#the daily surprise of being in a bad mood (under/over stimulated)

[creativekat]

PTC : part ii

Pairing: Marcus Moreno x Fem!Reader

[ gif by @pascalsky​ ]

Word Count: 1,563

Rating: PG-13

Warnings: unintentional body piercing play

A/N: The response to the first part of this story was so overwhelming and we can’t thank you enough! @the-purity-pen​ and I are having so much fun writing this! Let me know if you’d like to be tagged on the next one! THANK YOU! Also, you can read Part One here!

It was Friday afternoon and you found yourself at the local grocery store. Often you went daily to pick up the few things you needed each night for dinner, but on Fridays you liked to shop for the whole weekend. That way you had time for any home projects and grading that you had to do. The problem was you weren’t quite sure what you were in the mood for which led to you wandering the aisles, picking things up here and there. 

You had just turned into the aisle with canned fruits and vegetables and were considering getting some canned peaches to make a cobbler when you heard a familiar voice call your last name, “Hello, how are you?” 

You turned to see Marcus Moreno walking toward you. You couldn’t help but smile, seeing him wearing jeans and a tee-shirt, “Did you play hooky from work today? Your secret’s safe with me, if you did.” Then tentatively you added, “And, if I’m supposed to call you Marcus, you should call me by my first name.” You gave him your name and a slight smile. You couldn’t help but notice how well his jeans fit him, not to mention how the t-shirt lovingly clung to his upper body. You suddenly became very interested in the label on a can of pineapple.

Marcus repeated your name softly as if committing it to memory. The way it rolled off his tongue made your heart skip a beat but you were busy occupying yourself with the can of pineapple. “No, no hooky today,” he laughed and the sound was so pleasant. It was different from the nervous man that had sat across from you to discuss his daughter.

Maybe it was the change of scenery or the fact that neither of you needed to be “on” while grocery shopping. “Missy is having a sleepover this weekend so I gotta stock up on some junk food,” he told you and shook his head. Somewhere deep in his mind he was mentally cursing himself for allowing a sleepover of five preteen girls to happen in his house. That definitely would have been better territory for his wife.

But Missy was making friends and that’s what mattered to him. He knew she felt left out of so many things whether it was because she didn’t have her own powers or because of being the leader of the Heroics’ kid. So her having friends that wanted to sleep over was a big deal. You were glad to hear that Missy was having a sleepover. You remembered going to a few when you were her age. You never hosted, but not because you didn’t want to, but because your parents wouldn’t allow it. Looking back their reasoning made sense, but at the time it had just felt like another punishment for being different. 

You looked up from the pineapple label and smiled sympathetically, “You have my sympathies. What do you have planned for activities?” Keeping a group of pre-teen kids from getting bored, even in each others’ company would be important. When they got bored, they got creative. And that was when bad things happened. “I can give you some ideas if you want. I was a pre-teen girl once.” You bit your lip and looked away, slightly embarrassed at the fairly obvious statement. 

His eyes scanned the aisle a bit, feeling like the conversation was going a bit stale. “Fruit in a can or fresh fruit? What’s your preference?” he asked as he leaned forward to grab a can of apple pie filling that was right next to you. As he leaned over, his voice was soft and velvety in your ear. 

You glanced at the can in his hand, “For pie? Depends. Have you made pie before?” You didn’t want to make any assumptions. Just because he was a man didn’t mean he wasn’t skilled in the kitchen. You pictured him standing at the counter, mixing up some delicious concoction, biceps moving as he stirred, and your mouth watered at the image. Your cheeks burned instantly.

“Yeah but,” he paused to read over the can, trying to ignore his desire to look you over. “It’s been a few years. I’m not much of a cook,” he mumbled with a nervous chuckle before turning to put the can in his cart. He turned back and moved closer to you and you felt a spark of desire run down your spine. You swallowed hard as he reached around you again, quietly apologizing for the intrusion.

But his eyes on you made him miss which can he was aiming for. His hand swept at the empty spot on the shelf and ended up knocking off three other cans in rapid succession. “Shit!” he cursed under his breath as his hand reached out, his powers manifesting to stop the metallic can from falling. 

You sucked your lip between your teeth fighting the urge to gasp or making any sounds revealing the pleasure his power had just elicited in you. Not only had his magnetic ability affected the cans on the shelf but it had pulled at the nipple piercings concealed beneath your shirt as well as the silver barbell that decorated your clitoris. Your nostrils flared with the effort to suppress the moan that nearly escaped your lips. 

Marcus looked at you questioningly at your obvious stress, but you merely smiled in return, your eyes blazing with unanticipated need. When you finally found your voice, it was higher than normal, “Something tells me you know your way around. A kitchen, I mean.” Your face bloomed with heat and you finally had to turn completely away. You leaned into your cart, faking the need to rearrange the items in your cart. 

Holding the caught can in his hand, he watched as you turned around towards your cart. He took a moment to straighten up at your words. “Uh, yeah a bit,” he said as he turned and put the can he had caught but not really wanted back onto the shelf. “My wife she, uh, she did most of the cooking and I know Missy misses it so I thought maybe a little cooking activity for the sleepover could be fun,” he rambled. When you didn’t turn around right away, he furrowed his brows and moved closer to you. “You okay?”

Your breast and clit still tingled from the stimulation they’d just received. But, of course, you couldn’t tell Marcus Moreno that. Taking a moment, you breathed in slowly through your nose then exhaled through your mouth. Finally you turned to face him, a smile on your face, “Oh yes, I’m fine.” After a moment of thought, your eyes brightened, “You could have them make their own personal pizzas!” Now that you were face to face again, you were reminded of just how handsome he was. 

Marcus was eyeing you, trying to figure out what had you so flustered. He cleared his throat and nodded at your admission of being fine. He figured he’d have to take it for what it was. But the way you brightened actually took him by surprise. You were standing a lot closer than he realized and for a moment his breath was taken away.

His brain fog finally cleared and he nodded slowly. “Personal pizzas? You think they’d like that?” he questioned and you were more than happy to give a strong nod of an answer, trying anything to quelch the burning deep in the pit of your stomach. 

Unfortunately, you couldn’t stop yourself from thinking, again, about the brief moment of pleasure he’d given you. Your mind ran with the thoughts of what other things he might be able to do. Distractedly, you grabbed a couple cans from the shelf and placed them in your cart causing Marcus to smile. You glanced down at what you’ve just dropped in there and cringe “I bet you thought people only used mincemeat at the Holidays." 

You looked at him, feeling like he could see right through you. After all, you were acting bizarre. He gave a small forced smile, trying to hide how confused he was at this interaction but laughed off your comment anyways. “It’s delicious,” he commented as he watched you. “Do you, uh,” his hand came to rub furiously at the back of his neck.

“Do you have any free time this afternoon? To, uh, I don’t know, help me find a recipe that would be easy for them?” his head dropped down as he asked but he pulled his hand from his neck and looked up at you with earnest puppy dog eyes. He figured since you were a teacher, you’d know what would be easy for their age group to follow as far as instructions.

Your eyes widened momentarily in surprise, but then you smiled, “Uhhh … I think so … I mean, yeah, I can clear my schedule.” You didn’t want to seem too eager to spend time with him. He was still Missy’s father. But, he was asking for help. There wasn’t any need to read too much into it.  You arranged a time to show up at his place and tried not to stare as he walked away. Once he was clear of the aisle, you reached into the cart and put the disgusting can of fruit back on its shelf.

[taeguboi]

BTS HC - Lockdown

In which each BTS member lives with y/n

I’m hoping these imagines might lighten the mood for anyone who might be feeling a bit lonely right now.

Please see the end of post first if you need some context or wish to see the notes

RM

Has good balance of me time and us time

steps back when you both need space

sitting in the back yard on some chair reading a book

taking in the sun

The restrictions don’t hinder him from making sure you both get plenty of sun and fresh air

it isn’t much but in week 1, he gave the back yard a little tidy up

turned it into a place to chill out

so there aren’t any flower planted or decor

but it makes all the difference

there’s chairs, a table and a parasol

to you, this is perfect

Spot of tea under cooler weather

or orange juice under the sun

Board games at the table in the back yard

you tried cards once out there but even just the slightest breeze...

“Goddammit!!!”

