the ageplay/cgl community use to describe the voluntary psychological shift they create themselves to motivate themselves to metaphorically feel younger and happy. Littlespace is a term to describe a certain mood; or headspace a person has while consciously being aware of their chronological age and withholding to their cognitive abilities while still being aware of age appropriate behavior that they themselves can control. It is a hobby and a coping mechanism people use to cope and distress and enjoy embracing the innocence of childhood and releasing and expressing their alter ego or the child within. It is also a type of subspace; a distinct, noticeable shift in a persons mental and physical state provoked by BDSM activities, specifically BDSM activities that fall under the subcategory of ageplay, such as ageplay itself or cgl and it’s variants and ab/dl.

Didn’t the term littlespace derive from the DID community?

The term Littlespace did not derive from mental health facilities towards those who have dissociative identity disorders. The term you are getting confused with is the term Little. In dissociative disorders a system; a person with DID or OSDD may have a child alter that they refer to as a Little because that person in their system is a child. Trauma at a young age is the cause of developing a dissociative disorder and experiencing age sliding or having a child alter, which is a form of age regression. The term littlespace has never been used in context to refer to age sliding or a child alter fronting. Littlespace is not a clinical DID or OSDD term, It has never been used by clinicians; psychologist or therapist.

Is littlespace an alternative term for regression?

No! Despite the improper use of the term littlespace on social media, littlespace is not a term to describe the regressive mindset that is due to trauma, psychiatric disorders, neurological/developmental disorders, and intellectual and cognitive disorders. Regression is a defensive coping mechanism. A defense mechanism is an automatic response or reaction of the body that is an unconscious mental process used to avoid conscious anxiety or conflict. Age regression being a defense mechanism means it can not be a deliberate activity, unlike littlespace. Littlespace is about distressing, coping, and recreation, It has nothing to do with safeguarding your mind unconsciously as an instinct learned through trauma against feelings and thoughts that are too difficult for you to cope with consciously in order to escape and protect yourself. It has nothing to do with the loss of intellectual or cognitive abilities or experiencing a dissociative intrusion or an emotional flashback due to being triggered. When a person is in littlespace they are not retreating to an earlier mental or behavioral level that is the reversion to a chronologically earlier or less adapted pattern of behavior and feeling that they have to periodically live with. Littlespace is not a defensive mechanism because it is voluntary. When people put themselves in this certain headspace as a coping mechanism or as a hobby, physically, emotionally, and mentally they do not believe they are chronologically and biologically a child.

The term littlespace has also never been used in the medical field or the medical community by psychologist, therapist, or patients. If it was an alternative term for regression or a term that was cohesive with regression it would be known by those who work with people who regress in the medical field and by the community of those who regress since regression is a psychological term. There would be a history of the term littlespace associated with trauma, psychiatric disorders, and intellectual and cognitive disorders, and it would be a term used sometimes when referring to having a dissociative intrusion or an emotional flashback. The term littlespace hasn’t been associated with regression until 2016 due to online tumblr community discourse. The CGLRE community in particular. People who use the term littlespace to identify regression are using a term that derived from a subcategory of BDSM in replace of a psychological term made to describe their experiences and they are misinterpreting the original definition of littlespace; mixing a defensive mechanism with a voluntary hobby and coping mechanism. In other words they are mixing a conscious process with an unconscious one. This is not okay. Using the term Littlespace to explain regression can also make people misconstrue the definition of regression. This should not be supported.

Is the term littlespace SFW?

No! SFW stands for safe for work. Littlespace is not safe for the work place! Since the term littlespace oriented from the bdsm kink community it makes the term littlespace inherently NOT safe for work. It is clear for people to understand that CGL (DDLG) is not safe for work because it is a subcategory of BDSM; it is inherently a Kink whether or not it’s non-sexual or not. You can not take a term that derived from a subcategory of BDSM and make it completely safe for the public. Something that is safe for work is content, actions, and speech that would hold no issues if your superviser were to find out about it. It would also be content, actions, and speech that would be okay to be shared with your boss and your coworkers. If individuals at work were to see you using an adult pacifier at work or looking at text post or photos regarding people who are not physically babies or toddlers using baby items it would be deemed as inappropriate regardless if it’s not sexual and there is no topic of BDSM mentioned. The content, actions, and speech that comes up on your search results from looking up the word littlespace could be considered obscene material because the supreme court and the states have a direct interest in public morality. Material is also considered obscene if the material appeals to prurient interest or depicts offensive sexual nature. It is clear to see that Littlespace is stigmatized to adult themes, it can be traced back to its roots, the kink community. Your boss could identify your behavior as engaging in inappropriate activity at the workplace. The first definition of littlespace that you see by looking up the term in google is “the mindset or headspace in which an adult baby or little feels most carefree, accepted, and mentally youthful. Some adult babies or littles are only in littlespace during certain times while others may always be in littlespace as part of their natural personality.” It is not okay to behave like a child at work. The bold words are also terms that can be found within the BDSM community. SFW does not mean nonsexual and non-kink, and just because your hobby or lifestyle is nonsexual and is not apart of bdsm because what you’re doing isn’t a playful usage of sexual concepts that are overt, accentuated, and unambiguously expressive of sexuality, sensuality, and intimacy doesn’t mean it will always be seen as something cute, innocent, and harmless towards an outsider. A lot of people do not find “littlespace” as something tasteful or healthy. Some alternative lifestyles are too taboo to be considered appropriate regardless if it’s non-sexual. At the workplace you want to make sure on your break you are viewing and partipating in normal mundane activity that doesn’t hold any risk towards you getting in trouble or being fired from your job. You want your behavior to be considered as something society would see as normative and morally okay to do and view at work that wouldn’t require an inappropriate explanation. Unless you work at a very liberal work environment, little space is not SFW!

