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prettieinpink · 7 months

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♡ PRETTIER HIERARCHY ♡

HAPPY 1.2k+ TO PRETTIEINPINK! Thank you guys for the support, here’s a lil gift from me to you.

If you don’t want to read all of this, I created a hierarchy of everything you need to do to glow up, right at the end!!! But I recommend reading everything first <3

I’ve been trying to ‘glow up’ like forever, but there was no actual content out there that helped me glow up. Most people sugarcoated, or their lifestyles of glowing up just weren't sustainable for me. So, I created this post for everyone planning to glow up or maximise their prettiness!

DISCLAIMER – THIS POST IS NOT DETAILED. I wanted to do a simple outline to give you guys an idea of what to do to maximise your pretty. A little help to plan, especially as we enter 2024, but I’ll expand on these individual topics in the future.

GRADE 1 – HEALTH

Being healthy can make you SO pretty. Being healthy is the foundation. There are other ways to be physically healthy, but after doing these 4 the rest usually fall in place. Here are some simple ways to become healthier, and then eventually prettier!

HEALTHY EATING.

I'm not going to go super deep into this, as no diet fits everyone + Please consult with your doctor before taking any extreme advice. Though, I'll tell you a bit of things that helped me !!

Stop drinking soda. Please, it's so unhealthy and it's full of so many sugars. Even the ones that are 0 cal, have weird chemicals that I don't trust. Many more alternatives taste just as good, like coconut water, herbal drinks, smoothies etc! Especially because nowadays most large calories and sugar intakes are from sugary drinks

Stop restricting, moderate it. I am a big fan of dairy, yoghurt, milk, and cheese, I love it all. However I acknowledge that dairy isn’t the healthiest, so instead I always ensure I'm eating in moderation. E.g I put a tablespoon of shredded cheese in my omelettes instead of a handful. You will enjoy healthy eating so much, but only if you're not restricting.

Have one serving of fruit, vegetables, or both with each meal. It provides so many good nutrients, makes you fuller and keeps you hydrated. Measure with your palm to ensure you’re eating enough.

Know that just because one food has fewer calories than the other, does not mean it is the healthiest. I struggled so much with this, especially because many weight loss accounts will mention this, but it is so wrong. White bread has fewer calories than brown bread, but brown bread is higher in nutritional value.

Plan snacks. Planning snacks for throughout the day, instead of spontaneously eating is so much better. I recommend this for anyone who gets hungry during the day but not enough for a meal (like me!)

Drink more water. Not 1L a day, because it is so much more ideal for you to have a glass of water with each meal + when you feel thirsty.

Start educating yourself. This is as much as I can tell you, im not a nutritionist or a dietitian but if you plan to ensure that healthy eating becomes your lifestyle, educating yourself is essential!!

EXERCISING.

Once again, I'm only going to go surface level with this because it is only based on my personal experience + Consult with your doctor before doing anything extreme.

Start aiming for 5k+ steps. I see a lot of people advertise 10k+ steps as the standard, or what's active, but it's not sustainable If you're a busy person with a sedentary life or a beginner at exercise it is gonna be hard to sustain that. But walking is so good for you and simple too.

Join your local sports! Such a fun way to socialise while still exerting energy.

If you can't do that for whatever reason, there are many ways to exercise at home. Research and pick a workout that you like and is sustainable. E.g. jump rope, pilates, home exercises, weightlifting, biking

Start standing more, it exerts energy. While very little, it still is very good.

That's it, but remember to always start small with exercising, and RESEARCH!

BETTER SLEEP

To me, it doesn’t matter how much sleep a person is getting, but much more rather the quality of said sleep. So, here are some tricks and tips to get better at sleeping!!

Investing in a good quality pillow is so good for your sleep, the more comfortable you are, the better + it reduces the chances of poor posture or hump necks

Research about different sleeping positions, as some positions at night promote back pain, difficulty breathing or poor posture.

Start sleeping in complete darkness. Remove all sources of light or invest in good light-blocking curtains OR binders. Though, binders seem to be much more effective but are more pricey. If you cannot do either of that, buy a good sleeping mask.

Sleep in the cold. Your body easily falls asleep if your environment is cold, and you’re less likely to wake up in the middle of the night.

It is ideal for you to stop using devices an hour or two before bed, but if it is not sustainable for you, wear red blue-light-blocking glasses instead of clear ones. Red ones are more effective.

Avoid large physical or mental tasks before bed, use that time to unwind and tell your body it's time to go to sleep.

Avoid napping for longer than 30 minutes, or it can disrupt the sleep you have at night.

Go to sleep at similar times every day. If you go to sleep earlier or later than this, you will ruin your sleep schedule and feel groggy.

I expand more here.

ORAL HEALTH

This is a step many people will neglect, but the most important in my opinion. Your teeth are the only body part that fails to regenerate after a certain age. Here's how I take care of mine!

Brush your teeth for longer. Brushing your teeth should not be a sped-up process, put actual thought into it.

Start flossing. Floss removes plaque, and reduces the chances of your teeth yellowing! Do this ideally after each meal.

Brush your teeth before you eat. Brushing my teeth is the first thing I do when I wake up because brushing your teeth is supposed to protect your teeth from the food, not wash away your food.

If you have the means, buy an electric toothbrush, as this gets in the little nooks and crannies that a regular one cannot.

Use a tongue scraper or your toothbrush to get rid of any bacteria on your tongue.

Use straws to drink coffee or any heavily coloured drinks. This avoids the premature yellowing of teeth. Make sure you put the straw on the side of your mouth to avoid your teeth.

Use good mouthwash. A total game-changer, makes your breath fresher and your gums healthier.

If need be, definitely use a purple teeth serum as a whitening treatment.

GRADE 2: STYLE

I do not mean literal clothes and style, that's in grade 3. This is all about basic grooming and such. This is 2nd most important, especially if you're somebody who’s never been invested in beauty.

SKINCARE

Get a basic skincare routine, cleanser and moisturiser.

If you have other skincare concerns e.g. dry skin, hyperpigmentation, acne, or blemishes, invest in a serum.

Avoid touching your face frequently.

Wash makeup brushes & pillowcases often.

Dermaplaning to help skincare absorb better.

Use sunscreen!

HAIRCARE

Invest in a good shampoo and conditioner for your hair type.

Use a good hair oil, it doesn’t have to be for growth, but just for nourishing your scalp

Sleep with a good quality bonnet on.

Find which type of hairbrush works the best on you!

Use warm water to remove product build up and dirt, but use cool water to rinse.

Buy spray suncsreen to put on your scalp during hot weather.

Once again, research. Hair is just too much of a broad topic for me to thoroughly talk about.

EYEBROW & LASHES

Trim your eyebrows regularly to avoid too many stray hairs

Tint your eyebrows and lashes. If you already have dark eyelashes and brows, try a lighter look. I seem to prefer a dark brown look to a black

Invest in a good lash & brow serum or use any oil

Don't use Vaseline on your eyelashes.

Limit how much you wear mascara.

I talk more about this here.

BODY & HANDS

Have a daily shower routine which consists of washing, exfoliating and moisturising your skin.

Using scented products is such a game changer, smelling good is like being a magnet

Doing manicures, my routine is a cuticle scrub, file, buff, polish, paint then cuticle oil.

Shave on the areas you want to. Having smooth skin is nice, but to ensure your shave lasts longer, watch a video.

I post about creating a good shower routine here.

LIPS

Invest in a good, portable lip balm. I prefer the ones that burn your lips to give it a more fuller effect

Make your lip scrub. Sugar, honey and turmeric are my go-to. Helps remove dead skin.

If you have hyperpigmentation around the lips, use glycolic acid, only a little.

GRADE 3 – FASHION

My favourite grade, because it is so fun and focuses more on the aesthetic side of things. However, they're not essential, which makes it all the more fun!

CLOTHES

I have a post about wardrobe essentials here.

Find out about what season colours you are. This helps with using colours in fashion to enhance. ( if you don't like your colours it is okay, it doesn’t change much if you do not wear them)

Figuring out your undertone colours for jewellery.

Figure out what works for your figure. Experiment with necklines, bottom length etc.

Find out your general style too, what you feel confident in and more assured.

MAKEUP

Research and only watch tutorials of women who look like you (trust me).

Dear Peachie has a bunch of videos of how makeup works, for beginners to more advanced artists!

Then make your signature look for every using your knowledge.

FRAGRANCE

Invest in a good eau de parfum and eau de toilette. Cheap fragrances suck.

Invest in a good-scented lotion. My favourite brand is Vaseline.

Using a good nice fabric softener for laundry makes you feel and smell fresh

Using an expensive scented body wash doesn’t matter, invest in a good body lotion.

HAIR STYLING

Hairstyles that enhance your face shape, not shield it.

Having a simple signature look for everyday

Experimenting with your hair is ideal, but if you can't for whatever reason once again research.

GRADE 4 – PERSONALITY

The way you seem to others can make you so much prettier. Fake it till you make it as always~

POSTURE

Having good posture makes you stand out, makes you look prettier and is generally good for your health

Chin is parallel to the floor, shoulders are down and relaxed, rib cage is elevated, pelvis is tucked in, your knees straight and flexed, and the weight on your feet should be in the center.

You can stretch for good posture, there are many videos on this on YouTube.

Ensure your sleeping position is promoting good posture, not poor.

Buy a back brace to reinforce good posture.

BODY LANGUAGE

Learn how to move your body during conversations to seem more self-respected and confident.

Train your facial expressions for different situations, but especially for taking photos.

There are tons of books and videos on this, won’t expand because this is all about how you want others to perceive you.

ELOQUENCE

Improve the way you communicate with others. Be fluent and clear to understand

Expand your vocabulary, know how to substitute words on the spot and make sentences.

Knowing what to say in like any and every conversation makes people like you more, and the best way to be more eloquent is just practice.

There are so many good books about this.. read.