The card games are for when it rains

or for when neither of you quite feel like going out today

He swears you’re cheating at UNO

you swear he’s just really bad at it

turns out he keeps saving those wild 4 draw cards too long

which you gather over his last 3 rage quits 

because he just slings the cards, revealing them to you

“You play it too safe” you tell him

so he plays it a bit less safe

“Yes! Finally I won!”

“OH! Look at that!” you smile

he smiles back because of how proud you...

“...it’s sunny again!”

‘Goddammit y/n...’

Shopping trips together

not so helpful when the rules get stricter

“One adult at a time please...”

oh dear

who goes in?

so you go in

“Crap! Namjoon has the shopping list!”

this period of time really shows how you complete each other

pretty much every day you each think

“what would I do without him/her?”

Random talks

he tells you about this one book he read

and now you want to read it

so you do

and you can’t take your eyes off it

you find a new love for reading

so sometimes when you both need me time

you remain in the same room, just reading a book each

Every day you feel enlightened

almost sad at the thought of going back to normal life

because you won’t have as much time for yourself

Jin

Everyone is suddenly having the time to cook from scratch

imagine Jin’s frustration since he did this all along

so when certain things he usually gets aren’t in stock

“Oh for crying out loud!”

you sometimes have to calm him down when shopping

and since only 1 adult in at a time it’s like a really awkward phone call

you’re just stood outside alone like

“For Christ’s sake Jin! Calm down!”

but he makes every meal taste great anyway

“Sorry it doesn’t have the usual...”

“Jin, please!” you reply

because it’s still really yummy because

“you’re still the best cook in the world, okay?”

“Okay fine...” he sighs “Thank you”

can I just add here food is the only time you both get hysterical at each other

He still low key hoard particular ingredients when he FINALLY can get them

and you have to explain how irrational he’s being

“We don’t need SIX tubes of tomato puree!”

“Jin... How are we going to use up all THIS fruit and veg before it goes off?”

But he’s not selfish, no

if he’s in a shop and sees someone elderly, he helps them out

“Would you like me to reach that for you?”

“Do you need any toilet paper? There’s 2 packs left - here”

“Here’s my number; let me know if you need me to run any errands for you”

ahh you’re lucky to be living with such a gentleman

Daily walks in the park to feed the ducks

“This is the best kind of exercise” he tells you “...relaxed and where you can connect with nature”

some of the ducks at the beginning of the lockdown are a bit nutty

Jin may or may not be low key scared of that one goose

“I swear it’s giving me the evils”

it may or may not have chased him the second day in

“Wahhhhhh!!!”

*Jin running away in the distance*

You cooked for him that evening

“Honey, I don’t know how to put this...”

“Aw sweetie it’s okay about what happened in the park; I mean you were the one holding the bread and...”

“oh no no” he replies. “this meal is awful”

r00d

but it’s okay

you knew the minute you offered to make dinner it wasn’t going to turn out well

so you both agree the kitchen will be his space to work his magic in during lockdown

and he somehow gets better than he already is at cooking

just woowwww

foodgasm

but neither of you get podgy

Lazy exercises together

chair exercises watching the tv

small periods of jogging in the woods

“oh wow, what’s that?”

you come across some random squirrel

and all of a sudden trips to the park for that daily walk 

it turns into a nature watch

bird watching

luckily he forgets about the angry goose

Sometimes talking about what you miss

and then promising to do all of those things when everything is back to normal

so many plans

and it helps you both stay optimistic

because you just created a bunch of stuff to look forward to

Suga

Late night movie marathons

and accidentally getting into a routine of late mornings late nights

Cooking together

because neither of you want to do it

but someone has to

can’t live on instant food for all this time

Night time walks

less people, less danger

please don’t yell at me if we’re not supposed to do this in real life I haven’t actually been out that late during lockdown hahaha

it’s only around a few blocks

but deep talks, you know

There may not be much room in the back garden

but you have a ball and a hoop

basketball together

he teaches you to shoot better

“yes! I did it!”

*he hugs you from behind*

sorry that was gay

He’s actually quite chill about the whole lockdown situation

almost like he forgets the circumstances sometimes

“I think I might nip down to _____’s house today...”

“Uh, Yoongi, remember?”

“Oh yeah”

Detective series marathons too

the two of you trying to figure out whodunnit

sometimes even low key bets or light arguments if you disagree

a mildly sore loser when you’re correct

smug af when he is correct

Evenings lounging in the back yard with the drink of your choice

some quiet music on 

random hypothetical conversations and questions about life

“what if...”

“what happened to...”

“don’t you think that cloud looks like a goldfish?”

Board games that keep the brain stimulated

why is he so good at scrabble

you can’t recall a game you’ve won

but no monopoly

not after the last time

“I want a divorce!”

“We’re not married”

“Yet”

tbf you might as well be an old married couple

because there’s those films you just watch over and over

close to unlocking the power of mind reading

“want a cup of tea?”

“omg I was about to ask that”

Some days you get on each other’s nerves a little though

so you each occupy yourselves with little chores

and even though you weren’t in the mood to do anything together

you’ve just made the house look great in a day as a team

and you’ve got everything you need just in time for dinner

“I’m proud of us”

“I’m proud of us too”

J-Hope

Picnics in the back garden

much better than one in the park though

there’s no packing involved

there’s cushions

sometimes low key fine dining

your favourite is the one evening picnic the other day

you had been shopping alone for the essentials

and he wanted to surprise you

he had set up a makeshift table out of a few old crates

did the cooking

the pasta dish was lovely

there was even dessert

okay the dessert was M&S

fairy lights

seriously you swear you weren’t out for that long how did he manage all of this so fast?

wine

staring at the stars

and there were blankets too

dozing off until early hours of the morning

finally coming indoors at like 2am

sleeping in til noon oops haha

then binge watching some random show together 

and now it’s your new favourite

For some reason you have a big stock of popcorn

watching any old crap on the TV as an excuse to eat it

like there’s 3 films on this afternoon that sound shite

but you’re going to watch them all anyway

and the third one is actually really good

more popcorn more films

“we should probably go out at some point...”

whoops it’s been like 4 days now

and now it’s raining damn

fuck it, you go out anyway

dancing in the rain in an empty park

followed by shivering on the walk home

he gets in the shower first

but then runs a lovely hot bath for you

candles, bubble bath, the works

just so you can have some relaxing time to yourself

so thoughtful

lockdown doesn’t mean needing to compromise on showing you love each other

Jimin

You’re not quite sure how you got pulled into this

but Jimin decided to make use of his YouTube following

Virtual dance classes

and fun little exercise sessions for all the family

He does the dance classes solo

but he loves to flaunt you to the world even in lockdown

“Today joining me for this session... my lovely significant other, y/n!”

at first you felt uncertain and a little conscious

but thanks to Jimin your confidence grew

He helps you stay positive during a tough time

and you even feel like your self improvement has been going amazingly well

he even inspires you to make your own channel

to show the world what you love; [insert hobby/interest here]

people love the both of you

they go to Jimin’s channel to keep fit and happy

and your channel just fills them with joy

But not everything revolves around the virtual world

Care packages for all of your friends

food and other essentials get mailed to the ones that lost their jobs

and for the ones still working, a bundle of stuff for their mental well being

and a little drawing with rainbow colours in each

and a positive message

Woolly jumpers, cushions and hot chocolate

sweater paws

Sometimes in the evening you doze off

like you fall asleep just as you are

and you wake up to the smell of food and a blanket over you

Sometimes you miss your friends

and Jimin hates to see you down

so he organises a big surprise

his hands over your eyes as he walks you into the living room

“surprise!” you hear over the laptop

and then Jimin hands you some gifts 

he asked them all a few days ago to send you something meaningful

and your heart just melts

and you may or may not cry a little in front of your friends on the video call

you just have to do something in return so

You make the living room all nice whilst he’s making a video in the garden

wow you’re actually quite proud

the lighting is just right

the improv decor is actually somewhat aesthetic

“Honey, why’s it so dull in here..... Woah, what’s this?”

“Dinner’s ready” you smile

and you have a gift for him too

you can’t wipe the smile off his face when he sees it

a scrapbook of memories between you and him

which you look through after eating

“We’re going to make more memories like this once this blows over”

V

Lots of online socialising

Calls with his friends 

which you always end up being a part of in the background with your commentaries

Cute online double dates with Jimin and/or your best friend

Will try everything and anything to kill the boredom

“look what I found in the bargain bin at the supermarket!”