Disclaimer: I am not saying that it isn’t okay for people who have natural childlike personalities and characteristics to work. Nor am I saying that anyone who has childish interests or an alternative lifestyle where they like a collective of cute and playful items or they employ tendencies much younger than they chronologically are can not discreetly express or look at different interests, traits, or habits that make him/her/them unique and shows a part of who they are. For example wearing a Disney necklace or watch at work, having a childlike picture frame on your desk, having a plush keychain on your bag or briefcase, or looking up shopping photos of teddy bears or a set of colored pencils, there is nothing wrong with doing so. Littlespace isn’t about being naturally childlike though, it’s more so refers to getting yourself consciously in a chronologically younger headspace, where in that headspace role play is heavily involved and so is heavily presenting behavior people wouldn’t prescribe as age appropriate. Littlespace is a hobby and a coping mechanism, not an identity of self expression. Littlespace can be considered a act of releasing and expressing your alter ego or the child within you that you don’t normally publicly expose. It is not safe for work.

Should you support people not in kink using the term littlespace?

Supporting people who aren’t in kink using the term little space is very ambivalent. Logically people who aren’t involved in kink should not use the term littlespace because it is a term that was created in the bdsm kink community and it was inherently for people who are within the subcategories of bdsm, specifically ageplay and it’s subcategory cgl and it’s variants, and ab/dl. Using the term littlespace when you are not in kink can be considered appropriating from the BDSM ageplay/cgl/abdl kink community. Not believing the term littlespace is a kink term in itself doesn’t mean it isn’t considered one by a majority of people, especially those who are apart of the communities that created the term. Since the term littlespace is associated to an adult community and adult activities it is not safe or appropriate for minors to use this term. It is also not okay for adults who allow minors in their space to use this term. Using the term little space when you are not a submissive in bdsm allows people, including abusers and predators to misinterpret your interest and what you do. Minors should not be associated to an adult community centered around prurient interest and actions they can not consent to. (sex, fetishes, bondage, discipline, sadochism, masochism, dominance, and submission.) Using the term little space as a minor or a person not in kink is sharing a term with an adult community and it makes you associated to kink even when you aren’t a participant of it. No one wants to be responsible for jeopardizing safety if a danger were to occur from promoting this behavior. More than anything safety should be more important than the popularity of a term or liking how a term sounds. It doesn’t make sense to use the term little space in an environment surrounded by kinksters who also use that term. Separating non-kink communities and labels from kink communities and labels is important for safety and educational purposes. When people use the term littlespace when they are not a submissive in kink they are misconstruing the definition of the term. It is also not ethical to tell an entire community that has established something years ago that certain terminology isn’t theirs anymore just because you want what they have. You can not reclaim terminology that wasn’t yours or your community’s to begin with.

On the other hand, the word little is an adjective. According to context the definition of the word little is something small in size; not big; not large; tiny. It is small in number, or small in amount or degree; small in condition, distinction, or scope. It means young. Lastly it can be referred to something or someone that is pleasingly small. The word space is a noun. According to context the definition of space is a continuous area or expanse which is free, available, or unoccupied; it is a place that is available for a particular purpose. It is also the freedom or opportunity to express oneself, resolve a personal difficulty, be alone, etc. by distancing yourself from other people or things in order to remain comfortable. There should be no problem supporting nonsexual roleplayers and people who have childlike personalities that naturally employ childlike tendencies, characteristics, and interest using the term littlespace as long as they are using this term in appropriate places where the meaning of this term will not be misconstrued. Language is fluid and it is everchaging depending on what’s said and what’s understood. A word or acronym being used a certain way does not mean it’s connected to another group that uses that term the same way, regardless if it’s similar. A lot of words share similar or identical spelling but mean completely different things! The definition of the word littlespace has changed drastically over time. It has adapted to the wants of others in a different environment. This is called semantic change. Semantic change is a form of language change regarding the evolution of word usage. The term littlespace has also gone through what is called polysemy. Polysemy is the coexistence of many possible meanings for a word, phrase, or concept. Polysemous words share the same or related origins or roots according to history.

