#Self-Care

[brytning]

[sweaterkittensahoy]

So, this week I ordered a new couch pillow because I had a husband pillow full of shredded memory foam, and the thing needs to be opened and shifted around about once a week with the way I use it so it doesn't shape up weird and actually fuck up my back when I bought it to NOT fuck up my back.

I now have a wedge pillow, made of one piece of foam. And I ordered a book cushion from etsy, and I just wanna say to anyone who has thought "that adaptive thing seems like it would be useful, but I'm not disabled, so maybe it's not for me?"

It's for you. Trust me. My back hurt because I was slouching weird on the couch. I got a husband pillow. It helped a lot. But, it turns out, what I need is one giant piece of memory foam, not a bunch of tiny bits.

And the book cushion? Books are heavy sometimes. Being able to rest it higher in my lap so it's easier to read and hold? Better for my body.

Also, do you wake up with pain in the mornings? Try a contour pillow and a knee pillow.

Get those extra-strong treaded soles to wear with your heels because you wobble otherwise.

Wear compression gloves when you type. Get those orthopedic shoes because you can walk longer distances in more comfort. Buy the bra that actually supports the weight of your boobs. Get a lapdesk for your computer. Use a neck pillow even at home to keep your neck straight. Wear socks to bed. Listen to audiobooks. Read large print books.

You see something that you think will work for you and improve how you feel? Use it! Let's fucking normalize adaptative shit for everyone!

[jacyevans]

A gentle reminder, especially for those of us in the USA - be gentle with yourself this election day. Most of us are exhausted, completely burned out, or flat-out terrified. There will be a very real temptation to spend all of your time sitting in front of the TV or doom-scrolling for results.

Here are some things you can do to break out of that cycle:

Go for a walk.

Read a book.

Re-read your favorite fanfiction.

Listen to music. If you’re looking for something upbeat, here’s a playlist of songs that make me happy. If you want something more chill, try some autumn vibes.

Phone a friend.

Watch your favorite movie or comfort TV show.

Grab a coloring book or print off some coloring pages.

Dance around the house.

Lie on the floor in the dark or outside in the sun, and just breathe.

Let yourself feel your feelings, whatever that looks like. Laugh. Cry. Scream into a pillow.

Take your meds. Stay hydrated. Don’t forget to eat. And get some rest.

[akindplace]

it’s okay if getting better is taking longer than you hoped to. if getting better doesn’t mean getting cured. if somedays are better than others. if others seem to heal faster. if it’s exhausting. if your illness is chronic and progressive. it doesn’t mean people won’t love you as you are, it doesn’t mean you don’t deserve help, it doesn’t mean that you can’t ever be happy. you still deserve care, love and kindness when you’re suffering, and i hope you find it within yourself to feel compassion towards your own body, even if some people might not, even if it doesn’t work in the way you wished it would, even if it’s different.

[yousaveeveryonebutwhosavesyou]

If you are reading this, you have survived your entire life up until this point. You have survived your traumas, your mental health, the heartbreak, the devastation, and the different phases of life and here you are. STILL ALIVE AND FIGHTING, I HOPE YOU ARE ABLE TO CONTINUE YOUR JOURNEY IN LIFE, JUST MAKE SURE THAT YOU, TAKE EACH MINUTE, EACH HOUR, OR EACH DAY AT A TIME. I BELIEVE IN YOU. STAY STRONG.

[rowan-post]

RPC self-care

We all get worn down by life and often we turn to RP for rejuvenation. But more than once I've seen people on here that find themselves burnt out on the RP community itself. With nearly 20 years of role playing under my belt, I thought I'd share some of my favourite self-care tricks.

Block people. You don't have to explain yourself and 'weird vibes' is a legitimate reason. You deserve to feel safe and unbothered in your hobby space, and RP is based on consent. Just like with any recreational activity, you can withdraw your consent at any time and no is a complete sentence.

Turn off anon. This prevents anonymous harassment and gives you great insight into who to block or report if you get non-anonymous harassment.

Drop threads. I know RP etiquette suggests you need to tell your RP partner when and why, and sure, if they ask politely you can give it a go - just know that a pre-written variant of 'not feeling it' is good enough. In my humble opinion, I think dropping boring or vexing threads is everyone's prerogative and doesn't require explanation. Again, no is a complete sentence.

Talk it out. If you like the thread but things took a turn you didn't like, it's time to bring the RP into the workshop. Something like 'Hey I really like our RP so far but I'm losing my spark, can we talk about course correcting where the plot is going?'

Make clear rules and revise them frequently. I'd also advise against spending said rules excusing or explaining why you don't like or want a certain thing - I cannot stress enough how your preferences are not up for debate.

Get comfy chasing. A lot of RP is about inviting others to play over and over and over. Rejection is a part of it. See if you can't find some element of self-care in it - taking rejection well is a great skill to practice in such a low stake environment.

Notice and celebrate the good stuff, instead of digging holes about the bad. Tell your co-players how great they are. Marvel at all the hard work you put into your muses and graphics. Admire your own blog.