“Tae, I’m not really sure I’m in the mood to take up crocheting...”

but actually it turns out to be more fun that you thought

he has his little ways of making everything fun

one day you guys just find some random paints in a cupboard

and WOW

he’s so good at it

such beautiful landscapes

Makes sure that you both maintain some sort of routine

“best make sure we have an early night lovely”

“why? it’s not like there’s much to do tomorrow”

but no matter how sceptical you may be at times

he’s determined to be your sunshine

he helps you stay sane

makes everything sound productive

“because tomorrow we are going to make a playlist for when we walk, feed the ducks, go shopping, learn how to make a new dish...”

makes you a cup of tea just because

or breakfast in bed

the perfect companion

caring about even the people he can’t physically be with

“we haven’t heard from _____ in a while; we should drop a phone call or something”

but it isn’t just a phone call

it’s also a letter in the mail a few days later

plus a painting for the close friends

Dressing up really formal for a home date

3 course meal, courtesy of the microwave

then a slow dance in the living room

always the romantic

“tonight was amazing... will I see you again?”

“you are terrible Tae, you really are!”

such a joker

he keeps you smiling through it all

Jungkook

Tries to get you to go on daily jogs with him

“Can’t I just walk?”

“Come on, y/n; get those endorphins running through you!”

you try like once

*wheezing*

nope

Nintendo switch

Not that I have one welp

I can just imagine it okay

Lots of active games

thrashes you at Wii Sports Tennis

but you whoop his ass at Bowling

he does most of the shopping

so that he can go for a jog first

and also so he’s not out too often in any one day, two birds one stone and all that

Doesn’t quite always get the shopping list right….

“Jungkook?”

“Yes?”

“I wrote 1-2 bananas… You’ve brought back 12”

blames your handwriting

Small bits of banter like this keep you both sane

and he eats all those bananas in like 2 days

“What? There was no cereal in the shop”

someone teach this boy to cook please

*brings back like a crate load of instant noodles*

at least it means you’ve come up with something to pass the time

teaching Jungkook some basic meals

maybe beginning with breakfast first thing in the morning wasn’t the best idea

“Jungkook! I said keep an eye on it!”

“I did”

and he literally just watched the bacon burn instead of regularly flipping it over

bless

Singing to you whilst snuggling on the couch

bliss

meme-y dances before bed time

like you’ll be sat in bed maybe watching tv / reading

and something moves in the corner of your eye

oh my word Jungkook

*insert all the meme-y dances you have even seen him do*

the biggest dork

can’t stop laughing at his own silliness afterwards

jumps into the bed and puts his head on your shoulder

falls asleep like this quite fast

well you aren’t surprised since he’s always so energetic

Small campfires in the back garden

the best marshmallows you’ve ever had

and it’s so much fun

campfire stories

usually people have a guitar around the fire

not Jungkook though, no

*serenades you with a ukulele purposely singing out of tune*

has you in stitches

people in the neighbouring houses hear the laughter and some think it’s insensitive to be laughing so much

but seriously, if you can’t laugh, what can you do?

So I thought I’d make a post around the strange times many of us are living in. Whilst I get that some readers may not be in a situation like mine (UK) so a quick bit of context for you even though I made the location / country ambiguous in my writing. The circumstances explained in the imagines though are of course based on my experiences in England.

Right now, we are limited in what we do; only essential shops are open, (supermarkets, pharmacies, etc,) the country is being advised to go out as little as possible, (only for food shopping, medical reasons and exercise,) social gatherings aren’t allowed, our death rate has been increasing due to the virus (even our prime minister has it,) and our NHS is overwhelmed - currently more than 10,000 being treated as I’m listening to the news and writing this note. 

I hope everyone is staying safe and doing the right thing by staying indoors and maintaining social distancing.

[smuttymess]

bts astro soulmate reading | for binta

sign: aries sun | capricorn moon | taurus rising

lover: park jimin | soulmate: kim seokjin

This reading is for Binta, a Minimoni double bias with a terrible case of Jungkook fever which she’ll likely never recover from. I really hope to be able to meet you post-COVID/general world mayhem. Please enjoy <3

Intelligent, strong-willed, perceptive - is there anything you can’t do when you put your mind to it, dear Aries? You are a force to be reckoned with, and there is no doubt that you make an impact in all areas of your life from work, friendships, and romance. It is this fire that draws people to you, and it is pretty common to find you in the center of attention in your social world, attracting friends and lovers alike. With your rising in Taurus, you are known to be practical, valuing a slow and steady approach to life that others see and appreciate. This level-headedness when paired with your ambition, means that you are trustworthy and able to see things through to completion. Valuing constancy in your life, you are able to achieve a nice balance given your ability to stick to your guns in all matters and rarely get distracted with frivolity. While you have your insecurities like anyone else, you are able to push these aside and focus on what is in front of you, which is the entire world at your feet. Your signature Aries assertiveness and Taurus practicality are nicely complimented by your Capricorn moon, which hides a softer, more sensual side which you know how to use wisely. It is not that you are disingenuous, but rather your gentler demeanor is somewhat of an persona that you can - and do - use to your advantage. Your most powerful self exists as a strong flame simmering beneath a calm, kind exterior that is both magnetic and enigmatic to those in your orbit. 

You, miss, are an opportunist. Not that this is a bad thing - its just that you know exactly what steps to take to get what you want. When you hear from a friend that Park Jimin will be in your city play at a secret show, you know at once that he is what you want. After all, you’ve been keeping tabs on him on social media and so why not shoot your shot? After all, despite your occasional self-doubt, you have an extremely high success rate. Equally alluring but seemingly aloof, it is not surprising when Jimin locks eyes with you from the stage during a particularly sexy section of the show. As with every time he is on stage, Jimin is is full Libra seduction mode, his fingers gently gripping the mic stand while fully immersed in the song. Occasionally lifting his eyes above the mic to stare at you before flashing a sly smile, you are fully aware that he is toying with you. Will you play?

In the game of flirtation, you are notoriously hard-to-get and he enjoys the chase. It is not until almost an hour after he converses with the numbers of fans that he saunters over to you, immediately disarming you with his signature irresistible charm. Your outer self wants to take things slowly, but your inner world wants to fuck him right then and there as he undresses you with his eyes. In talking to him, however, you sense an emotional depth to him that is hidden under the sultry stage persona - he is sweet, and even a little shy when met with your powerful gaze. It is this sweetness that you explore together in the hours, and eventually months, that follow this initial meeting. 

Jimin, the unattainable Libra celebrity that can have literally anyone he wants, is essentially putty in your hands as you start hooking up. His ability to lean back and happily let you take the ropes further enhancing the spectrum of your Aries confidence, allowing you to really shine. You two are polar opposite signs, with you drawn to his expressive, romantic and optimistic approach to life (thanks to Jupiter in Sagittarius) and he to your passionate, determined and fiery nature. While anyone could stimulate him physically, you turn him on with mental challenges and intellect. He is mystified by you and wants to do nothing more than please you. Sex with Jimin is light, energetic, fun - a lovely escape from the intensity of your daily life. There is no such thing as a quickie with him, as he wants to enjoy every moment with you, drawing out every bit of your orgasm before licking it all up. Jimin’s teasing nature does not end on stage, and it is unlikely you will ever meet someone else more skilled with foreplay than him. His goal is to make you shed your walls and make you entirely his, if only for the moment, before engulfing you in his arms and holding you close.

Ultimately, Jimin’s popularity and flirtatious tendencies along with your equally chaotic schedules prove to be too much for your romantic relationship to withstand as you are both prone to extreme jealousy. He adores you when he is with you, but cannot give you the full commitment that your sensitive heart desires (though you may never admit it.)  You find that your small arguments turn to larger ones more regularly, leaving you both unsettled and uncertain - with his Gemini moon much more sensitive to moods and irritability. When he is away, you find you spend more time worrying about his faithfulness than other areas of life, which you cannot afford to do when there is so much you want to explore and accomplish. However painful, it becomes necessary for you two to part ways - though not before fucking several more times.