The following sentences contain some examples of polysemy:

He drank a glass of milk.

He forgot to milk the cow.

The enraged actor sued the newspaper.

He read the newspaper.

She ran to get the groceries.

I finally get the joke you told the other day.

He fixed his hair.

They fixed a date for the wedding.

People should be able to call their environments and creations whatever they want to call their environments and creatons. It is inappropriate to label something a child made or is doing as a kink if a child were to tell you they named their environment or creation as something and they explained to you in an appropriate way why they chose that name. As an adult you should keep that to yourself. It is wrong to project your kink on to minors and unconsenting individuals. Interpretatng words involves much more than etymology and definitions. It’s also about context and conventions and how the word is used and what it is intended to convey. Littlespace is a well established term that is understood and is respected as not associated to kink. Despite its origin and many submissives in kink still using the term littlespace how it was originally intended: as a form of subspace or a term to express indulging in the fetish and sexual activity of ageplay, the term littlespace is only refered to describe the voluntary psychological shift a person creates themselves to motivate themselves to metaphorically feel younger. Littlespace is a word to describe a headspace people have as a hobby and a coping mechanism used to cope and distress and embrace the innocence of childhood. It is not a term owned or used only by participants of the kink community anymore. Online today it is used more by those not within the subcategories of BDSM, and a vast majority within these subcategories see littlespace as something non-sexual. As long as people understand the origin of the term littlespace for safety reasons and kink spaces are separated from non-kink spaces anyone should be able to use the term littlespace. No one can claim the name of something that is now considered as an entire concept and use it to exclude others. So many people have sentimental value towards the term littlespace. Littlespace for a lot of individuals is a term that helps them feel calm and grounded and many people have memories attached to the term. It is not fair to take that away from others since the term is polysemous now. If people using the term littlepace aren’t causing harm to anyone and It is not illegal for those not in kink to use this term then people need to ageee to disagree and leave them alone by not interacting with each other.

How can I use the term littlespace safely if I’m not a participant of kink?

Using the term littlespace as a minor or a person not in kink is best off of social media and only around people you trust who feel the same way you do about the term. If you are already using the term littlespace on social media it’s best you do so in an environment where the term will not be mixed in with how those in kink use this term. This means it is best to use this term on social media platforms where you can make your account private, such as Instagram and Twitter. Not using the tag littlespace itself and not allowing those who can’t see the that the term littlespace is polysemous in your interaction criteria (DNI) is also important. If you are a minor, no adults in kink communities should be following you. As always you have to continuously be careful on the internet. Please remember internet safety! Always block those that make you uncomfortable. 💗 Please be careful.

*People will still be uncomfortable regardless of either way you decide to use the term (for kink purposes or for non-kink purposes) Please treat others how they should be treated and respect everyone! If you don’t have anything informative or nice to say don’t say anything at all.

#agere positivity #agere community #age regression #agere #safe agere #nsre #chire #littlexspace #littleplace #sfw little community #cglre #babycore #kidcore #agedre

[nmik-agere]

no trauma is ‘too minor’ to have an impact on your mental health. how you feel right now should be recognised

[nmik-agere]

if you’re ever scared you’re not a good person, remember that bad people don’t care about being better 

[nmik-agere]

only taking care of yourself

when you ‘deserve it’

is like only watering a plant

when it rains

[nmik-agere]

repeat after me: no matter what others feel about me, today i am going to love myself completely

[nmik-agere]

The truth is..

age regression isn’t always pretty , fluffy , aesthetic , or soft.

sometimes it’s sad.

sometimes i cry when i little. sometimes i shake and i sob and i am stuck in trauma flashbacks.

sometimes

my regression isn’t pure.

and that’s okay.