GRADE 5 – MIND

Personally, having a good mindset does boost your self-perception of your prettiness + being happier in general makes you more inclined to take care of yourself = being more pretty!!!

MENTAL HEALTH

Start journaling as a way to organise your thoughts and to truly analyse your emotions. There are a lot of journaling prompts on Pinterest and such!

Meditation as a way to clear the mind when needed is so good. There are a bunch more meditations for other purposes though like body image, productivity, focus or just general relaxation.

Go to therapy, or just have at least one person you can talk to when life becomes tough.

Cut back on social media. There's misinformation, trolls and a lot of content that isn't nourishing your mind.

Get some sun! Simple and doable, but has a huge effect on the body. It can improve the current mood. Wear sunscreen.

Start learning how to process situations, instead of bypassing the emotions that come with them.

Start surrounding yourself with like-minded people. Seriously, being around people who are just too different is draining.

MINDSET

Embrace growth and reject all forms of comfort. Being uncomfortable with something is growth.

Don’t do things because you ‘have’ to do this, do them because they benefit you and see it in that way. E.g ‘I’m going to clean my room because I deserve a clean place to rest and work’ instead of ‘I have to clean my room’

Become detached. Stop letting everything that happens in your life affect you, start observing instead of consuming.

Self validates yourself. Tam Kaur did a wonderful video on this that I think everyone should watch.

Stop believing that everything and everyone is out to get you. Your subconscious mind believes this, do not feed it, starve it.

There's a lot to say about mindset, but I recommend watching some mindset YouTubers who explain everything in depth.

and now,,,, here's a ANOTHER gift from lanny because u read her post. And liked it. And reblogged it. And followed her.. pleaseee

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ms-demeanor · 6 months

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I went diabetic earlier this year, since then I've had far more serious health concerns to really focus on it. I've listened to my primary care and reduced my average a1c from 13 to 7. I've recently been looking into diets and what not that are the best. Currently, I'm trying to cut out all carbs, on my doctor's orders. What I'm seeing though is that a plant based diet is best. It looks like a ketogenic diet is what my doctor wants me to follow? I've watched videos on both diets and I don't know, I agree with you that keto is evil. What are your thoughts about this?

I am not a medical professional so i can't give you medical advice, but I'd say that you should ask your doctor for a referral to a dietician (an RD or an RDN, NOT a "nutritionist" - RD/RDN are protected terms that mean they have completed specific training and have specific board certification) and ask the dietician for advice on your specific dietary needs for your specific medical conditions.

What I can say is that trying to cut all carbs is pretty dangerous - not only is it a macronutrient that our body uses as the most available fuel for your body processes (we *can* get fuel from protein and fat, and ketones can *theoretically* replace sugars for energy but nobody is actually sure how long our bodies can do that and we know it's a LOT less efficient, it's supposed to be less efficient, and what that means is it makes a lot of people feel exhausted when they try it because they literally have less available energy) but also there are certain nutrients that are fortified in the US that are going to be hard to get if you're cutting carbs completely. The example that I always use is folate, because when I had to cut wheat out of my diet (i have grain allergies and celiac disease) I didn't know to supplement it and ended up with a form of anemia and stuff like "fainting" and "dizziness" and "low oxygen saturation."

Which is part of why massive diet changes should be undertaken with the assistance of a dietician! That's why I started studying nutrition! Because nobody supervised my medically necessary diet changes and it went very poorly!

Your GP very likely doesn't have a ton of training on nutrition, and is even less likely to have training on nutrition specific to your condition. If your GP is telling you to cut all carbs, they are telling you to do something dangerous and not nutritionally sound (even really restrictive keto diets call for 20g of carbs a day). Ask either them or your endocrinologist for a referral to a dietician (again, you are looking for a Registered Dietician or a Registered Dietician Nutritionist, RD or RDN, NOT just 'nutritionist') who is familiar with helping diabetics manage their nutrition.

Now, all of that said, in the choice between two fairly restrictive diets I will always say to try the one that requires less effort. It is much easier to eat a plant-based diet long term than a keto diet, and it is vanishingly unlikely that you are going to end up protein deficient (the primary concern for most people who are starting plant based diets, and it's just not all that likely - we need a lot less protein than a lot of people seem to think; though if you're going completely vegan you do need to be careful to supplement your B vitamins and to ensure that you're getting plenty of omega fats)

Because the thing is, for a diet to "work" you have to be on that diet forever. If you stop being on that diet, and stop adhering to its restrictions, whatever benefits exist for that diet go away. So the best diet for *anybody* is one that will provide them with the nutrients they need in a way that they can access regularly and affordably, that they enjoy eating and can comfortably maintain for long periods of time, and that includes a variety of fruits and vegetables because the only diet advice that is nearly universally applicable is that people should be eating more fruits and vegetables and they should be eating a wider variety of them.

I am not a fan of "diets" as a concept and I think that people should think of nutrition in terms of "my diet" not "the diet that is meant to be one-size-fits-all for millions of people that I am attempting." Your diet is what you eat and drink, and that is what you should be looking at adjusting. If you want to reduce carbs in your diet it's better to tweak your consumption than it is totally replace your diet with a one size fits all keto diet. If you want to increase fat in your diet it is better to tweak your consumption than it is to replace your diet with a one size fits all atkins diet. If you want to go plant based I think it is better to start by adjusting your diet to include more plants and to slowly replace animal based products than by trying a one size fits all vegan diet right out of the gate. You can always (and should!) make adjustments to what you eat as circumstances change and you may end up at a vegan diet or a low carb high fat diet and find that that works for you, but part of the reason that I think nutrition studies on diets are so screwy and hard to pin down is because your body is going to *flip the fuck out* when you change from, say, an average american diet to a study-provided Mediterranean diet for a 12 week experiment. If you drastically change your diet all at once and get good results immediately it's very hard to say if those results will be lasting because your body may just adjust to the "new normal" of your diet six months down the line.

But like seriously if your GP is telling you to cut all carbs you need to see a person who specializes in nutrition, and to prepare for your appointment with that person you should make a list of your goals (for you it sounds like you want to manage your blood sugar levels, reduce a1c, and *ask about* low carbs if that is something that interests you), a list of things you think that you'll have trouble with or that you want to include in your diet because they're important to you (if you really like nuts but have to be on a low fat diet, ask if there's a way to work around that with your needs, for example; if there is a cultural staple that you will find difficult to cut from family meals, TELL THEM THAT), a list of questions that you have about different types of diets, and *VERY IMPORTANTLY* information about your food budget and cooking skills. Be clear about it if you can't cook. Be clear about it if you can't afford certain ingredients.

Anyway. Once again, not medical advice, please speak to a medical professional, good luck.

#tw diet talk #food tw

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em-dash-press · 2 years

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Tons of Reasons Why Writer's Block Happens

Lately I've seen a few posts on social media platforms being shared that are (supposedly) quotes from well-known authors. The quotes generally stick to the theme of: writer's block isn't real! No worries! It's just in your head!

Like...

That is so unhelpful for me and if I had seen those people (again, supposedly) saying that when I was much younger and newer to writing, I would have thought something was wrong with me.

So here are a few reasons why writer's block IS real for many people and what you can do about it. (Warning—this is a long text post but I tried putting all suggested solutions in bullet points and have lots of resource hyperlinks!)

You Can’t Write Because: You’re Tired

Sleep affects the entire body. There’s no question that when I don’t get enough of it, my brain isn’t working as well as it normally does.

Let’s start this section with what everyone should acknowledge—mental health conditions absolutely prevent people from being able to use tips like Just turn the lights off earlier! or Think calming thoughts while taking deep breaths!

If those work for you, great. Fantastic! But if they don’t, your doctor is the best person to get advice from. They can work through symptoms with you to rule out conditions like depression and insomnia so you get the best help possible.

Besides your mental health, there are a few other ways you might not be able to fall asleep or stay asleep:

You enjoy drinking afternoon coffee (most have a half life of 3-5 hours, so the caffeine doesn’t actually leave your system for a long time!)

You have a diet soda with your lunch or dinner (most diet sodas have the same amount of caffeine as a half cup to a whole cup of coffee)

You eat a midnight snack or a dessert after dinner (the extra digestion works against your body’s circadian rhythm and prevents a normal sleep cycle)

Potential Solutions

Swap your afternoon coffee/sodas for caffeine free sodas instead

Eat high-protein snacks shortly after or during dinner (protein keeps you full longer so you can eat them earlier in the evening)

Follow some tips from sleep experts with the Sleep Foundation

You Can’t Write Because: Your Routine Is Changing/Has Changed

When my life has gone through routine changes, my creativity has always slowed (if not stopped altogether). Switching from high school to college, from college to graduate life, and even from apartment to apartment is a big deal. My writing slows when I change jobs, see my friends less/more often, and even when the holidays come and go.

If you think this might be a repeat experience in your life, my best advice is to give yourself grace. Your brain is only trying to conserve energy and process everything that’s going on.

Potential Solutions

Resting and gently reattempting to write without expectations of what will come out of that writing session is sometimes the best thing to do until life settles back down.

If you can’t come to peace with changes, I’d suggest talking with someone. You can access help for free at:

7 Cups of Tea (chat with volunteer listeners and professional counselors)

Get in-person or virtual therapy through Open Path ($30-60/session with a one-time membership fee; aims to close the financial gap that keeps people from accessing mental health professionals).

Check out other budget-friendly therapy options recommended by the medical community.

You Can’t Write Because: You’re Grappling With Indecisions

Indecision is a creativity killer for sure. I’ll address a few ways I’ve experienced it and how I know my friends have struggled with it:

You only have a few story ideas and don’t want to commit to any of them in case some idea comes along that’s more interesting (I hate leaving unfinished drafts too!)

You wonder how you should format your story and never start because you can’t decide (it might be the point of view, past/present tense, etc.)

You can’t nail down how a character looks, what sets them apart, what drives them.

You can’t decide on a theme because there’s so much you want to write about.

You don’t know how long the story should be, so it never starts.