It is likely that after the end of this unexpected relationship with Jimin that you seek solace in work projects, throwing yourself fully into your career. You enjoy environments where there are clear paths to growth, and the workplace is one space in which you truly excel, with an ability to work hard, accomplish tasks, and foster beneficial relationships along the way. This innate combination of intelligence and perceptiveness is what makes you one of the most successful signs of the zodiac.

This natural charisma is exactly what draws Kim Seokjin to you when you are both attending a company fundraising event at which he is a keynote speaker. Immediately upon laying eyes on him, you are drawn to his energy and charm (his Mercury in Scorpio in the spotlight.) The man knows how to work a room, in a genuine, strategic and precise manner that deeply appeals to your driven, passionate nature. Also, yes, he’s fucking gorgeous and you can’t help but imagine how he would look between your thighs. In that moment, you decide you must meet him and - in true Aries form - place yourself perfectly in his direct line of vision, effectively making sure he has no choice but to see you as he finishes shaking hands with benefactors and all the important executives. You can feel your hear race as his eyes move steadily from your eyes down the curves highlighted by your chosen dress for the evening.

Aries and Sagittarius are notoriously known for being fickle in terms of your relationships as you can quickly become bored, despite your deep desire for commitment. Soon into the dating process you realize your fiery signs may have found their match - keeping each other toes with your ability to juggle and hop between your vast interests and knowledge of everything from philosophy to travel to food, which you enjoy to the fullest. You appreciate his strength, confidence and his insatiable lust for life, which allows this less inhibited and spontaneous side of you to flourish as well, despite your initial stubbornness in wanting to follow the standard rules of dating and adhere to your rational "good girl” persona that you’ve built up over the years.

Jin takes your whole slow-and-steady, protocol-oriented mask and wholeheartedly rejects it, promptly throwing you into a whirlwind romance. Jin’s ethos is that life is meant to be experienced, savored and devoured - and he does that quite well. You’re pleasantly surprised to find yourself, on the third date, sky high in the passenger seat of a helicopter with Jin’s lips on your neck and fingers against your clit. Jin’s uninhibited spontaneity naturally extends into your sex life, which is intense, dynamic and fiery (of course). You two have no shortage of joint business events, on the way home from which you tear each others clothes off in a frenzy while he plants kisses all over your body. There is nothing that he enjoys more than hearing you moan his name into his ear, and no he does not care if it is in the back of his valet or against the floor-to-ceiling windows of whatever hotel he’s booked for the two of you that night. Jin’s range is extensive, moving from dominating and in control in the literal driver’s seat to completely submissive to your touch as your lips wrap around his cock while on your knees in front of the fireplace.  While not for public eyes whatsoever, he believes sex, like everything else, is meant to be enjoyed in all ways, in all forms, and all places, and he makes you feel secure in exploring this life accordingly with him by your side - or behind, or on top.

Ultimately, as a couple, you are able to achieve great things while as co-pilots. You are a great match matched in that both of you need to be moving at all times, either towards adventure or a new goal, and require independence on a deeper, more profound level than any other sign combo in the zodiac. You approach each others’ chaotic schedules with complete understanding, knowing that soon enough you’ll be met with a black car ready to take you to the jet to meet him at whatever location he has (spontaneously!) chosen on the map and for a proper reunion. Your Taurus rising can make you prone to stubbornness, preferring to stick to your guns over taking too much risk, and Jin is able to get your out of your own way and remind you of how amazing you are - even when you are feeling less than perfect. While he can be overly blunt and brash in his approach to communication, with patience you are able to access his more romantic, serious, passionate nature of his Venus in Capricorn which gives your emotional Capricorn the tenderness and care that it craves. You see through each others’ confident exteriors into your more sensitive sides, which you are able to reveal only to those you really trust. It is important for you to live authentically and without restriction, and in each other you find someone that is equally imperfect but also constantly strives for excellence in their everyday lives. Together, you build a harmonious life with equal parts adventure, friendship, spontaneity, comfort, and unbreakable trust. 

[cummunication]

Are you Dating a Sociopath?

1 in 25. Research indicates that’s how many people are diagnosable sociopaths. When it comes to psychopaths, (luckily) the number is higher… 1 in 100. But let’s not get them confused. “Sociopaths are often called psychopaths and vice versa but there are differences between a psychopath and a sociopath. … And while sociopaths and psychopaths do share some traits, sociopathy (antisocial personality disorder) is generally considered less severe than psychopathy.” For example, a sociopath might be someone who takes advantage of others for money, fame, sex etc. while a psychopath is more likely to be a serial killer and commit mass murders. You can go your entire life without anyone knowing you’re a sociopath while psychopaths are the people more likely to commit severe crimes and end up in jail.

Antisocial personality disorder is the diagnosis in which sociopathy and psychopathy fall (cluster B) and it has been on the rise over the years. If you’re swiping daily on tinder, how many people do you pass each day? (I wouldn’t know because I’m not on the app but I suspect a decent amount). Let’s say you swipe 25 times each day. That means over the span of one week you have passed roughly 7 sociopaths. This can be alarming whilst dating because sociopaths don’t look like Hannibal Lecter and you can’t tell someone is mentally ill by looking at them. Sociopath’s actually tend to be extremely alluring and charismatic. It’s no surprise you may end up falling for one and not find out until it’s “too late”. So what are signs to look out for? Could you actually be dating a sociopath? Let’s learn more.  