[nmik-agere]

advice from a friend in recovery

no matter what is wrong, there’s a pretty good chance that just getting some sleep will fix it (or at least make it not as bad). it’s the biological equivalent of “turn it off and then back on again”

take advantage of your local library. it’s got free water, bathrooms, heating, and (hopefully) air conditioning, and if you’re lucky, it might have free wifi, computers to use, tutoring, and more.

there’s always that one bookstore or coffee shop that you love to spend time at, but can never remember just how good it is when you’re not there. put a note in your phone or on your wall. go there when you’re having a bad day. remind yourself that there are safe places in this world.

there will be people in your life who are there for you when nobody else is. reach out to them.  they might not be your best friends, but they are good people, and talking to them will make you happy.

find time to meditate. as little as three minutes a day will make a tremendous difference in your stress and burnout.

make a playlist for songs that mean a lot to you, and keep it at the top of your list for a few months or years. when you need to feel something, scroll back as far as you can. think about the past, and how far you’ve come, and how much further you will go.

fill your life with little things that bring you joy. listen to classical music in the morning. paint your nails sparkly pink. have a cup of herbal tea during a study break. write down the little things you can do for yourself, so when it feels like there’s nothing left to live for, you have proof otherwise.

make art. it doesn’t have to be good, and it doesn’t need to mean anything. doodle something just because it’s pretty. knit a shapeless hat for your best friend. decorate an old pair of jeans with sharpies. mix paint into pretty colors. do something that makes you feel like a child again.

[nmik-agere]

dissociation + school 💫

Having had PTSD and struggling with dissociation and derealisation during my final year of school, I picked up some tips along the way! 1. Have sensory items in your pencil case I always kept something tactile in my pencil case that I could use to keep me grounded when I could feel my mind slipping. Things like blue tack, stress balls, fidget spinners - anything small enough to fit in my palm and pencil case was perfect. Have a Yr 12 kitchen? Keep some ice cubes that you can use to shock your senses if you need to. Eating an ice cube before class was always helpful to knock me back into reality. 2. Work our your triggers at school A particular teacher, lesson, place etc. trigger you? Write a list down of things that you find more triggering when you’re at school and be mindful of where/when they could occur. There was a certain teacher at my school that looked a lot like a family member, so I went out of my way to avoid them. Similarly, I knew I dissociated the most in French and Psychology, so I’d always take more care of myself before and after those classes. Sometimes just being around lots of people would send me spiralling so I often found a quiet place (library!!) to stay at lunch.  3. When you’re dissociating Honestly once I had begun to dissociate, there was little I could actually do in the moment. If you’re having flashbacks, your brain is off somewhere else or you feel like you’re watching yourself - by that point it’s a lot harder to help yourself. But if you are able to identify when you’re dissociating, try and remove yourself from the situation. I would ask to go to the bathroom so I could splash some water on my face. I would also just sit in the cubicle. Don’t expect to snap back into reality but at least moving yourself out of your immediate environment can lessen the intensity of the dissociation. 4. Tell someone This is one everyone says but I feel like it’s super important for dissociation. I only ever told one friend, but it was helpful to have someone who could see the signs. I think it’s good to tell people what dissociation looks and feels like to you as each person is different. I would struggle to answer questions and would take longer to understand instructions in class. You could also tell by looking at me as I’d look like I was somewhere else, never really focusing on who was talking to me. It just meant they could check up on me after class, make sure if I was really bad I could get home, had all my stuff with me etc.  5. It will pass! Dealing with dissociation is hella scary, especially when you’re under 18, in class and suddenly watching yourself from the ceiling. It can come out of nowhere, quickly, slowly - it sucks. My final tip is just to know that it will pass. Feeling like you’re floating is terrifying, so I’d always keep a little reminder on my phone that the experience I was having would pass. Even if it would take a few minutes, hours, days etc. I would come back to myself again. I hope these help some other young students struggling!  💫💫 @studywithavalon 

[nmik-agere]

[nmik-agere]

Your favorite stuffed animal knows you’ve been crying at night and (since they can’t speak) they asked me to tell you that they’re proud of you for sticking through the tough times. Hang in there kiddo, there are better days ahead 💕

[nmik-agere]

If I am being cyber bullied, what are some steps I can take to stop it? Who or what do I go to?

We’ve written a couple of articles covering some of the best things to do if you’re experiencing cyberbullying, including reporting it and talking about it with people around you.

Here are 9 tips on overcoming cyberbullying: https://www.ditchthelabel.org/9-tips-on-overcoming-cyberbullying/

and a toolkit for dealing with online hate: https://www.ditchthelabel.org/dealing-with-online-hate-a-toolkit/ 

There are also a couple of tips in the ‘Don’t @ Me’ video on World-Wide-What: https://world-wide-what.tumblr.com/tagged/DontAtMe

[nmik-agere]

i wish people were kinder with people who experience delusions. even if they claim to be God or that someone's following them or that the FBI is coming to kill them. just be kind. It's a symtom of psychosis, something they can't control. It doesn't help to make fun of them and treat them terribly. Its either you support ALL mentally ill people or you don't. You don't get to pick and choose because there's "uglier" and "stranger" symptoms