Potential Solutions

Try new things to come to peace with unfinished drafts (I have a folder on my computer specifically labeled “Unfinished Stories” because I’m more comfortable when they have a home).

Practice writing one page within your story’s world from a different point of view or tense. See what feels most natural or authentic to you.

Do character research by looking at pictures of people on stock photo websites or Pinterest.

Story length is often found after someone just starts writing. You’ll naturally find a rhythm and come to a conclusion at the right length for your first draft. Revise/add if needed!

My most important tip might be—

Give your gut 24 hours (go with your gut on whatever you’re trying to decide, then set your work down. Come back in 24 hours to see if you feel as strongly about your creative decision).

You Can’t Write Because: You’ve Got Too Many Ideas

When there are too many creative ideas in your brain, it leads to anxiety and potential writer’s block. I know I’ve had the fear that I’ll commit to the “wrong” story and another one will come to life in my mind, but then be gone by the time I’m ready to write it.

Potential Solutions

Write all of your ideas down in a list (bold, highlight, or star whichever ones seem super promising at the time so they stand out when you’re ready for a new project)

Try stream of consciousness journaling for 30 seconds (set a timer! Whatever you write will reveal with emotions/thoughts/issues are on your mind and may create stronger stories with similar themes)

Write 500 words of a story idea (or another number you’re comfortable with; if you don’t like what you write, you know you can move onto the next idea).

Flip a coin (assign one idea heads and the other tails—then flip a coin or use a coin flip generator).

Number your ideas and use a random number generator to pick one for you.

You Can’t Write Because: You’re Not Eating a Brain-Supporting Diet

I’m not here to tell anyone how to structure their diet. Everyone’s body is different and what you eat will change throughout your life. Your doctor and/or a licensed nutritionist are the best people for that job.

However, I can give you a few pointers that I definitely didn’t learn until way later than I would have liked:

Iron: if you don’t eat enough iron, you can feel super sleepy or stuck in brain fog. Iron comes from meat, but it also comes from these foods like spinach, watermelon, beans, whole wheat bread, and many more!

Vitamin D: vitamin D enhances brain function, especially for people with major depressive disorder. Drink that delicious Sunny D juice from your childhood or get it from foods like salmon, tuna fish, dairy fortified with vitamin D, and egg yolks.

Omega-3s: omega-3s are also known as fatty acids, which improve communication between brain cells by fortifying their membrane health. Fish is an excellent source of fatty acids, but you can also enjoy more omega-3s from foods like chia seeds, kidney beans, walnuts, and fortified foods.

You Can’t Write Because: Your Responsibilities Are Too Important Right Now

As you get older, you’ll have varying responsibilities that sometimes you have to take care of on your own. Maybe you’re taking on new roles at your job or you’ve just become a parent. You might move into a new home and have a long list of projects to finish before you settle in.

Sometimes responsibilities are acts of self-care during challenging times. Those are all valid. It’s okay to step back and take a break if your situation is going to drain your energy until your routine becomes normal or you get used to the responsibilities. You’re a writer even when you’re not actively writing. Nothing can take that skill and passion away from you!

You Can’t Write Because: You’re Uninterested In Writing

It’s totally normal to sometimes feel like you’re completely uninterested in writing. That feeling might last for months or even years. I went through a good 5-6 year period where I didn’t think I’d ever write again just because I didn’t care to.

That may indicate that you’re in a period of self-growth. You might be discovering new parts of yourself that result in new hobbies you’d rather spend your time doing. That’s okay too!

Possible Solutions

If that’s not the case for you, ask yourself—are you still reading? My writing always grinds to a halt when I’m not reading a good book. Ask a friend what was the last book they couldn’t put down. Find out which books are currently taking the internet by storm and find them at your local library.

You can even research “Books like ___” and insert the title of a book that’s incredibly special to you. I promise there are going to be articles looping it in with other titles that you might enjoy more than branching out into a totally new genre.

You Can’t Write Because: You’re Bored of Your Story

Life can get boring. People are sometimes boring. Stories get boring too.

It’s okay to step back from an idea if you groan at the thought of spending time in that world or with that character. You can always come back to see if the feeling has passed.

Possible Solutions

If your story is still dull when you come back to it, what can you add or change about it? You might need a plot twist to get things going in a new direction or another character to shake up existing character dynamics.

When all else fails and you still don’t care to continue writing what you’ve got, go ahead and scrap it. Consider what you’ve learned from the experience and move onto your next creative adventure.

You Can’t Write Because: Your Story Is Stuck

Maybe you’re writing a story and it reaches a point in the plot where you don’t know how to move your characters forward. They may have gotten themselves into a sticky situation you can’t think a way out of or the plot device that was working isn’t relevant anymore. Getting stuck is a form of writer’s block, but it’s not permanent.

Potential Solutions

Give your protagonist a different goal at the start of the story or a new goal after accomplishing their last one.

Add a new character (they’ll naturally make different choices than your protagonist and challenge them in various ways that are relevant to your themes).

Pull the rug out from under your protagonist (maybe they think they’re an incredible parent, but overhear their child complaining about them to a friend during a sleepover while walking past the living room).

Other Resources

12 Techniques for Getting Un-Stuck

17 Ideas to Continue Writing Your Novel When You Get Stuck

6 Methods to Unstick Your Story

You Can’t Write Because: Your Characters Aren’t Real Enough to You

Sometimes characters don’t feel real enough and it makes writing about them boring. Everyone encounters this eventually! Think about if your writer’s block is happening because you don’t enjoy spending time with your characters.

If that’s the problem, it’s time to make them more real. There are a few ways to do that! (If you try these solutions or others like them and your characters are still uninspiring, it might be time to walk away for a while/permanently.)

Potential Solutions

Give them something inspired by a real life person (add a personality trait that you love about your best friend, hate about a public figure, want in yourself, etc.).

Add a few flaws (perfect characters don’t feel real because no one is perfect)

Give them a face (this goes back to character research—save a stock photo that looks like your character or draw them. Post the picture on your wall where you write or in your phone for continual inspiration.)

Rework your plot (maybe you’re not starting them at the best possible point in their journey—start with an action scene, shift events around, or add a new twist that challenges their growth in some way.)

Complicate their relationships (maybe they have a fight with their best friend, clash with their teacher, form different opinions than someone they admire and learn from that experience, etc.)

Other Resources

9 Signs Your Main Character is Boring

5 Ways to Make Your Characters More Realistic

4 Bland Character Problems and How to Fix Them

Easy And Effective Ways To Make Your Characters More Memorable

You Can’t Write Because: You’ve Set High Expectations for Yourself

Your creativity will stop feeling as natural if your expectations of yourself or your writing are too high.

When it’s time to write, where do your thoughts go? You may need healthier expectations if your thoughts center around:

Getting every word or scene perfect

Knowing exactly where the plot goes in every chapter

Worrying that your story won’t be receptive to future readers

Wondering if you’re the right person to talk about a certain theme

Making your characters or story the first of its kind

It’s good to challenge yourself, but not with unreachable expectations. Give yourself room to try things, to possibly fail, to learn from your mistakes.

Every chance you have to write is another opportunity to hone your skills by learning from the experience.

You Can’t Write Because: You’re Burnt Out

Burnout happens all the time, creatively or otherwise. Creative minds can push themselves too hard, just like you can throw too much of your energy into work or school.

See if you’re experiencing any of these common symptoms of burnout:

Constant exhaustion, even after a “good” night’s rest

Headaches

Changes in appetite

Frequent illnesses

No motivation

A general negative outlook on life

Feeling trapped

Loud thoughts of self-doubt or failure

Not feeling satisfied with things that used to bring you joy

Feeling alone

Starting unhealthy coping mechanisms

Isolating yourself from people, even your loved ones

Potential Solutions

Talking with a therapist is a great way to handle burnout. Here are the resources for budget-friendly therapy again:

7 Cups of Tea (chat with volunteer listeners and professional counselors)

Get in-person or virtual therapy through Open Path ($30-60/session with a one-time membership fee; aims to close the financial gap that keeps people from accessing mental health professionals).

Check out other budget-friendly therapy options recommended by the medical community.

I have absolutely been the person who can’t afford therapy. I get it. You can also get some mental health help with these resources:

Self care apps—I use the (free) Finch app every day to redirect negative thought patterns!

Burnout recovery strategies recommended by health care professionals

Burnout resources recommended by the American Psychiatric Association (APA)

You Can’t Write Because: Your Writing Routine Isn’t Working Anymore

I used to write short stories literally every day while I was in grade school. Being stuck in classes for 8 hours a day was great for my creative writing because the sounds of the teacher talking, whiteboard markers writing, and students asking questions became background noise that tuned me into my stories. (I highly recommend paying attention to harder classes though 😂)

When I had fewer daily classes in college, my writing basically stopped. After I graduated, the environment that helped me write most easily completely disappeared.

It took a long time for me to learn why I had writer’s block—I wasn’t experimenting with my writing environment.

Potential Solutions

Try changing when you write to see if it’s a time issue. Get up earlier in the morning, write after eating lunch, or sit down after you’ve completed your responsibilities for the day.

Switch your scenery. You might write better at a coffee shop, the library, a park bench, your living room, your bed, or even your bathtub.

Change what you’re hearing. Try writing in complete silence. Use noise-blocking or canceling headphones and listen to lyricless music. You can also try background noises that often help people focus, like:

Background Noise—Coffee Shop

Background Noise—Tavern Fireplace

Background Noise—Rain Shower

Background Noise—Cozy Fireplace and Rain Shower

Background Noise—Forest Sounds

Background Noise—Blizzard Sounds

Background Noise—Interior Plane Cabin White Noise (The pleasant hum of a plane cabin is what I often write to—weird as it admittedly is!)

Background Noise—Christmas Music From Another Room

Background Noise—Lo-Fi

Ambient noise apps

Background noise apps

You Can’t Write Because: You Don’t Feel Motivated

Your story may not feel as captivating as you thought because you’re not as motivated with this one. Does it have a centralized theme? You can always search for your theme or pick one while figuring out what your story is supposed to convey to readers.