Stop. Take a break. Check in with yourself. Do you actually need to face something in IRL? Do you need to rest? A snickers? A walk? Don't bother with posts á la 'offline for the day' - leave your options open to reduce guilt or shame if you want to poke your head back in.

Happy writing. 🌿

[tastefullyoffensive]

“Self Care Sunday” — 30 Wholesome Memes Promoting Positive Thinking

[polyamorousmisanthrope]

Swimming and being an idiot

A knee injury had me back in the pool and I ain't cryin'. About the swimming, anyway. I like swimming a lot. Jogging hurts. Swimming doesn't. So, I swim.

Paying attention to necessary self-care in the water is very different from what you need for dryland exercise.

If you're walking really fast or running, you get hot. You get thirsty. In a normally-heated room, you might even feel a bit too warm and want some water when you get home.

You don't really have those thirst cues in the water, especially if it's a cool day and you're a bit chilled getting back home.

I got back from swimming today, and then just got HIT with being exhausted. Which, okay, a swim and a nap? AWESOME. (In the summer, when I did the open water stuff, I would look forward to the epic swim, followed by an epic meal and an epic NAP. Bliss)

I woke up from that nap feeling like crap. The fatigue and headache were worse.

"Okay, fine, you've got some decaf Earl Grey, so even if it IS after noon, make yourself a nice pot of tea and relax. You've done your chores for the day," I says to me.

Halfway through the pot, the headache and the exhaustion goes away and I realize I had nothing to drink for three hours after a 40 minute swim.

*drums fingers*

What are some symptoms of dehydration?

Well, fatigue and headache are a couple, so...

Yeah...

Have something to drink after you've been active, kiddiewinks. Don't be an idiot like me.

[bitchesgetriches]

{ MASTERPOST } Everything You Need to Know about Self-Care

Take care of your body

Why You Should Take a Break: The Importance of Rest and Relaxation

I Think I Need to Go the Emergency Room?

Run With Me if You Want to Save: How Exercising Will Save You Money

Your Yearly Free Medical Care Checklist

Ask the Bitches: Ugh, How Do I Build the Habit of Taking Meds?

Blood Money: Menstrual Products for Surviving Your Period While Poor

On Pulling Weeds and Fighting Back: How (and Why) to Protect Abortion Rights

Ask the Bitches: How Can I Survive in an Apartment with No Heat?

The Expensive Difference Between Recreation and Recovery 

Take care of your mind

Our Master List of 100% Free Mental Health Self-Care Tactics

How Mental Health Affects Your Finances

Ask the Bitches: “How Do I Protect My Own Mental Health While Still Helping Others?”

Kurt Vonnegut’s Galapagos and Your Big Brain

Everything Is Stressful and I’m Dying: How to Survive a Panic Attack

Stop Recommending Therapy Like It’s a Magic Bean That’ll Grow Me a Beanstalk to Neurotypicaltown

Making Decisions Under Stress: The Siren Song of Chocolate Cake

Ask the Bitches: I Know How to Struggle and Fight, but I Don’t Know How to Succeed

Update: I Know How to Struggle and Fight, but I Don’t Know How to Succeed

Ask the Bitches: How Can I Absolve Myself of Financial Guilt Over My Pricey PS4?

The Frugal Introvert’s Guide to the Weekend

Take care of your time

Stop Measuring Your Time in Beyoncé Hours

Help! I’m Procrastinating and I Can’t Get Up!

You Won’t Regret Your Frugal 20s

Actually, Fuck Big Goals

How to Insulate Yourself From Advertisements

I’ve Succeeded at Every New Year’s Resolution I’ve Ever Made. Here’s How.

Romanticizing the Side Hustle: When 1 Job Isn’t Enough

8 Free Time Management Systems To Try in the New Year

My 25 Secrets to Successfully Working from Home with ADHD 

I Am So Over Productivity Porn 

Take care of your career

High School Students Have No Way of Knowing What Career to Choose. Why Do We Make Them Do It Anyway?

The Actually Helpful, Nuanced, Non-Bullshit Way to Choose a Future Career

Woke at Work: How to Inject Your Values into Your Boring, Lame-Ass Job

Are You Working on the Next Fyre Festival?: Identifying a Toxic Workplace

My Secret Weapon for Preparing for Awkward Boss Confrontations

Freelancer, Protect Thyself… With a Fair Contract

I Hate My Job and I Don’t Know How To Leave It: A Confession

A New Job, a New Day, a New Life, and I’m Feeling Good

Season 1, Episode 9: “I’ve Given up on My Dream Career. Where Do I Go From Here?”

How Abusive Workplaces Mirror Abusive Relationships 

Take care of your space

How to Successfully Work from Home Without Losing Your Goddamn Mind (Or Your Job)

Leaving Home before 18: A Practical Guide for Cast-Offs, Runaways, and Everybody in Between

Ask the Bitches: I Want to Move Out, but I Can’t Afford It. How Bad Would It Be to Take out Student Loans to Cover It?

