#an exercise my therapist wants me to do

[resiliencewithin]

I am as effective a teacher as I can be right now

[thedisablednaturalist]

I think when people think of mental illness and what helps, especially with things like anxiety and depression, the treatment involves pushing yourself. Pushing yourself to get out of bed, to exercise, to take a shower, to go out in public, to order your own food from the cashier, etc.

And because the mental health movement has grown so much, people think that's the default of ALL illnesses. That the only way someone will get better is if they push themselves. That practice makes perfect. That you'll become more comfortable or strong over time the more you do something.

But what people need to realize is, with physical disabilities and chronic illnesses, pushing yourself in most cases is DETRIMENTAL. Pushing yourself past your limits can lead to flare ups or further injury. That's why it's important to know your limits, how certain activities may affect your condition, and learn how to either adapt or get help to complete the activity in question.

Also, most of us are already pushing ourselves. Most of us don't have access to the help or equipment we need. Most of us live in places where we frequently encounter inaccessible obstacles. Most of us NEED to rest.

So please don't try to be our physical therapists or doctors. There are people specifically trained to help us navigate our own conditions and limitations. There are people trained to help us strengthen our body's resilience without causing flare-ups or injury. Do not tell us "it'll be good for you" or "you need the exercise" when we say something is too heavy or too far or when we say we need our mobility aid(s). Your friend with depression may need to be encouraged to get out of bed, but your friend with chronic illness definitely doesn't.

Respect our rest.

[bunnihearted]

it's esp in these times when i wake up early in the morning and cant get back to sleep bc i have so much anxiety my entire body hurts that i just so badly wish i wasnt alone in the world and that i had someone to hold me tightly and ground me and let me focus on their breath bc my breath hurts going thru my body, and focus on their warmth and anchor me down, show me and my mind that im not alone so that i wont spin away into a neverending abyss of worries and nightmares

[ghostzzy]

feeling the angst today. my dad was like “try ketamine therapy” again yesterday and i’m like. in order to do that i’d have to get off All my medications. and in order to do that safely, it could take months. during which i would be basically nonfunctional. so do you want me to do that or do you want me to get a new job. cuz it’s one or the other.

[jimkirkachu]

Wtf, even just browsing job sites / listings / descriptions is enough to make me nauseous with anxiety and depression. When, why, and how did I ever become such a useless and pathetic mess?

[bunnyboy-juice]

;~; (tags vent)

[naamahdarling]

Time for y'all to

send asks!

again!

[arodrwho]

also GOD my BOSS wants me to PRESENT SOMETHING during a MEETING as a stupid STRETCH GOAL. like ma'am. please. i'm dying here

[eversncenewyork]

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[fuitygummy]

I think I’m failing therapy

[soysaucevictim]

My brain was thinking about sensory processing stuff again with that last post.

That might be one of the many reasons Gymrat!Logan hits the gym - mitigate some modest dyspraxia / proprioceptive dysfunction related to being autistic.

Because physical exercise/therapy is a known modality that can help build those skills. Obviously - it's a treatment not necessarily a cure in moderate-to-severe cases.

I feel like some of Jan's caseload are for ND folks like that (on top of pain/mobility/etc. management ones). :Ic

(Maybe a reason for why Lo isn't the hardware guy at the tech firm. Amusing how Remus is - since he might be a bit twitchy from too much caffeine and not enough sleep more often than not.)

[prncples]

[everyone-sacritic]

A love letter to strangers:

-To the cashier at the gas station/convenience store that I stop at a couple times a week on my way home from work; who always has the biggest smile and an infectious laugh; who shares my love of trying all kinds of new random snacks, even when we think they're going to be bad; who last year when I was having a hard time, must have seen something in my eyes that made her grab my hand after I paid and tell me with the first serious look on her face I'd ever seen to take care of myself, the winked and said she had something special coming in the next week and to make sure to come back and see her

-To the park ranger at the state park where I camp and hike a couple weekends a month; who always calls me "honey" or "sweetie" in the twangiest accent I've ever heard (and I'm from the South); who always tells me to be safe and enjoy the woods for her; whose eyes light up with the most true display of joy when I compliment her nails that she paints herself every week; who once during a freak cold snap with an unexpected inbound ice storm, stopped by my campsite in the evening with a cup of hot chocolate and an extra wool blanket, saying that she had to look after her regulars so we could save her from the tourists in the summertime

-To the owner of the Korean restaurant/cafe that I eat dinner and drink tea once a week; who lets me stay and work on my homework while I drink tea but only because she says I take my tea the same way she does, so we're "some kind of soulmates"; who argues with me about the tip that I give, but grudgingly accepts it in the end every time; who when I missed a couple weeks in a row when I was really sick, cupped my cheek when I sat down at my table and refused to give me my normal order, instead giving me a lovely soup and sending me home early with a bag of loose tea leaves and instructions on how to brew them to build back up my immunity; who sometimes when it's slow sits at my table with her back against the wall, watching the front door and humming quietly and out of tune to the kpop music in the background

I madly love all of you more than you could ever know. You provide me with the small connections to this world that keep me going.

[anarkhebringer]

I had a nap earlier and have been thinking about how the end of my therapy session ended earlier, and man. I AM gonna give this guy a run for his money.

I even gave a psychiatrist who thought he was all-knowing a run for his money and he said to my face that if he were to train new arrivals to the mental health scene, he'd use ME as their "test run" of having a patient. He said I made him "want chicken soup for his soul".

[wistfulenchantress]

completed.

EDIT: this has now, as of this edit, reached over 2,000 notes. And I have started doing the things. My life is still far from perfect, but I genuinely do scroll through all the replies and reblogs and watch people get other people to help and reassure me and check on me and it makes me feel so much more loved than i normally do. i'm even going to bed earlier because you said i should. i love all of you so much, and i owe you 2,053 times. all my love, witch.

ORIGINAL POST:

ok here goes. i haven't taken enough care of myself recently. so here we go

if this reaches 100 notes i will start doing yoga again, to help with my anxiety COMPLETE (how you guys are insane)

if this reaches 200 notes i'll start studying more and putting in more effort COMPLETE (o my gosh)

if it reaches 500 i will actually try my best to exercise for the right reasons, instead of random bursts of self-hatred/body hatred COMPLETE (i posted this yesterday evening)

if this reaches 700 notes i will try my absolute best to fix my sleep schedule COMPLETE (ok this is insane)

if this reaches 1000 notes i will be more honest with my therapist COMPLETE (dammit you guys ilysm but this is gonna be hard)

if this reaches 2300 notes i will be more honest with myself about why i am turning to tumblr for this kind of thing and write a poem about it. (this one is a joke since i think 5000 is impossible, and i will write a poem for you guys anyway. i love you) (i’ve now changed this to a more reasonable goal - one really close to what i have now - because honestly i want you guys to succeed because the fact that people are still on this post is insane and it makes me smile.) AND COMPLETE! (i love every person who interacted with this post so much it isn’t even funny. all my gratitude and adoration, witch)

this ends at the beginning of may. you can spam i guess i have 35 followers it prob wont even reach 100. but go ahead, tumblr, do your thing. lol

[doctor-wombat]

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