“When you’re in love, it’s easy to gloss over some of your partner’s less flattering traits. But if your gut tells you something might really be off with this person, don’t write off those feelings ― especially if you suspect they could be a sociopath. Sociopaths don’t look like the Joker and show up cackling and howling and ready to manipulate They’re not always so easy to recognize. They can appear to be the guy next door. And until you get to know them, you wouldn’t necessarily know they are sociopaths. So what is a sociopath exactly? Characteristics include a persistent disregard for right and wrong, a tendency to lie and manipulate others, a lack of empathy and remorse, emotional volatility, an inflated ego, and engaging in impulsive and irresponsible behavior. And though the label is frequently used in the media and pop culture, it’s not actually a clinical term. The closest clinical diagnosis would be antisocial personality disorder, which is characterized by a pattern of disregarding or violating social norms, laws and the rights of others without remorse ― not being a loner, as the name might suggest. It’s estimated that roughly 3 percent of men and 1 percent of women meet the criteria for antisocial personality disorder. It’s worth noting that some experts prefer to use the term “psychopath” instead. Some use sociopath and psychopath interchangeably to describe a person with a more extreme case of antisocial personality disorder. Others, contend sociopaths and psychopaths are similar, but differ in some key ways ― for example, sociopaths lack empathy but are capable of it, while psychopaths are incapable of it altogether.” If you frequent my blog you are well aware I was in a life-threatening relationship several years ago. Although my ex never sought professional help (as many sociopaths don’t) I would bet my life on him being a sociopath. Since I am not a licensed professional, I can not technically diagnose him but like I said, I’d bet my life on it. I’ve also had my mental health professionals refer to him having a personality disorder… narcissistic, borderline as well as sociopathy. In the beginning, he was beyond everything I could’ve asked for. Little did I know what was to come or who he was behind the mask. If only I’d known what to lookout for I might’ve saved myself years of misery. So due to my own experiences I’m here to help you. Here are some of the most prevalent, common warning signs you or a loved one may be in a dangerous relationship with a sociopath. “RED FLAG #1. Having an over-sized ego. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V) notes that sociopaths have an inflated sense of self. They are narcissists to the extreme, with a huge sense of entitlement. They tend to blame others for their own failures. They prey on your good qualities. People with sociopathic tendencies are accustomed to lying, so it’s not as hard for them to fake feelings. Some sociopaths are skilled at pretending they’re wounded and hurt. Sometimes a sociopath will target a woman because she’s big-hearted and maternal and vulnerable to wanting to care for someone who’s been emotionally hurt.” RED FLAG #2. Lying and exhibiting manipulative behavior. Sociopaths use deceit and manipulation on a regular basis. Why? Lying for the sake of lying. Lying just to see whether you can trick people. And sometimes telling larger lies to get larger effects. Their professions of love feel false and hollow. They often will say things like, ‘You’re the girl I’ve always wanted.“ Or, ‘I couldn’t be luckier to find someone like you.’ Sort of pat, trope, cliche expressions, as if they heard that in a movie and they’re merely repeating it. Their professions of love and caring do not feel genuine. Something about it feels off. They do not feel emotions in the same way that regular people do. What they do is see others express emotions in real life or on TV and then they mimic them.” My ex-boyfriend once dropped off a note on my car while we had been broken up and I had gone no contact for several weeks. What first appeared as a heartfelt, long, love letter, I later found out he copied off the internet. Of course he claimed to have created this beautiful poem himself but I guess he forgot the internet is a thing and how easy it would be to access the lyrics. Needless to say, it didn’t mean much after I found out it was copyrighted. “RED FLAG #3. Exhibiting lack of empathy. They don’t really have the meaningful emotional inner worlds that most people have and perhaps because of that they can’t really imagine or feel the emotional worlds of other people. It’s very foreign to them. They treat you or others with contempt and cruelty. You might also want to observe not just how they treat you, but how they treat other people in the room. Sometimes you’ll catch them behaving heartlessly to someone when they don’t know you’re watching. RED FLAG #4. Showing a lack of remorse or shame. The DSM-V entry on antisocial personality disorder indicates that sociopaths lack remorse, guilt or shame. They have volatile mood swings. This person might have unexpected, unstable and abrupt mood swings. You say something and suddenly they go into rage. A sociopath likes to control and manipulate. So if they thought their ability to control was being threatened, that might send them into a tizzy. RED FLAG #5. Staying eerily calm in scary or dangerous situations. A sociopath might not be anxious following a car accident, for instance. Experiments have shown that while normal people show fear when they see disturbing images or are threatened with electric shocks, sociopaths tend not to.” This is due to a difference in biology. FMRI scans show people with antisocial personality disorder have a different sized amygdala than someone without. This physiological difference may explain their constant need for stimulation as the amygdala also known as the “fight or flight” part of the brain, is in charge of emotions such as fear; which sociopath’s display less of. “RED FLAG #6. Behaving irresponsibly or with extreme impulsivity. Sociopaths bounce from goal to goal, and act on the spur of the moment, according to the DSM. They can be irresponsible when it comes to their finances and their obligations to other people. They may have a criminal past and refuse to take any responsibility for those misdeeds. Particularly if they tell you there was a criminal past but say, ‘It’s not my fault. They just did it to me. I happened to be in the wrong place and I was blamed.” Side note - My ex happened to say the same exact thing when he was convicted of a felony. According to him, however, nothing was ever his fault. “They’re constantly making messes you’re left to clean up. There would be regular crises in your life related to money going missing, or other relationships with family or friends breaking down, this is because the psychopath prioritizes his or her needs and enjoys risk-taking and sensation-seeking behavior. You would be left to clean up the mess. RED FLAG #10. Showing disregard for societal norms. They break rules and laws because they don’t believe society’s rules apply to them.” My ex boyfriend would smoke cigarettes inside of public restaurants, and whip out his penis in the middle of a family park. He would also frequently disregard traffic signs and make safety violations while driving. I’m not sure if he did this to be funny, to scare me, or because he felt he was above the law. Perhaps it was a mixture of all three. “They are also extremely controlling. You begin to detect that your partner is excessively controlling, dictating when, where, what time and under what circumstances you’re going to get together. They attempt to manipulate your behavior and control who your friends are and your activities. RED FLAG #7. Having few friends. Sociopaths tend not to have friends—not real ones, anyway. Sociopaths don’t want friends, unless they need them. Or all of their friends are superficially connected with them, friends by association. They don’t have many friends or close relationships. The individual is very, very evasive about their personal life and details of past relationships and very overly guarded and evasive. And if they get irritated when you probe them about it, that could be a bad sign. RED FLAG #8. Being charming—but only superficially. Sociopaths can be very charismatic and friendly — because they know it will help them get what they want. They are expert con artists and always have a secret agenda. People are so amazed when they find that someone is a sociopath because they’re so amazingly effective at blending in. They’re masters of disguise. Their main tool to keep them from being discovered is a creation of an outer personality. They seem too good to be true. They are that man or woman at a club or at a bar who just seems to be paying you too much attention and is too solicitous. However, you quite like the attention. That’s the thing about psychopaths: They can at first be fun to be around, and so you get drawn in. They need to do this, as they are later going to use you and all the information that they have extracted from you during this courting phase. They establish a closeness only in as much as it is useful to them. There’s something glib about their charm. There’s no depth to it. It can be turned on and off. RED FLAG #9. Living by the “pleasure principle. If it feels good and they are able to avoid consequences, they will do it! They live their life in the fast lane — to the extreme — seeking stimulation, excitement and pleasure from wherever they can get it. RED FLAG #11. Having “intense” eyes. Sociopaths have no problem with maintaining uninterrupted eye contact. failure to look away politely is also perceived as being aggressive or seductive.” I’d like to add, even if your partner does in fact, have many or all these characteristics, if you are indeed in a relationship with a sociopath you might dismiss them and brush it off as being “all in your head”. This is due to something called “gas-lighting” which is a manipulative tactic sociopaths use to make you believe you’re crazy. That’s why it can be so difficult to end a relationship with a toxic person. I’d like to reassure you if you suspect something is up with your significant other, you’re probably right. Especially if you spend a decent amount of time researching “am I in an abusive relationship” or look up videos on sociopaths. They’re very good at making you doubt yourself so you don’t leave them. I’d suggest listening to your intuition. Your instincts are there it just becomes harder to recognize while dating a dysfunctional person who abuses you. I hope this helped in even the slightest way. Feel free to reach out with any further questions or comments. Help is available and you are not alone. Contact the national domestic violence hotline for more information/resources.

[thefandomlesbian]

Can I make a drabble request of 9 and 101 for Bananun (non-posessed)?

Okay, these both turned out to be way longer than anticipated, and one of them is a crackfic that I decided to combine with a request I had from someone on Twitter (write about Mary Eunice and Lana having a Kong toy birth fetish). Anyway, I’ve got them separated so you can examine both of them at your leisure!

Both are set in TLaG universe after the end of TLaG, but don’t contain any spoilers. The first one is NSFW, but the second one is SFW! 

. 

.

.

“Quit It Or I’ll Bite” 

“Hey--Mary Eunice?” Lana rushed through the front door heavily laden with bags from her errands. Mary Eunice came up the hall with a curious look on her face, wearing gloves from bleaching out the bathtub and the sink. “Sorry.” Lana cleared her throat. “Sorry, I--I forgot to run by the bank, and I’ve got to make a house payment unless we want to be homeless. Can you put these away?”

She stripped off the gloves. “Sure thing.” She took everything into the kitchen and gave Lana a quick kiss before sending her back out the door. Gus lay in front of the television, watching the empty screen like he was totally riveted by the nothingness there.

The house was silent in Lana’s absence. Mary Eunice put all of the groceries into the refrigerator. In the last bag, she pulled out a strangely-shaped object, round and bulbous. Is this… a dildo? Her cheeks flushed as she turned it in her hand. The rubber material was unlike any dildo she had seen before--but, then again, her experience with them was quite limited. She had wondered aloud, the last time Lana had worn her strap-on, if they could potentially upgrade to a larger model, but she hadn’t expected to find the surprise in a bag of groceries.

Turning the thing in her hand, she squeezed it, finding it somewhat flexible but still firm. It was hollow on the inside. Closing her eyes, she imagined what she could do with it--Lana, pushing it into her until it disappeared from view, then sticking her fingers into it to stimulate her through the toy. Oh, boy, I like this. Mary Eunice licked her lips and picked up the toy, lifting it, stroking it. I could get started now and surprise her? Her face turned red and burned all over. Would Lana want to enjoy something like that? Could she even do something like that by herself? She knew Lana sometimes touched herself, but she had never lost her shame enough to do it herself. It won’t be so bad. Lana will be home soon. Mind made up, she headed down the hall to the bedroom and closed the door so Gus wouldn’t follow her. The dog waited outside the bedroom door. She could hear him panting before he settled down outside, lying on the carpet.

Crawling up onto the bed, Mary Eunice peeled the blankets back and then held the toy in her lap. How am I going to go about this? She spun it around a few times. It was bigger than the usual strap-on Lana wore, but she was confident she could get it to fit; it wasn’t too big. Lana always prepared her well with her fingers before she used the strap-on. I can do that myself. I just have to think about Lana. After all, being with Lana always put her in the mood. If she dreamed hard enough, she could make it happen.