Some popular themes are:

Coming of age (discovering something about yourself/the world/both)

Survival

Corruption

Power

Courage

Love

Heroism

Death

Prejudice

You may find your motivation by writing about something very personal to you or something you want to tell other people. Write to the person in your life who needs to see something from your perspective or needs to learn from another person’s perspective.

Write about the thing you can’t stop talking about. Write about what you’re going through or want to figure out. Even if your story goes from a novel to a short story to flash fiction (anywhere from 4 words to 1,000 words), you’ll likely find it easier to write.

Other Resources

10 Most Popular Literary Theme Examples

Story Themes List: 100+ Ideas to Explore in Your Novel

100 Story Ideas Categorized by Theme

You Can’t Write Because: You’re Doubting Yourself

Self-doubt can pull the emergency brake on your brain. You may not think you’re good enough to write a story the moment you think of it. Self-doubt can come into play after you start writing or just before you finish a manuscript.

No matter when it hits you, it can cause another form of writer’s block. You’re the only person who can figure out where that doubt stems from and address the root of the problem, but everyone can practice daily positive affirmations to encourage themselves. With daily practice, you’ll chip away at your writer’s block.

While talking to a mirror or writing in a journal, tell yourself things like:

Writing is my hobby because it’s part of me.

I’m always a writer, no matter how often I actually write.

My voice and ideas deserve to exist.

Every word I write makes me better at writing.

No matter what comes out of my brain, stories are always my artwork.

Other Resources

Positive Affirmations for Writers

60 Affirmations for Writers, Authors, and Creatives

77 Positive Affirmations for Discouraged Writers

336 Affirmations For Writers Who Needs Support

60 Affirmations for Authors, Writers, and Poets

You Can’t Write Because: You’re Literally Out of Ideas

Ideas come and go. Sometimes your brain just can’t think of anything. There’s nothing wrong with your creative spirit—you may just have other things going on (like one or more of the above challenges).

When you really want to write something but can’t come up with anything off the top of your head, use a few generators to get things started.

Potential Solutions

Prompt Generators

Writing Prompt Generator by Genre

Prompt Generator

Random Prompt Generator

Story Generators

Plot Generator (Twists, First Lines, and More)

1 Million Plot Combinations

1000s of Plot Ideas Generator

Character Generators

Character Generator

List of Character Generators (Zombies, Fairies, Ghosts, Murder Mystery Victims, etc.)

Character Profile Generator

Plot Twist Generators

Plot Twist Idea Generator

Randomized Plot Twist Generator

Either/Or Plot Twist Generator

—

I hope this helps someone feel more at peace with their writer’s block, even if you can’t think your way through it yet. Sit with the uncomfortable feeling and it will gradually lose its power over your creativity.

You’ll start writing again sooner than you think. 💛

#writers block #writing resources #writeblr #writing tips #writing community #writers of tumblr #writing advice #writing help #plot creation #character creation #writing prompts #writing generators

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librarycards · 4 months

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Do you know how stop obsessing over calories (look at pictures of food and watch videos of people in hospital) easier than "Just Start Eating More"? Every person says "Well, eat more and you will not think of it so much". I am not from U.S and harm reduction is not even in my language. Doctors here do not know this concept and it is thought "You do not eat so now you are sick. Go to the hospital or eat with parents". I learn about harm reduction on Tumblr and forums but I do not find an answer to make it easier. Maybe it does not be easier. If this is so, I understand, but I think of it often.

Oy. If I had a fix for calories, you can bet i'd be screaming it from the rooftops. that said, I have gotten to a place where I can look at food a Normal Amount and not watch those awful before & afters and the like, so i'm including below a few recs that don't involve (for example) eating more, decreasing activity, and other traditional 'recovery' methods.

find a new, niche/weird thing to watch videos about. seriously. get obsessed with some hobby or subculture and fill your ig, etc. feed with those! i went through a phase where i'd just watch flight attendant vlogs. i also love "draw/paint/package things with me" videos. Ideally, these would be videos where the person's body wasn't constantly centered.

relatedly - when i was really fixated on peoples' hospital stays and bodies and tubes and stuff, it was because i was lonely. i was desperate for someone who actually shared this experience with me, because i hadn't processed it yet. the best way to address this takes time, but is very worth it: make friends. irl and online. make friends with people who have shared experiences and are good listeners, but are also fun to talk to about other things.

if you do want to keep watching videos about food, you can reduce harm by watching people who promote positive and curious relationships with food! emmymadeinjapan on youtube is one example of this. the baker Erin McDowell is another.

forgive yourself, and make space for doing things partway + in grey areas. this was. like. the hardest thing for me: i spent so much time early on either eating everything on my plate or, if one element was too scary, eating none of it. this isn't a realistic way to approach anything in life! i don't know how old you are or how much of your diet you currently control, but if you are able to decide what's on your plate, make it a mix of things you know you can eat and things you're not sure about.

or, build in a time of day where you try a new snack, even if you aren't able to do it every time. the point is creating new habits -- habits in which you give yourself permission to eat. not because you are required to, but because you have important and meaningful things to do with your life + you need to eat in order to be alive for them!

honestly, there's only so much advice I can give beyond simply gritting your teeth and Doing the Thing. it fucking sucks, and it hurts, but it's much easier when you have warm people in your life who understand, and ways of entertaining yourself that are attendant to your experience but not completely mired in it. this is an important reminder that you're a regular person who can have a variety of regular interests! this is a part of you, but it does not wholly define you, and you have a whole life to live and relationships + hobbies to explore beyond this focus on calories + institutions.

#don't underestimate the power of Finding Stuff to Do and People To See!#ask #anonymous #disorderly eating #ed m #calories m #institutionalization #ask 2 tag

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red-umbrella-811 · 2 months

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Okay, so I wrote this on reddit to a depression doomer, but I want someone who might have an iota of openness to considering it to read it, so I'm posting it here. I assume there will be doomers here too, because depression is depressing. All of these things are things that I've tried, and all of them are things that have made my life better than it was before. All of them I have started in an incredibly janky way and they've still helped. If anyone is interested (or I receive the same combination of depression-based hostility and intense focus), I'll make separate posts on how to actually do the thing.

Things that might make a person's depression improve that don't involved going to a therapist:

Aerobic exercise 4x/week

Membership in a community/close relationships/human touch/human interaction. I'm bundling these together, because in a practical sense, you're making about the same decisions yourself, and the interactions with other people will follow. I recommend finding a "Third Place," such as a sports league or dance community (see exercise), game/knitting/metaphysical store, bar, cafe, meetup group, adult learning class, regular volunteering gig, music venue, RPG group, book club, brunch group...you get the idea. The best ones are open to the public if you're socially isolated or looking to date, because you'll meet a greater variety of people, but anywhere where the same amorphous or literal group of people shows up at a place and time will help you build relationships.

Omega 3 Fatty acids, Vitamin D, Vitamin B-complex, Magnesium: I'm not a doctor and this is not medical advice. They might give you energy and run your body more smoothly.

St. John's Wort: I'm giving this its own thing because the above are supplements that the body gets in its diet, this is a drug™, but you can purchase it over the counter. It inhibits the reuptake of serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine, for which there is some evidence that it helps depression on a chemical level. It has mad drug interactions and PLEASE do your research before taking it.

A lot of things in the cognitive behavioral therapy realm. Gratitude practices, affirmations, I'm sure there are CBT workbooks for depression that one could find. The idea is to reframe your thoughts to make sure they are a) true and b) priming you to feel emotions and take actions that will make your life suck less.

Going outside. Living in a suboptimal space is depressing, and so many of us do it. We do better when we see and hear trees. We do better when we see and feel the sun. We process things when our brains run electricity back and forth between the two sides, as happens when walking (drumming is also good for this, or bilateral stimulation from something else).

Accomplish things. I know. This, even more than the many difficult things I've listed, probably feels impossible, but I'm writing it anyway, because it really does help. If you have small tasks you've been putting off, try and get one done. Break up big tasks into accomplishable steps. Not like "Clean the house" to "Clean the bathroom," like "Clean the house" to "throw all the trash on the couch in the trash can" or "get out all the products to clean the bathroom" (the second kind doesn't vibe with me but some people like it)

You'll notice none of this is going to fix the world, except for the shitty little corner the person doing it is sitting in. That's the point. There is so much wrong with the world, and it asks a lot of us to fix it: our labor, yes, and also our joy. And also, our ability to get out of bed in the morning, our ability to send emails, our ability to check in on each other, our ability to keep ourselves out of entanglements with the state and other institutions. I'm not saying this because it's fair, I'm saying it because it's the way out I see in front of us.