How To Maintain Your Car When You’re Barely Driving It

Take care of your people

How Dafuq Do Couples Share Their Money?

Ask the Bitches: “How Do I Protect My Own Mental Health While Still Helping Others?”

How Can I Tame My Family’s Crazy Gift-Giving Expectations?

Ask the Bitches: I Was Guilted Into Caring for a Sick, Abusive Parent. Now What?

Love in the Time of Coronavirus: How to Protect Your Community and Your Soul from COVID-19

Be Somebody’s Eliza with a Simple Yet Life-Changing Act of Kindness 

The Ultimate Guide to Helping a Sick Friend 

Learning To Reverse the Golden Rule

I Have Become the Rich Relative I Always Wanted  

Take care of your financial well-being

Ask the Bitches: How Can I Make Myself Financially Secure Before Age 30?

How to Save for Retirement When You Make Less Than $30,000 a Year

Ask the Bitches: Is It Too Late to Get My Financial Shit Together?

Slay Your Financial Vampires

Should Artists Ever Work for Free?

Don’t Spend Money on Shit You Don’t Like, Fool

How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Financial Math

Share My Horror at the World’s Worst Debt Visualization

Stop Undervaluing Your Freelance Work, You Darling Fool

A (Somewhat) Comprehensive List of Fun Job Perks that Won’t Pay Your Rent

We will periodically update this list with newer articles. And by “periodically” I mean “when we remember that it’s something we forgot to do for four months.”

Bitches Get Riches: setting realistic expectations since 2017!

Join the Bitches on Patreon

[inmyperfectworld]

🩷

[liberaljane]

Worminders!

Illustration of 5 different worms with self-care messages. From top to bottom: a worm with a Stanley cup and text that reads, ‘drink water,’ a worm with its eyes closed and text, ‘breathe in & out,’ a worm in pjs with text, rest is important,’ a worm with pills that reads, ‘take your meds,’ and a worm tanning with sunglasses on and text, ‘soak up the sun.’

[brytning]

Everyone knows it's that time of year when many people feel compelled to set goals to alter their body and restrict their food. The pressure to be thin is everywhere---it's the water we swim in. If you want to take care of your body, I hope this is the year you learn more about weight-neutral approaches to health! The Health At Every Size movement and books by fat activist Aubrey Gordon are great places to start!

[hermajestyimher]

Follow on Threads

[vaspider]

Okay, so I was waiting until I had more information before I said something, but this is what the last 2 months of my life has been like. Content warning for discussion of uterine shenaniganry.

In August, start having bad, random cramping, which is weird, because I'm in perimenopause! I talk to my doctor and we think it's probably just T-related bullshit. We start me on vaginal estrogen, but I'm aware that cramping can mean uterine cancer, so I push to get my pap smear six months early.

My doctor's office (not my actual doctor) fights me on it. I fight back. Originally, they wanted to schedule me for March, then December, and I said, nah, I'm not waiting, because if it is uterine cancer, that shit is aggressive. So we got the test done. Irregular findings, so we go for an ultrasound.

As this happens, the cramps get worse, until I am feeling like I'm in the early stages of labor all the time.

Long story short, I have a golf ball of a fibroid sitting in the top of my uterus, and I've since found out that my grandmother had a hysterectomy for the same thing about my age.

So, here's the advice bit:

Unusual cramping, if you have a uterus, should be treated as if it might be Something Serious. Don't brush it off. Insist your doctor take it - and you - seriously. If your doctor doesn't take you seriously, please fire them and get a better one if possible.

Ask your parents to tell you as much as they know about your grandparents' and aunts' and uncles' health. In the last week, I've found out about A Lot of things I should have known a long, long time ago. Like, the number of things I've learned that I should have known has become an inside joke with a certain circle of my friends.

Get your pap smears, y'all. The sooner you find problems, the sooner you can deal with them.

Anyway, I probably can't evict all this bullshit until January, and I'm in a lot of pain basically all the time. So y'all are gonna have to forgive me if I'm a little distant and tired.

[akindplace]

I hope you get all the rest you need. Even if you spent a quieter day and didn’t feel productive, please allow yourself to rest without guilt or shame for not “earning” it. You don’t have to burn yourself out to prove that you need rest. It’s a very human thing to need sleep, to need a break, to need nourishing, to want to take some personal quiet time. Please allow yourself to rest. Even if it’s “too early” to go to bed, even if you spent all day in bed trying to recover from anything. If your body needs sleep, please allow yourself to have it, there should be no rules as to earning sleep. Give yourself a break and rest for as long as it’s possible in your daily life. People live very busy lives that have so many obligations, but if it’s possible for you to take a break and rest, please do, because there is no shame in being tired, especially if you have an illness that makes you constantly fatigued. Don’t push yourself beyond your limits just to prove that you have earned the right to sleep. You already have that right. Give yourself permission to rest without guilt.