Mary Eunice put the toy aside and unbuttoned her blouse, tossing it aside, along with her bra and her skirt and her panties. She left on her socks. Don’t want my feet to get cold. Sitting there naked on the bed, she felt exposed, so she tucked herself under the blankets. She closed her eyes. A long, easy breath puffed from her nose, and she began to imagine.

Lana’s hands moved all over her bare skin. There she was, clear in her mind--beautiful as she was in daily life, with her dark hair forming a curtain around her face and eyes sparkling with love and lust. Their lips caught. Hands combed over her from head to toe. They were her own hands, but she pretended and wished they were Lana’s. The fingers paused at her breasts, spreading out over her nipples, then flicking over them, back and forth, back and forth. In her mind, Lana suckled on her breasts. “Mmh.” She tossed her head back with a thin sound. The blankets around her fluttered. “Oh…” Tweaking her own nipples was weird--it felt wrong, perverted--but she enjoyed it and the familiar wetness building between her thighs.

Lana kissed her viciously in her fantasy. She caved to her girlfriend’s whims and allowed her back to strike the wall. She adored when Lana pushed her up against the wall. Something about it, about having the solid support behind her while Lana worshipped her body, made her feel safe. Hands spread her legs apart. First, Lana tweaked her clitoris. Mary Eunice poked around a few times before she found it. She had never had to locate it on herself before. Now, she fumbled with the sensitive place with her middle finger.

After a few circles around her tight, erect clitoris, a finger slid into her body. I’m not as wet as usual. She pushed it in and out a few times, imagining Lana sitting on top of her, her breasts swaying as she held eye contact with her and humped her thigh. “Mm…” Making noise felt awkward, but she liked the way it sounded. An involuntary twitch worked its way up her clitoris. Her vagina grew wetter, slicker, as she worked to curl her finger forward. The familiar, sensitive place inside of her was rough to the touch. She had never felt it before. But it ached with need as she massaged it with her fingertips.

Imaginary Lana smirked at her and curled another finger into her body. Mary Eunice allowed her ring finger to push into her with a grunt of effort. The stinging sensation was familiar as her body stretched to accommodate the slightly larger piece. “Mmm…” Lana seemed to know how to do it with less pain, but Mary Eunice was flying solo. She had never penetrated herself before, and Lana never wanted to be penetrated, either. She puffed out a sigh to force herself to relax. As she did, the pain dissipated, and she worked both fingers inside herself, working her clitoris with her other hand. Lana’s voice echoed in her mind. “Ngh…”

The familiar pressure built in the pit of Mary Eunice’s stomach. Don’t you dare! She was doing this to surprise Lana. It would hardly be a surprise if she had already gotten off by the time Lana arrived. Grunting with effort, she removed her hand from her clitoris, though it left her needy and desperate, and her hips gyrated of their own accord, aching for more pressure on the sensitive nub. This is so uncomfortable! Lana never withheld orgasms from her. Lana always gratified her. Holding herself back was uncharted territory, much like the rest of the venture of touching herself. I’m not as good at this as Lana is.

Hand shaking, Mary Eunice fumbled on top of the covers and grappled around for the toy with its bulbs shaped like an ideal snowman, but red and rubbery instead of white and cold. She held it against her vulva. How do I get it in there? I can’t see! She pushed herself up onto her elbows. Pressing the small end right against the vestibule of her vagina, she pressed with one finger. Meager strain of her forearm pushed the tip of it inside of her. A quiver passed through her. Relax… Falling back onto the pillows, she released a sigh so her walls would relax enough for her to push the toy into herself up to the second bulge.

At that point, the familiar sting of stretching stopped her. She waited for it to pass, and then she pushed with her fingers again, slipping her fingers into the toy as she propelled it deeper inside her body. “Ack!” The initial pain faded as the bulges massaged the sensitive spot inside of her. Puffing with effort, Mary Eunice ground her hips upward on the air, on nothing at all, trying to get some relief on her clitoris, which had swollen and erected itself with need as she didn’t touch it. Holding the toy inside of herself drove her goosebumps upward. Her nipples pebbled with the chill. She drew her legs back, hiking them up, and impossibly, the movement deepened the penetration.

The house shook as Lana closed the front door. “I’m home!” Her voice echoed down the hall. “What’s for dinner?” It’s not food, but it is edible… “Hey--where’d you go? Mary Eunice?”

Clearing her throat, she lifted her head from the pillow, drawing the covers off of her naked body to put herself on full display for Lana. “Lana! I, um, I’m in the bedroom!” she called, projecting her voice. “I--I need your help with something!” What if she doesn’t like it?

Her girlfriend’s footsteps echoed down the hallway as she approached. She opened the door and entered the room. “What’s--” She stopped at the sight of Mary Eunice. “Whoa.” A pink blush tingled all over Mary Eunice’s face. Lana closed the bedroom door like she feared someone else would see. “What are you--Why are you--oh my god.” Mary Eunice curled her toes in her socks, wiggling with discomfort on the bed. “You, um, wow. What are you doing?”

“I--” Suddenly, this felt like less of a good idea. “I found--in the groceries, you bought the, um, the thicker toy I asked for--I thought I’d give it a try and surprise you.”

“I didn’t buy a thicker toy--Why would I buy a thicker dildo at the grocery store?”

Mary Eunice shrugged. “I don’t know. The red thing with the three bulbs, and the hole--”

Lana’s face melted with blush. “Oh my god.” She covered her face with her hands. “Sweetheart, that’s--that’s not a dildo.” Mary Eunice’s eyes widened. “It’s a dog toy. It’s for Gus. The hole is to fill it up with peanut butter.” Oh, heavens. “Where--Where is it?”

Pinching her legs tighter together, Mary Eunice gave a wobbly smirk to her girlfriend. Lana held her gaze, arching an eyebrow in question. Mary Eunice arched back in answer. Then, she eased her legs apart. “Come and get it?” she invited in a meek voice.

To her surprise, a laugh broke Lana’s facade, and she eased into the bed beside her. “Well, I suppose, since you’ve already been using it…” Mary Eunice rolled onto her side to kiss her. Lana tilted her head back with her thumb trailing down her jaw onto the pulse point of her neck. “I can’t believe you did this.” She kissed her hard on the mouth. Mary Eunice caved to every place Lana placed her hands, swaying underneath her, her hands hooking under Lana’s sweater and drawing it upward, up over her head. “How long have you been like this?”

“Long enough to be burning for you.” At Mary Eunice’s words, Lana relieved herself of her bra and slipped out of her skirt. “I--I can feel it inside of me--” She gulped around her words, tilting her head back as Lana, newly naked, slid down her body and peppered kisses across her collarbones and the upper part of her chest. “Moving. The biggest bulge is right--right there…” Lana wrapped her hot mouth around her nipple. “Ugh! Ngh, Lana, that feels good.” She arched her back into the sensation. Lana sucking on her breasts scratched an itch tingling between her legs, but it also strengthened the itch. “Lana, please, I’m burning! I need you!”

Lana eased down between her legs and spread out her thighs with a hand on each one. “You’re really close,” she observed in a whisper. Mary Eunice bobbed her head eagerly. “Hm… Maybe I should have let you finish yourself. You’re so pretty when you’re needy.” Lana touched one fingertip to her clitoris, but she didn’t tweak it or move it. She held it there, using more pressure with each passing moment. “You’ve never been denied, have you? I always give you exactly what you need.” Mary Eunice nodded. “But I like seeing you like this. All spread out and eager, asking for me to take you… I like it a lot. Can I savor it for a little while?” Savor it? Mary Eunice stifled her whine by closing her mouth, eyes fixed on Lana, hoping for more clarification. “You know… Draw it out. You make me so wet. Do you mind?”

She minded. She minded a lot. But Lana gave her so much, and her brown eyes glowed with desire, and Mary Eunice could think of denying her nothing. She shook her head. “D-Do what you like,” she whispered. Lana lifted up one of her legs and planted a tender kiss on the inside of her thigh. Mary Eunice trembled. “I’m so full--” As she spoke, Lana’s fingers dropped to her vulva, drawing around it, careful not to touch her engorged clitoris. “Oh, my word!”