#mental health #surviving capitalism #self care #exercise #(that's for a trigger tag)#herbal medicine #hope #hopepunk

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2willowlane · 5 months

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i'm genuinely very neurodivergent over harvey, and i'm very new to stardew. i just want to share my rants/rambles about harv here, just because i adore him. <3

at first, i actually didn't recognize him as a bachelor, even? i thought he was just like, purely an npc like pierre or whatever. i remember being on call with a friend of mine, and i asked who was the easiest character to romance—and my friend mentioned that harvey loved coffee. and... yeah, that's where it all started.

i love him, genuinely, and even though i may joke around with how goofy he can be at times, there's multiple things that make me grab onto him and want to just appreciate. in general, i love stardew's character diversity! harvey isn't the only one that's a victim to my affection (mainly emily, but i LOVE elliott too).

i think it's mainly how he reminds me way too much of myself. how he speaks matter-of-factly often, and with a bit of a mellow hint to it due to his age and occupation; i can relate to that. him being a doctor also reminds me of my more empathetic nature, and how i want to take care of others, and i've seen and been through various different experiences throughout my life due to that endeavor. him dreaming to be a pilot reminds me of how i want to indulge in other interests, but i have set limitations.

i don't romanticise him being a doctor; it's a genuine hard profession, and even if i do nor have any professional education on it, i do like his attitude on it. iirc, in one of his dialogues, he talks about how it makes such a difference in someone's day by just talking to them. i do wonder what a younger harvey would be like; considering with how he talks, it's obvious that he's been through different situations that have then built onto his maturity.

him being busy and all, i feel like harvey does love his work, and i also like (actually, i don't. he should take care of himself, but y'know what i mean) how he is TERRIBLE at following his own advice. harvey talks about using vegetables in a healthy diet, but he often eats microwave meals/convenience food. i LOVE how he finds life on the farm whenever he moves in with the player to be much more rewarding, considering he's able to actually use fresh produce (well, there's pierre's), have the time to do it all, and have someone to cook for.

i do like to believe that living up in the lil apartment in his clinic does get to him from time to time. i like how he doesn't talk about his loneliness a lot, and he opens up more about his vulnerable side on that whenever you do get closer/begin to date him. i think, to some people, it makes him sounds a bit needy—but i like to imagine it as if he has a relationship with everyone in the town, sure, but never got to the point of having a close friend. either it's just due to his more anxious nature, schedule, interests, etc.—he is simply the pelican town doctor, after all. i think he'd appreciate a little small talk now and then.

i do beleive he is anxious, but not outright shy or anything. i'm probably sure he was whenever he started out in his career, but i think he enjoys pelican town, since he knows what to expect from the townsfolk. i think with that predictability, he does seek a bit of comfort in just due to him liking a solid schedule (hc, but feel free to put your own interpretation on it). i think he can get very caught off guard by things he doesn't expect, like how everyone does, but it takes him a moment to get on track again if he's distracted.

i love his interest in planes so much. one of my favourite lines of dialogue from harv over here has to be whenever you're married to him, he talks about he's had a good day so far—he fiddled with his radio, worked on his model plane... i've forgotten the exact words (he only talks to me about daydreaming about the circulatory system anymore, but it's okay), but i think it's just me projecting—but i like to believe he simply likes to show affection by chatting about his interests!

harvey's grown comfortable with you to talk about something rather niche, and it just shows he thinks your safe to talk about the small things that make him happy. especially with how he does talk about everything, and wants the player to look at some of his work on models and the such. i dunno. i just live for the fact he views a "good day" to be indulging in his interests. literally me.

i don't believe he outright HATES his job as a doctor, however. i think it does make him feel important that he's able to provide for the people that he's able to feel at home with here in the valley, but what i've said earlier, i think it just kinda eats at him with the whole clinic business. i think him going up to his apartment with no one to really talk to about his day; no one to look forward to seeing—it's just something that's been at the back of his mind. i feel like it'd break his heart if he's learnt that someone wouldn't want to ever bother him due to his work. he'd want someone to understand that due to him being a doctor, he does get stressed easy, but he'd always try to find some time in-between all of those appointments for a chat.

i'll talk more, but i'm tired, and i don't know about what to exactly go on about. anyways, live laugh love harv. please tell me if i'm just silly and feeding too much into my headcanons, and i'm actually deluding myself from canon harv.

#💙#stardew #stardew valley #stv #sdv #harvey sdv #sdv harvey #harvey stv #stv harvey #stardew valley harvey #harvey stardew valley

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missellaneousworks · 8 months

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Excerpt from "Sundae Jack" - Fluff n' Smut SDJ Fic

Something is Wrong With Sunny Day Jack is a +18 ONLY community. Therefore, the content of this fic is NOT APPROPRIATE for anyone under 18+ and should not be engaging with it.

Very self-indulgent Ella (OC) x Sunny Day Jack fic. The full version can be found on AO3 HERE.

Below is just a taste before things get spicy~

Something is Wrong With Sunny Day Jack is a +18 ONLY series. MINORS DNI.

Oh yeah. It had been that kind of a week for Ella.

The tub of ice cream landed on the counter with an unceremonious clunk, followed by the rest of the ice cream fixings. Strawberries, bananas, chocolate fudge syrup, and whipped cream. After a whole week of work, paying bills, having her hot water shut off for two days due to a water main breaking…. She needed to treat herself. So after a horrible week, Ella went to the store with a little extra cash she had left over and got herself the full sundae spread!

Jack’s head poked out of the bedroom as he was finishing up folding laundry. “Welcome back, Sunshine! Whatcha got there?”

“My salvation,” Ella remarked with satisfaction. “I decided to take some of your advice about treating myself after a rough week.”

In the not-too-far past, Ella would usually turn to a nice bottle of wine and a bubble bath to relax and unwind. But while walking down the frozen dessert section in the grocery store earlier, she found a brand of ice cream she hadn’t seen in years. Normally, she would sadly pass by before she could change her mind, but today of all days she figured why not? Besides, Jack would probably appreciate a little sweet treat, too!

“Anything I can do to help?” Jack’s ever-cheerful voice inquired helpfully.

“Actually, yeah! Can you slice up the strawberries and a banana?”

After retrieving the cutting board and knife, Jack began to cut the fruit into thin, even pieces, humming a melody that Ella didn’t quite recognize, but was sure she heard it before. “You know, most people get cherries with their sundaes. I like the fact that you bought strawberries, though!”

“Eh heh, yeah… cherries remind me too much like cough syrup. I know they’re already cherry flavored, but still… I like strawberries more.”

“Blueberries are also great!”

“No kidding, Mr. Blue-Haired-Clown-Sir.” Ella teased back.

“Pfft, okay, okay, that one was obvious.”

“A little,” Ella giggled. As she removed the ice cream tub’s lid and began to scoop the into the bowl. “You know, I’m also a fan of peaches and nectarines.”

“Those sound tasty! Maybe we can buy some next time. Can never have to much fruit for your diet.”

“Not unless they go bad because I don’t eat them in time.”

“That's what you have me, here for, Sunshine,” Jack said triumphantly as he finished cutting the fruit, quickly washing the knife and setting it into the sink drainer.

“…to eat the fruits I don’t like?” Ella innocently blinked up a Jack, leaning into his side slightly.

Jack chuckled and shook his head. “No, silly. To make sure you stay happy and healthy! So we can keep having ice cream dates together~”

“Hmmm! A fine point, Mr. Sunny Day.”

“You know what they say, an apple a day keeps the doctor away! So it’s important to keep you in pear-fect health!”

The silence was incredibly loud as Ella slowly, deliberately turned towards Jack. “…honey. May I remind I am armed? With an ice cream scooper?!”

Jack didn’t even attempt to hold back his laughter. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I can’t help it. I just think you’re one in a melon.”

“I know where you sleep.”

“I should hope so,” now the clown was turning the tables again on Ella, his voice lowering an octave as he came up behind Ella and wrapped his arms around her waist. “It’s right next to you, after all.”

A pleasurable shiver ran up Ella’s spine as she felt Jack’s breath across the back of her neck and shoulder. Subconsciously leaning back onto Jack’s body, Ella almost forgot about the ice cream sundae, at least until she accidently knocked over the open jar of chocolate syrup and got all over the counter.

“Ah, shit!”

“Whoops!” Jack blinked at the mess, a slightly disappointed grimace across his face. However, it didn’t stop him from getting a moist paper towel and dabbing the mess. “I got it, Sunshine, don’t worry!”

“Guess your flirt was too hot for this hot fudge to handle.”

That earned her another chuckle from her lover. “Want to cool down with this sundae?”

“I thought you’d never ask~”

Within moments, Ella and Jack were nestled on her couch with a blanket, and a sizable bowel of the sundae, with two spoons so they could share.

“Um, is this okay? That we’re eating out of the same bowl? I thought about getting one for each of us, but I kind of thought it would be cute to share…”

“I don’t mind, this is perfect, Ella.” Jack reassured with that ever-comforting smile of his.

“I thought it was pear-fect.”

“Ooooh! My own pun thrown back in my face.”

“You’re very handsome face,” Ella shimmied closer to Jack’s side and wasn’t blind to the slight blush on Jack’s face. It was nice to know even he could get bashful at times. Adorable. “Anyways, let’s dig in—”

The abrupt pause in his Sunshine’s delight caused Jack to raise his eyebrow in confusion. “What’s wrong?”

“…I feel like… we’re missing something.” Ella thoughtfully tapped the spoon against her lower lip before her head snapped up. “The whipped cream! Oh my god, hang on.”

Her sudden departure to retrieve the forgotten condiment was amusing to Jack. Ella’s strive to get something just right might have been considered a setback to others, but not Sunny Day Jack. He took a lot of time and dedication to improve Ella’s quality of life, and even more important, her happiness.

Which was one thing they had in common. His sunshine worked so hard to make people around her happy, it just showed how kind, creative, and amazing she truly was. Sadly, there were times when Ella overdid it—with the best of intentions, but it was a small secret Jack kept to himself; he felt that most other people didn’t deserve the time of day with Ella. She worked so hard at work, maintaining her home, and her writing, and finding new inspiration to keep her going. As the matter of fact was that Ella persisted despite all of the trouble and heartache she’d been through in the past. And that fact alone made her… special.

It felt good being in her light. Incredibly, warm, light, and loving light. It was only right that her attention shouldn’t be wasted on others who would otherwise dim that precious light.

He’d make sure it would stay that way. Forever, if he had to.

“Got it!” Ella triumphantly scampered back to the living room with the whipped cream. She plopped right next to Jack again, shaking the can before placing a sizable dollop on top of the sundae. “Now, it’s perfect!”

Jack couldn’t help the mischievous smile. “You mean pear—”

“Don’t,” Ella pointed the can directly at Jack’s face in an attempt to look intimidating. Though the scrunch of her noise proved to be cuter than anything. “I am armed and dangerous. Don’t you dare, Jack.”

Jack bit his lip in an attempt to stifle the chuckle building in his chest, but he couldn’t resist teasing her… just a little. He jokingly lifted both of his hands up in mock defeat. “Oh-ho! What do you intend to do now that I’m at your mercy, Sunshine?”

The glimmer in Ella’s eye was unmistakable. Her finger pressed on the tip of the can’s spout, intending to spray just a little on his nose, to make good on her threat, and to be a little coy.

However.

After a moment, nothing came out, and Ella added a little more pressure.

Jack stiffened as a flurry of whipped cream erupted all over his face, covering his left eye, cheek, part of his lip, but most of it did land on his red nose. Jack squeezed his eyes shut when he was met with a barrage of sweetness, not fully registering what exactly happened at first. After one mortifying moment, Jack’s right eye blinked open. Ella’s face blanched from utter embarrassment.

“Pffffft!” Jack’s shoulders began to shake. Then a giggle slipped, followed by a snort.

Ella could only blink back as the silliness of her nerves and the situation itself sunk in. Jack hunched over in an attempt to turn and hide his face, but Ella could clearly see his eyes squeezed shut, and the corners of his mouth failing to suppress a smile.

“Oh my God,” Ella released the beginning of her own breathless laugh before she finally quipped, “Sorry honey,” she genitively wiped the cream from his eye. “Guess I was the one who blew their load prematurely, huh?”

Jack guffawed and doubled over with a shocked laugh. “ELLA!”

It broke the damn that held back Ella’s jovial laughter as she hunched over while cupping Jack’s face. “Hey, first time for everything, am I right?”

“You’re t-too much for me, sunspot!” Jack managed to eke out through his laughter.

Ella giggled back, “Too bad! You’re stuck with me, innuendoes and all.”

“I’d hardly call that a bad thing, you know.” Jack’s laughter began to subside into breathless chuckles. Most of the cream had slid down his face and landed on his chest and lap.

“O-oh,” Ella tried to remain focus, but Jack was so close to her. “Let me help, honey.” Quickly, she grabbed a napkin that was sitting on the coffee table blotted parts of his face to remove the sweet confectionary cream from his face. Jack was perfectly still and let her work, seemingly content to let Ella touch him, even if it was just for the sake of cleanliness. She could feel his warm breath against her skin. He wasn’t even doing anything other than just sitting there, messed up by her own hand. Yet something about it made it feel… oddly intimate. Especially the way Ella was studying the sharp features of his face.

“I think that’s all of it—oh, wait,” Ella cupped the side of Jack’s cheek and guided it to the side. “You’ve got something on your face…”

“Ella--?” Jack was cut off at the feel of Ella’s soft lips against his cheek.

The dusting of pink across her face as she pulled back was impossible to ignore, as was a small, coy smile. “Never mind, it was just me.”

Jack’s smile widened, positively smitten. “Have I told you recently that I love it when you get spontaneous?”

The compliment hit its mark perfectly as Ella’s blush deepened before an idea began to form in her mind.

Spontaneous, huh…?

Read more at the link on top. Thank you for reading~!

#Sunny Day Jack #Something Is Wong With Sunny Day Jack #SDJ #SDJ OC #SUnny Day Jack Fanfic #MissElla's Works #please don't bully me for the title too much #puns are my bread and butter

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fatliberation · 1 year

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So sorry to bother you and jump on the recent bandwagon of medical questions, especially if you have already answered this before and I haven't seen it, but my doc tried to tell me that weight loss is the best/only way to reduce/reverse liver damage and high enzyme levels when they are not caused by alcohol use. I know the genetics for the condition are in my family, and I also know that weight loss as a goal/medical treatment is generally BS. Just wondering if you or the community have any resources for improving liver health that doesn't focus on weight loss. Thank you, love your blog, it means so much to me.

I did some light googling on liver health, and already I'm sure this is one of those conditions that can be improved through diet and exercise ("diet" here meaning nutrition), but since those things are so entrenched in diet culture and people can't POSSIBLY imagine uncoupling health-promoting behaviors with weight loss, the conclusion goes from "x group did ___ behavior, and in doing so, they also lost some weight" to "their weight loss is actually the thing that improved their health" rather than. y'know. the fucking health-promoting behavior. If there's one thing I know, it's that weight loss is NEVER an effective treatment. It simply does not work. Even if it does improve some conditions, it is not sustainable beyond 1 to 5 years, and sends folks into a cycle of losing and regaining, which ends up doing the body much more harm. (Prescribed weight loss (or dieting) is also the leading predictor of eating disorders, by the way). If literally any other treatment showed time and time again that it failed in 95-99% of patients, the medical world would drop it. Instead of letting data speak for itself, we have been twisting data to fit a narrative that we already believe and seek to uphold. That is not how science works. Why we haven't labeled prescribing weight-loss as medical malpractice by now is beyond me. Well, I wish I could say it's beyond me but I know exactly why.

Sorry for the rant, I'm sure you already know this. It just gets my blood boiling!! I'm sorry you're going through this, anon. And thank you so much, I'm really glad you're getting something positive out of this blog.

My advice to you is to make it clear to your doctor that you are not open to pursuing weight loss. Ask your doctor to recommend the same treatment for you as they would for a thin patient. Here's a guide for how to advocate for yourself at the doctor's office. If you receive any pushback from your doctor, find a new one.

#medical fatphobia #medical gaslighting #anti fatness #anti fat bias #fatphobia #tw weight loss #anti diet #fat liberation #inbox

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thatgirlchallenge · 6 days

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How can someone develop healthier eating habits? I used to binge and now I do not anymore but I can't seem to control my cravings and also the portion size (I am not in charge of cooking and I do not choose how much or what food I eat most of the time)...

I saw one of your last posts and I was curios about your way.

You don't need to answer. Thank you for what you do on this blog <3

Hey! I hope you’re doing well and thank you for your question!🫶🏻

I want to start by saying that I am in no way an expert in nutrition, etc, but I’ve researched a bit about the topic of food in general to work on my diet, so I’ll try to help in the best way that I can.

( note: these advices worked for me, they might not work for you and that’s okay!! You’ll find your own way🫶🏻)

To be fair, cravings are normal! It’s normal to crave your favorite food. Don’t blame yourself for something so normal.

I used to crave all the time so many foods that were not « healthy », and surprise, I still do from time to time! The thing that changed my life, is that I am able to control what type of cravings I will have.

Let me explain. When I used my body to a certain type of food, it started craving for that kind of type of food. I have been eating quite healthy for a few months, and my cravings are completely different. My body starts asking for more healthy things and I enjoy healthy food so much more now that I’ve changed my diet!

Of course, I still crave sweet things ( tiramisu😂) or a good burger or pizza or whatever! And that’s why I allow myself a day of the week where I just eat what I want without feeling guilty about it.

And the crazy thing is that since the rest of the week, I am actually enjoying healthy food with decent portions, well I do not binge eat on my « cheat day ».

That’s how I control my cravings!

For the portion size, it’s a bit complicated since you’re not in charge of the cooking, but perhaps you could introduce the concept of food portions in your home?

I have realized in these last months how uneducated I was on the topic, and it changed my life to simply control them.

Some people count their calories, but I believe that’s something you should be very cautious about. This can easily lead to an eating disorder. I’d say to eventually discuss it with perhaps a doctor or a dietician?

For my part, I do not want to « live » by the calories every single day. So I’ve counted once the portions of certain foods such as pasta for example, or avocado.( like I researched how much calories they were worth, and I adapted it to my diet WITHOUT restricting myself). I did that for the high calorie type of food.

I still eat avocado almost every single day, even if it’s high in calories, because I enjoy it! I’ve simply cut it to a daily amount that doesn’t ruin my weight loss journey. That’s another way to cut cravings. You keep eating what you want, you just portion it correctly by researching what are the daily needs of an individual of your age, etc.

Omg, I’ve written a lot, I hope that this helped in some way! If you have more questions, please let me know, I’d love to help!

#self care #self discipline #self development #self improvement #self love #that girl #it girl #dark academia #girlhood #healthy diet

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swamp-spirit · 1 year

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So You’re in Effexor/Venlafaxine Withdrawal

Had some provider change bullshit and went from 225 mg a day for years to cold turkey for five days. Effexor’s pretty famous for being The Fucking Worst withdrawal wise, but it honestly works great for me. I’m a dumbass with ADHD, so I often end up without a day or two, but HOO BOY five days was a lot.

Unfortunately, most withdrawal advice I’ve found it targeted at people who are intentionally going off Effexor and focused on working with a doctor and weening slowly, not super relevant to me. I wanted to write up what I’ve learned to help other people who might be going through the withdrawal and not have access to Effexor or a doctor. None of this magically fixes it, it’s just making the shit timeframe until you can get your meds a bit less shit.

Note, this is pretty much all personal experience, and there’s not much research. This is not formal medical advice, and if you can talk to a professional, please do. Also note that I have a number of side conditions that may influence my experience. (Withdrawal is actually something that can be so personal.)

Know the Emergency Signs I’m not gonna fully list symptoms here, plenty of people have done that, but know which symptoms are normal ‘yup this sucks‘ symptoms and which are ‘oh shit‘ symptoms. If you’re in this situation, I imagine the odds are good money is part of the problem, but know Urgent Care and the ER will usually give you an emergency prescription, so if you feel like things are getting that bad anyways, it’s good to go before it gets worse.

Don’t Drive I can’t drive ever, but pls don’t do this in withdrawal. I know you might have obligations, and I know calling a ride is expensive, but getting in a car crash is more expensive.

Try Not to Be Alone If you can, ask a friend over, go to a family members house, whatever you can. A lot of the emergency signs (delirium, seizures, losing consciousness) mean you can’t seek care for yourself. It’s good to have somebody around who knows what to look for. The biggest danger to people in Effexor withdrawal tends to be the mental symptoms. If it’s safe, let your loved ones know that you’re at higher risk for self harm and suicidal thoughts, and what you’d like them to do if they’re worried. Most situations aren’t going to be that bad. Usually, it just sucks, but like... it’s good to have somebody around who can bring you soup and listen to you feel sorry for yourself. Treat it like having the flu, and know you deserve the same care as anyone else in that situation. (Yes, even if it’s ‘your fault’ you ran out of meds. If punishing yourself for not thinking ahead/missing an insurance detail/forgetting something worked, I’d never miss a dose.)