A single long finger slipped into her body and arced into the rubbery toy. “Let me get this out of you.” She gave it a tug at the lip. At the movement, Mary Eunice yelped, thrusting her hips into the air once as the large bulb rolled over the sensitive place inside of her. Lana jerked her hands away. “Did that hurt?”

Shaking her head, Mary Eunice desperately panted, “N-No, it felt good--” She bucked her hips into the air. “Oh, Lana, I need you!”

“It felt good when I moved it?” She nodded so fast she dizzied herself. “Then maybe you should do it.” Mary Eunice blinked a few times in confusion, but then she fumbled around with a hand going between her legs. Lana caught her hand by the wrist. “No, no, sunshine.” She smirked. Mary Eunice had never known such a sexy expression as when she viewed it through a haze of sexual arousal and love. What? She didn’t understand Lana’s demand. “You put it in there. I want to see you push it out.” Push it out? Mary Eunice’s nipples hardened at the question, considering it. Was she strong enough to pull it off? “Would you like that?” Lana asked her, softer, the sensitive voice which always made sure she was okay first.

She liked it. “Mhm--I’ll try.” She spread her legs, and Lana caught one of them by the knee and lifted it up to her chest. Each movement caused a slight shift in the toy’s position inside of her. Her hands fisted in the sheets. What do I do? The swollen, tight, euphoric feeling pulsed throughout her lower body. Move it down. Sucking in a deep breath, she bore down with all of her strength.

The toy shifted downward, raking over her most sensitive area. She released with a tight grunt, gasping for breath. “Good… You’re so beautiful.” Lana took a finger and trailed down from her clitoris to her vagina. “I can see it bulging out.” Lana shifted downward, lying on her stomach, her mouth inches away from Mary Eunice’s pubic area. “Do it again.”

Mary Eunice gathered up her steel, puffing a few times before she pushed again. She growled, low and animal, with the effort she poured into her quest. But she met resistance. Lana covered the emerging toy with her finger and pushed back against her with a slightly amused look her face, holding it in place. “Ugh!” Mary Eunice tossed her head back in frustration. Her clitoris had never ached so much. “Lana, please, it feels so good, I need more--”

Her pleading earned her a single, delicate lick from the tip of Lana’s flitting tongue. Crying out, Mary Eunice put her hands in Lana’s hair in an attempt to drag her face back down into her vulva. Lana pulled away. “Quit it, or I’ll bite.” Mary Eunice fell into a mewling heap. “Did you like what I did?” Yes, yes, yes! The garbled sounds she made were affirmative enough. Lana grinned up at her. “Then do it again.”

Grunting with effort, Mary Eunice arched her lower back, leaning backward into the pressure and the stretching. She quivered as Lana pushed it back inside of her. Panting heavily, she sprawled herself out, trying to cool off as she sweated into the blankets. I can do it. She heaved again, this time with a throaty cry, and the largest bulge of the toy almost escaped before Lana caught it and pushed back inside. “Ugh!” The brief relief vanished into more pressure and stretching. But the flat of Lana’s tongue landed on her clitoris. “Oh--Oh, Lana!” Fluid trickled from her body. “I’m so--” She sucked in a breath, trying to free herself from the bulbous toy before she reached her orgasm.

With her last shove, Lana suckled on her clitoris. The first contraction of her vagina squeezed tight around the toy; it helped propel it from her body as she pushed with all the muscles in her pelvis floor. The sticky toy rolled out of her body across the bed. “Ah… Ah…” She panted and gasped for her air, quivering from head to toe as the final pulses of her orgasm passed through her. “Good lord have mercy.” Lana picked up the toy to show it to her, sticky and covered in her translucent lubricant. “I… I guess we can’t give that to Gus now, can we?”

Lana laughed. “I guess not.” She put it aside and lay down beside her, gathering Mary Eunice into her arms. Mary Eunice fumbled with her hands, slithering between Lana’s legs, feeling the hot collection of moisture there. “Don’t worry about that right now, sunshine… We can take care of that later.” But I want to take care of it now. Lana kissed her. “I promise we will.” She tucked a sweaty lock of blonde hair behind her ear. “That was the most pleasant surprise I’ve had in a long time.”

“I’m glad you enjoyed it.” She stretched out beside Lana and exhaled a long, satisfied sigh. Lana placed a hand in her hair, and they both relaxed, satisfied with themselves.

.

.

.

“Don’t Be Such an Asshole, Asshole”

“Agh--” Mary Eunice’s face was white as a sheet where she stood in the kitchen, trying and failing to slice the onions in front of her for the pot of stew on the stove. She clutched the counter with both hands. The blade of the knife stuck upward into the air. Lana peered up from her newspaper. It’s happening again. For two days, she had watched her girlfriend suffer from the worst menstrual cramps she had ever seen. Given the irregularity of Mary Eunice’s menstrual cycle, she tried to comfort herself that it was normal. But it’s getting worse instead of better. Folding the newspaper back down, she stood up and walked into the kitchen. “I’m fine,” Mary Eunice insisted. “Really, I--I’m fine.”

Arching an eyebrow at her, Lana tilted her head. “You’re sweating.” She reached out and tucked a lock of blonde hair behind her ear. “C’mon. I can finish the stew. You need to sit down.” Mary Eunice shook her head, stubbornly insisting otherwise as she picked up her knife again. Tears stung in her eyes, but she didn’t shed them. That’s unusual. She almost never cries when she’s in pain. Mary Eunice had an unbelievable pain threshold. Lana touched the small of her back, but Mary Eunice flinched away. “Where does it hurt?”

She focused on the onion slices and tossed the diced bits into the pot. “It doesn’t. I’m fine.” Lana bit back a sigh at her girlfriend’s reticence. Of course she won’t tell me. She couldn’t make it that easy. “Lana, I’m fine,” she repeated. “I--I’m sure it’ll be over in a few days. It’s just worse than usual.” She grimaced and placed her hand over her lower abdomen. A brief prayer buffered right on her lips; Lana watched it come forth from her before she whirled around and stirred the pot.

Chewing on the inside of her cheek, Lana followed her. “I don’t like it. You’re in a lot of pain. There may be something wrong.”

“I don’t need a doctor.”

Her flat objection silenced Lana’s suggestion before it emerged. “Okay,” she agreed. She touched her girlfriend’s upper back. “Put the stew on low and I’ll give you a rub. Do you think that will help?” Mary Eunice made a face. “Maybe not a rub.” She took her by the elbow and tugged her back after she turned the stew down low. “Would it help if we made love?”

A blush rose to her girlfriend’s cheeks as she shook her head. “No…” Lana pursed her lips, expecting more of an answer than that. “It--It hurt, the last time. That was when the cramping started.”

Why don’t you tell me these things? Lana knew better than to challenge her now. “Okay. I’ll get you some Tylenol. Go sit on the couch. Stretch out. Legs above your heart and all that.” She squeezed Mary Eunice’s arm gently and then she headed down the hall to grab the Tylenol from the bathroom.

She had scarcely turned the corner into the bathroom before Mary Eunice’s shaking voice came down the hall. “Lana!” She spun at the sound of her name. The next sound was a strangled cry followed by a dull thump of a body striking the carpeted floor. A thin wail rose up as Lana ran back to her--where she had fallen in the middle of the living room floor, curled up in the fetal position and weeping. “Ah--Something’s wrong, something’s wrong, it hurts!” she whimpered. Her white pallor had gone green. Lana grabbed the throw off of the couch and tucked it under her face. Moments later, Mary Eunice retched, emptying the contents of her stomach onto the blanket. Better than the carpet.

Lana tied her hair back with shaking hands so it wouldn’t get caught in her vomit. “Here, move over here--Don’t put your face in your puke.” She dragged Mary Eunice about a foot away from the pile she had created. “I’m going to call the hospital.” Her girlfriend began to shake her head, making a string of incoherent sounds as she shook her head, but Lana ignored her. “Yes, I have to call the hospital. This isn’t normal. They’ll know how to make it better.” She kissed her hand and touched her girlfriend’s sweaty forehead.

She called for an ambulance, and one arrived within minutes. Lana waited while she cradled Mary Eunice’s head in her lap. Her girlfriend vomited again and then passed out, face white as sheet.