Chill Out Your Nervous System A lot of the symptoms (brain zaps and shivers esp) are your nervous system going out of control, so doing calming techniques can actually help. Getting hugs, bundling up somewhere cozy, and doing deep breathing is legit medical treatment for soothing out a haywire system.

Track When In the Day It’s Worst Being sick, unfortunately, does not always mean you don’t have shit to do. I realized pretty quickly my shakes were a ton worse at night, so, even though I didn’t want to do much during the morning, if it had to get done, that’s when it was going to happen. It can also be good just so, when you’re symptoms are at their worst, you can remember that it won’t be like this the entire time until you get meds.

Indulge Cravings When your body’s doing heavy lifting, it starts yelling for whatever weird shit it thinks might help. That’s what weird pregnancy cravings are, and that’s what you need now. Save the diet for later, get a little lax on the grocery budget, and have zero shame about replacing dinner with pickle juice mixed with gatoraid or whatever. If you deal with nausea, try to stick to small meals of whatever seems doable. My personal buddy was Morningstar Veggie sausages since they’re high protein without being too dense or fatty.

Medicine Cabinet Helpers Dangerous layman advice!!! I saw medical pages advise it but still be careful!!! That said, holy shit, those dramamine lemon ginger chews are my best friends now, followed shortly by melatonin gummies and advil.

Room Temp Baths Hot baths can be a lot on an overtaxed nervous system, but I found pleasantly warm water was very pleasant.

Sick Day Entertainment When electronics are overwhelming, books are hard, you can’t get out of bed, and you desperately need a distraction, it’s good to have things you can handle. Some ideas -Calling somebody -Audiobooks/podcasts -Coloring Honestly, more suggestions here would be great. My go to was podcasts, but I know a lot of people, trying to track a podcast in withdrawal sounds like hell.

Anyway, cheers to making it out the other side, because you will. In the meantime, spoil the shit out of yourself.

#effexor #venlafaxine #withdrawal tw #snri #self harm tw

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ed-recovery-affirmations · 5 months

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Hello. So I'm having a battle inside of my brain. I've been following you for a while now, and I'm also in recovery for anorexia and bulimia. I'm also a newly graduated medical doctor. This means I know a lot about the human body. Which is exactly my point now. I try so, so hard to eat 'intuitively', listen to my body, and be okay with gaining weight, and I try to be in body positive and fat acceptance spaces (1/2, I will continue in next question)

(2/2), but I also know and I have seen with my two eyes, and treated with my own hands, the consequences of not eating healthy or being at an unhealthy body weight. I live in fear that If I eat and eat because I'm trying to recover, I'm gonna have the opposite health problems. I bring it up to my psychiatrist and psychologist, and they tell me there is no unhealthy food. But there is. And I just don't know how I should go with my recovery like this. Any advice for this? thank you for this blog

So I had to take a bit of time to think about the best way to articulate answers for you, because there are some complex and often competing needs addressed on my blog. I think it's important that you get an answer to your question, but I wanted to be careful to go about it in a way that wouldn't cause harm to anyone else. So I'm going to make my best effort, and putting it under a cut because it will be long and some who are triggered by medical views on fatness may prefer not to read on.

First of all, I'm so sorry to hear that you're struggling with this. Having a battle in your brain, as you say, sounds like an agonizing way to live. I hope that you are able to work through it.

Now, as you may know if you frequent this blog, eating disorders are complex and varied. Bodies and their workings are complex and varied. Some people do experience a variety of health conditions that are influenced by what they eat, so for these individuals, they may be best served by making choices accordingly. These choices can also be incredibly complex in this world - you may have seen a recent ask I recieved, for example, about somebody whose husband was just diagnosed with diabetes. The asker was stressed about learning to prepare foods for them both in accordance with his strict diabetes-friendly diet would trigger their restrictive tendencies from their eating disorder. So as you can see, the dietary choices that might be in his best interest might not be in the best interest of the asker. But them being married, I'm sure they would like to share meals together, so following a diet that suits them both is complicated. Difficult choices will have to be made at every juncture.

Gluten is not inherently bad or evil. Unless you have Celiac disease, in which case gluten is actually going to kill you slowly. You need to monitor your salt if you have high blood pressure, but if you've been diagnosed with POTS, you may actually need more salt, and lots of it. I myself will occasionally snack on chips, but never Funyuns. There's nothing inherently wrong with them, but they were invariably a trigger food for me to binge, so I stopped bringing them into my house. But this doesn't make them an unacceptable snack choice for everybody else.

Do you see where I'm going with this? Different people are experiencing different circumstances, and may need different things. Just because a food is particularly bad for one person doesn't make it a "bad food" unilaterally. Even the kinds of foods we consider "junk foods" can be tolerated by our bodies in moderation - well, most of our bodies, anyway. Now there are some people who have eating disorders like ARFID, where they literally cannot eat most foods and must veeery gradually expand their palate. For these individuals, we say "no food is bad food" because, while you might not like to see a person living on, say, saltine crackers or potato chips alone, they will literally starve without it, and so eating the food they can eat is preferable. For these individuals, that sleeve of saltine crackers can be a lifeline. Or take anyone who has a complex gastrointestinal disorder. Ask anyone with Chrohn's about their gut and its complicated relationship with fruits and veggies, a staple segment of the food pyramid touted by most doctors for its immense health benefits. Eating what you can will keep you alive and as healthy as possible in cases like these.

Now, there are people who are impacted in complex ways by the kinds of foods I'm guessing you're describing - things like chips, candy, fried food, processed/instant food. So in this case, do keep in mind that when an individual has a diet consisting largely of these types of foods, there are often complex genetic, epigenetic, and socioeconomic factors that are influencing the way their bodies naturally work and the way their dietary patterns have been established. I do understand how easy it is, at first glance, to just point at their diet and assume that it's easy and sustainable to change it, or that it would be a fix-all. But those same factors that contribute to the development of those complex health issues are often ongoing into the life of the affected individual, not to mention financial and social complications that may make it difficult to change things. But again, just because you've identified a certain food as detrimental to a patient's specific needs doesn't mean it's the same in regards to your own body's needs. Especially if these foods cause a trigger reaction for you to restrict or become obsessed with food "purity."

Now I know that in your work you say that you've treated with your own two hands the results of eating unhealthy foods. But I want you to get honest with yourself here, because you're not mentioning the experiences of the doctors who have treated and seen the damages of restrictive eating disorders. Both anorexia and bulimia, when sufficiently progressed, can cause lasting damage to the body even years into recovery. And they can also cause death. Surely a bag of chips or a cookie every now and again can't be more unhealthy than that? I'm hoping that you can take the time to periodically remind yourself of this, and to remind yourself that your own bodily needs are your own, and that paying attention to what YOUR body needs is self-care.

I know it's hard for an eating-disordered mind to listen to logic, but I'm truly hoping that you can overcome this for your own sake as well as for the sake of your patients. Anon, medical fatphobia has a long history of damaging patients. I know this because I myself have seen it happen. I've told the story before of my friend who was raised by hippies, fed all-organic snacks and kale chips, never allowed a hydrogenated oil, and was still fat growing up. I watched this person reduced to eating saltines and a few bites of apple per day when they were suffering with gallstones. It was all they could eat, but because they were fat, doctors assumed that their gastrointestinal distress must be caused by an excess of fatty foods in their diet. They lived on apple slices and saltines for months, still suffering pain all that time, before they were correctly diagnosed. Can you imagine what it did to their body, to live on such a restricted diet for such an extended period of time? This was not the only time a missed diagnosis threatened their health because all doctors saw was the fat. This person also starved themselves for a few years after being taught to do so at fat camp, and their anorexic behaviors were never called out because even though they did lose weight, they never ended up "skinny" at their lowest weight. But that starving certainly couldn't have been better for them than just living fat - their vision was blacking out every time they stood up! Anon, I hope you don't mind if I speak to you honestly about this. It's hard to gain a full honest medical history from every patient and patient family member you come across, because healthcare is a complicated field. But you cannot let your fear of fatness dictate the way you hear and see your patients. Yes, even if they're not following their prescribed diet. Yes, even if food is a contributing factor in their particular case. (And do keep in mind that a patient's refusal to change diet may come from a place of complicated factors, financial, social, emotional, you name it. Compassion will get you farther with them than judgment, and may even help you get a fuller story.) But do it for yourself, too. And listen to your body. If a food makes your body FEEL well and nourished, then it wasn't a bad food. And you deserve to be well fed and embark on your own healing journey. I hope you find the self-worth to believe that.

Because honestly, food deprivation affects your metabolism. You may experience the notorious anorexia recovery hunger as your appetite reemerges, and you will need to give your body what it needs in order to develop a pattern of being healed in both body and mind. You can keep nutritious options around for that, but I think you may need to keep working on your fear of "snack foods." Your metabolism may be changed as well, and so yes, you may gain back more weight than you had envisioned, or your body shape may be different than you had expected for a little while. Sometimes the weight distribution is a little weird during that regaining phase, and that's okay and does not determine your worth. You are going through a medical event and deserve to be compassionate with your body and soul as that happens. In fact, that is the only way you can heal your mind. Because, even before you look to your patients and the ideal steps for their specific health needs, you need to prioritize yourself and look to your own individual needs. So to recap, periodically use these reminders.

"Just because a food is bad for that other person doesn't make it a bad food. My dietary needs are my own."

"There's no food unhealthier than an eating disorder."

"I will look inward at what my own eating behaviors have done to my health, rather than ruminating on that patient's eating behaviors."

"I'd rather gain weight than hurt my body again."

"My thinness does not reflect my worth."

Feel free to add on as you progress in your recovery journey. Best of luck, in that and in your career. It's certainly not an easy one. Do your best, be open to learning, and remind your eating disorder that your therapists are right even if it doesn't want to listen to logic. I hope that when you are able to bring yourself to eat your next treat, you enjoy it thoroughly.

#intuitive eating #ed recovery #F/O/F #medical fatphobia #food purism #food purity #ana recovery #mia recovery #restriction recovery #orthorexia

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mandana-the-service-pup · 10 months

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Take it from someone who is chronically ill…

I will try to hear you out when you are offering me health advice. I know it’s probably coming from a place of concern and you think this advice would help. But take it from someone who’s been through this for years. There are some things that just don’t fly well with many chronically ill people. Here is my short list but I’d like to hear from others in the community.

Please don’t recommend:

Exceptions made if the disabled person is asking you for a particular type of recommendation.

Anything ingestible. Supplements & diet changes are really difficult to talk about for a lot of people with chronic illness. Most of us have trialed handfuls of supplements a day and extreme diet changes. It’s often a phase we go through when undiagnosed or newly diagnosed because we don’t feel like we are getting enough support from doctors but we need to try something (ANYTHING) that might help us. Most of us also have GI issues and/or eating disorders. We have learned the hard way what works for our broken bodies. It’s a really sensitive topic for a variety of reasons and chances are the person has done the research and already knows more about them than you do.

Exercise. Disabilities are not all equal and this is especially true when it comes to exercise. Someone who is an amputee or paralyzed might not have the same issues as someone who has migraines or chronic fatigue. Exercise intolerance is real and many disorders are exacerbated by physical exertion. Even things like stretching and physical therapy can be too much or easily done in the wrong way. It’s a sensitive topic with heavy implications that the disabled person is lazy and/or wants to remain sick. Unless someone is specifically asking you for recommendations, this really should be off limits in conversation.

Mind over matter. The mind is capable of amazing things. We are aware of this. Our disabilities are not cured by positive thinking. Some of us may have already adopted our own strategies for being happy while dealing with chronic illness. It is a very individual experience and having an abelist tell us we are “choosing to be sick” is not as helpful as you think it is. Just don’t.

So what CAN you recommend?

Mobility aids and assistive devices. Not only is it actually helpful advice but it’s validating our experiences and shows us that you are comfortable with us showing our disabilities around you. Bonus points for really obscure, new or cool looking mobility aids especially if they are affordable!

Pain relief. Topical creams, ice packs, heating pads, braces, wraps, TENS, etc. Chances are we have already tried it but it shows us that you’re thinking about our pain and on the off chance it’s actually a good recommendation it could be a lifesaver and we will be forever grateful!

Small businesses run by people who belong to our communities (disabled, POC, LGBTQIA+, etc) Don’t try to compare our abilities to disabled business owners but it shows us you recognize we are a part of a community and that you might not be but that you are conscious of it and supportive. Buy from these shops for yourself to show your support or shop gifts for your chronically ill besties. Just be cautious about things that might be triggering to some. Some disabled people appreciate affirmations, “warrior” mentality, etc but others really don’t so choose wisely.

Accessible hobbies. Chronic illness makes it hard to commit to things. Period. We don’t know if we will have the physical ability to do an activity, the resources to do it or if our body will support scheduled activities when the time comes. It’s a huge challenge but that unpredictability can also be super conducive to picking up hobbies. Things that don’t require a ton of energy or scheduled classes. Things that can be picked up for a little bit when we are having a good day and put down when we aren’t feeling well. Most of us love to hear about your hobbies. It’s great to feel included in things when we are often cut off from people because we’ve been deemed “unreliable”. We are itching to talk about something fun with someone we care about. Something that isn’t related to our health or unmet expectations of us. So share your hobby. Share your second cousins neighbors hobby. Google some hobbies that could be fun for disabled people. It’s sure to be a fun conversation.

#chronic illness community #disabled community #disability awareness #PSA #service dogblr #chronic illness problems #advice #advice welcome #feedback welcome

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bromantically · 2 years

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no one ever takes fat people seriously when we say our healthcare quality is significantly impacted by our bodies.

had a gyno appt recently bc we are discussing endometriosis treatment. of course, weight came up bc some treatmens will make u gain weight. truthfully i do not care if a medicine makes me gain weight as long as it takes care of the Uterus Shitting Itself Forever disease. the doc was Very insistent on trying to avoid the meds that might cause weight gain even tho they were ones that would probably benefit me most

so by that point i was already pretty irritated, but it wasnt anything i hadnt heard from a doctor before, so whatever. i can handle a few annoying comments, i can push through and make sure i get what i want out of my treatment. but then she outright told me that i have "too much" weight and should go on a diet to lose weight. 🙄😒 also nothing i havent heard before.

but the thing is, she didnt recommend anything regarding diets. she told me to "just look it up". she didnt recommend anything that would help my health issues, like managing cholesterol and blood sugar, she didnt recommend anything specific to weight loss, she didnt tell me anything about what kinds of foods might be best for me, or how a proper diet looks or works.

just look it up. google it. on the internet, where there is surely nothing but trustworthy and unbiased information that actually has my wellbeing in mind as a fat person. the internet, famous for providing information on food habits that is not based on false science, fatphobia, or blatant lies. sure.

and when i told her i have no intentions of changing my body bc i like it as it is and would rather just treat my issues as they arise, she doubled down and gave the whole spiel about cholesterol and diabetes and joint pain and how shes just looking out for me blah blah blah. as if i didnt already have all of these issues when i was skinny. as if i wasnt previously taken seriously on these issues when i was skinny. as if all my current health issues werent related entirely to genetics and not my fucking weight.

i never had to hear this shit when i was thin. i got treatment without an issue. i was taken seriously and listened to. when i got fat, i was no longer a person or a patient, i became a body. i became the cause of all my health issues. i became a number on a scale. i know doctors treat thin people differently bc ive seen how much their treatment of me has changed as i got bigger.

this isnt even the worst experience ive had with a doctor and my body as a fat person, but its certainly one of the most ridiculous. to go in asking for treatment so my uterus doesnt self destruct and be told for 30 minutes how im too fat. and her solution was to tell me to look it up. Look It Up. my doctor, in charge of my wellbeing and responsible for educating me, told me to look up a diet. just any old diet. no advice, nothing.

this kind of shit is dangerous. this kind of shit is what starts eating disorders and gets people killed. she spent 30 minutes trying to convince me not to take beneficial medicine because it might make me fatter and also to diet without safe and reliable information on how to.

#kitty purrs #long post #fat tag #ask to tag #diet culture #ed mention #diet mention #fatphobia discussion #medical fatphobia

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tleeaves · 5 months

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you're into homeopathy, right?? i find the internet is getting worse and worse at being able to find homeopathy writings from actually half decent sources. and it's really annoying bc we use it to help out with medical stuff for the guinea fowls when avian vet things are still in their infancy, and my grandma is the most knowledgeable in the family but i think mental health stuff has been influencing her intuition and idk what to do for her but also i really want to learn as holitic healing fascinates me. so where do you find yours?

In a sense, yes. More like I hate taking more pills and drugs than I need to since I've been having them heavily on and off since I was ten years old and it's taken a toll on my digestive system, and so I turned to some more natural remedies in my diet, and recently I've taken a dive into herbalism history and theory. The most I know is about herbalism, really, and just the things that are good for certain ailments. I'm no expert at all, so I'm always looking to other sources.

So, for holistic healing, or for looking for a place to start in that direction, I recommend several things from how I've gone about it in my experience:

Start online with any questions you have about foods/drinks. For example, you want to know the health benefits of chamomile or chamomile tea (the latter, in my view, being the best way to consume it anyway, and many sources agree), so you search it, and you also find out its uses. I recommend going to sites like healthline and Dr. Axe (I mostly use and trust healthline though, and I recommend always seeking out more than one source). Always seek the more medical sources, in my opinion.

If you don't know precisely what foods and things to begin, I would usually start then with a problem: ie. "foods to help with anxiety" and go from there (you'll see chamomile come up, as well as green tea (I'm very into tea-related remedies particularly)).

Go to your local library and borrow books on homeopathy, herbalism, and other related topics. You don't need to overload yourself -- I've only just started with herbalism books since I had the seeds of knowledge about it and wanted to expand a bit out of curiosity (I was led down the rabbit hole when looking into paganism and witchcraft, funnily enough).

Some towns have a specialty business for alternative medicine, or you can occasionally find what you're looking for (say, bottles of ginger pills or something) in a regular pharmacy. Otherwise, many ingredients are things you can find in your supermarket or garden, and be incorporated into dishes and brews.

As you seem to know, a fair amount of this tends to be passed down as families have their own variants of "home remedies". I know of one where my yiayia would use vicks but apply it to the sole of your foot before putting socks on to help with colds, and occasionally things to do with potato slices at night in your socks, or lemons in your mouth for other things -- I could ask her about it, but I haven't since I mostly have stuck to other things I know (I am not ready to coat my feet in goop). And I think everyone knows the eucalyptus steam trick for nasal congestion. But anyway, I would recommend asking someone whose knowledge you trust. I'm also lucky to know a few pharmacists, and I tend to check with them on everything, just in case. A pharmacist I would trust over a doctor in terms of medicinal cures, and I would encourage you to check with them at the counter on anything if/when you buy.

Anyway, I will always most strongly recommend books on the subject. Get a few so you can cross-reference the advice and information. Trust your gut as well, weird as that may sound. Know the herbs that can have adverse affects, try to stick with the safer items first. Definitely just learn more about how your diet affects your health holistically.

And that's all I've got! Hopefully you got something out of that, idk if my advice is all that good. Please don't sue, I do not claim to be an expert in anything at all. Homeopathy is not quite my area, I just think of it as "things humans can eat or drink that benefit their health" and work off that.

#homeopathy references #herbalism #learning and just starting out #keeping in mind that I'm still learning too #and I resort to books because I consume content easier that way #but I am also always skeptical of all information I read #I like to be careful #books are good but they're also not the final say on anything

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