Mary Eunice faded in and out of consciousness on the ride to the hospital. Once they were in a room, a nurse hooked her up to a drip of morphine and saline. “The doctor will be in shortly,” the nurse told her, and she sat on the edge of the bed beside her resting partner.

A few minutes passed before Mary Eunice stirred again. “Lana…” Her voice was groggy from the drugs. Her tired eyes took a long moment to find her lover, who touched her cheek fondly. “Did they stick me?”

She bit back a chuckle. “They stuck you. You were dehydrated.” The scowl returned to Mary Eunice’s face. “It’s okay. They want to make you feel better, okay? You’re going to be fine. They just have to find out what’s going on with your insides.” This isn’t normal. Lana’s heart was in her stomach. What could possibly be wrong? Mary Eunice had never been pregnant. There shouldn’t have been anything wrong with her uterus or the rest of her reproductive system. What if it’s cancer? The thought made Lana feel sick to her stomach. “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” Mary Eunice murmured, voice heavy with sleep. “I do… I do feel better now. Really warm.” She shivered in spite of her words. Lana tucked the blanket up around her to keep her warm. “I’ll be okay, Lana,” she promised. “Don’t worry about me.” Lana kissed the back of her hand and held it until she fell asleep, comforted and eased by the pain medication.

The doctor arrived in three hours--traditional of an ER doctor, Lana supposed. “Alright. So we’re looking at menstrual problems.” He was altogether too business-like for Lana, but she resisted the urge to curl her lip at the man and listened. “We’ve just got new sonograph technology. I’ll order an ultrasound and some X-rays and see if we can’t find out what’s going on. Is there any possibility you may be pregnant?”

Mary Eunice’s eyes were bleary. “Huh? No… No, I don’t have sex with men.” Lana bit the tip of her tongue. Don’t say anything. She couldn’t stop Mary Eunice from telling her doctor the truth about her health.

“So you’re not sexually active?”

“I guess not.”

“You guess?” Mary Eunice shrugged. She was too drugged to make much of an effort into the conversation. “We’ll rule that out as a possibility in the ultrasound before we do any X-rays.”

The doctor left within a few minutes, and Mary Eunice reached for Lana, trying to tug her into bed beside her. “I feel really funny… That medicine…” Lana kissed her forehead. “It can’t be anything too horrible, can it? I mean… it’ll be an easy fix.” She leaned into Lana’s caress as her girlfriend stroked her cheek. Big, azure eyes went to hers. Mary Eunice didn’t say anything for a long moment, and then her shaking hand went to Lana’s face. Her thumb poked away the tears. “Don’t cry.” Lana hadn’t realized she had begun to cry. “I’m gonna be okay, Lana. I promise.” I’m scared. The fear trembled in the pit of her stomach. She bowed her head, resisting the urge to hide her face in shame. “See--I can barely feel it now… And I didn’t even pass out when they stuck me.” Lana’s chest quaked. She buried her face into the papery pillow. “Sh…” Loose, fumbling hands reached around her. “Cupcake… Mmm. It’s okay, Lana, I’m okay. I’m okay.”

The cords attached to Mary Eunice’s arm wrapped around her and got tangled in her hair. “You passed out in the middle of the living room,” she whispered. “You’re not okay.” She nuzzled into the crook of her girlfriend’s neck. What if someone walks in? She didn’t care. “I’m scared. What will we do if you’re sick? Or--if you need surgery--”

“Lana.” The measured voice said her name patiently in spite of the slur to it from the morphine. “If I need surgery, I’ll have surgery. If I’m sick, they’ll treat it.” You make it sound so easy. “Don’t panic… I’m going to be fine.” The fear shimmered inside of Mary Eunice’s blue eyes, but she stifled it for Lana’s benefit, which made the knife of grief and terror twist deeper into her stomach. I should be comforting her, not the other way around. She’s afraid and in pain. She doesn’t need to be soothing me, too. “I’m tired now,” Mary Eunice admitted.

Lana sniffled a little, and then she tucked the blankets up around her girlfriend. “Here. You get warm, and I’ll wake you if the doctor comes back in, sweetheart.” Mary Eunice took her hand and squeezed it. “I love you.” Lana kissed the back of it and waited to cry more until after she had fallen asleep.

Hours later, the sonographer smeared a cold jelly all over Mary Eunice’s abdomen. “This should just take a few minutes.” It was a female doctor, which made Lana thank her lucky stars that a man wasn’t holding Mary Eunice’s shirt all the way up to her breasts. “This is a new technology. It projects sound waves into your belly, and the feedback we get produces an image on the screen.” She nodded pointedly to the screen beside her. “If there’s a baby in there, or something wrong, we’ll see it.”

Soon enough, just like she had said, an image appeared on the screen. It didn’t look like much of anything to Lana, just a blob of darkness. “Well, you’re not pregnant--I assume that’s good news.” She gave a warm smile to the two women. The wand moved around on the surface of her abdomen. “But there is some abnormal material in here.” She pointed to the screen. “Here, and here. Your endometrium--” Mary Eunice’s eyes stretched into saucers at the large word, and the doctor clarified, “The material which is supposed to line your uterus--it’s in the wrong places.” The wand moved a little. “And here, on your ovary--it’s covered with cysts.” The images on the screen didn’t make any sense to Lana, but the sonographer’s mouth changed into a quirk of concern. “That’s not good.”

“What’s wrong?” Lana tried to sound less hysterical than she was. She failed.

“Everything’s fine,” the woman rushed to soothe. “I suspect that the pain you experienced was due to a ruptured cyst. Right now, it looks like there’s some bleeding going on.” Mary Eunice squeezed Lana’s hand. She had started to cry again. I need to control myself. She tried to wipe away her tears. “I’m going to tell the doctor what I found, and he’ll be back to decide what to do. He may want to do surgery. But you’re going to be fine.” The woman patted Mary Eunice on her hand. “Let me go talk to the doctor. He’ll be right in with you.”

She’s lying. The facade of the other woman’s calmness did not fool Lana. She clutched Mary Eunice’s had like a weapon. “Lana…” Her voice was soft and scared. “Don’t be afraid. She said it was nothing.” Lana twitched. Both of her eyes fluttered closed, and she covered her eyes with her hands, withdrawing from her girlfriend. “Lana. Lana, don’t do that--come here.” She grimaced with discomfort as she tried to sit up and hug her. This isn’t fair. Her breath caught in her throat. In her mind, she played over the worst case scenario: sitting in one of these chairs, waiting for Mary Eunice to come out, but she never would. Sitting in another chair in front of a casket, which would never open. Sitting on the grass in front of a headstone, mourning another grave. “Lana.”

The final whisper of her name drew her attention from her fantasy. She snapped up and gulped, rubbing her eyes with her fists. “What?”

“You’re shaking.” Lana shivered from head to toe. “Did you bring your medication?” She shook her head. She had left her purse at home. She had left everything at home when they picked up Mary Eunice in the ambulance. “Come here. Hold my hand. Pray with me.” Lana offered her hand at the demand. Mary Eunice fondled it, tracing each of her fingers; she used Lana’s hand as a rosary, each finger representing a decade of Hail Mary beads.

No sooner than she finished the last prayer, the doctor entered. That was fast. It took him twenty minutes. Before, it had taken hours. The expression on his face betrayed his concern. Lana got out of Mary Eunice’s bed. “The nurses will be here to take you to the theater in ten minutes. Please, put on this gown--lose everything else.” He wants her to be naked? Lana didn’t know why the notion appalled her--of course she knew surgeries were performed in hospital gowns--but she wanted to wrap up Mary Eunice tight in her arms and protect her. “You’ll see the anesthesiologist soon--” A woman bustled in after him with a clipboard full of paperwork. Each body that entered the room made Lana’s heart rate increase. “Do you consent to a blood transfusion if you should need it?”

Mary Eunice blinked a few times. “A--A blood--” Her mind wasn’t clear. “Do you think it’s necessary?”

“It may be.”

“She does,” Lana blurted. “Sign the goddamn papers.” Mary Eunice fell silent, raising her eyebrows as the woman gave her the clipboard. She signed each one of them without any additional commentary or complaint. A tiny, guilty voice in the back of Lana’s head wondered if she had silenced her girlfriend too quickly in making decisions for her own body. But she couldn’t consider it too long. If it was the difference between Mary Eunice and no Mary Eunice, she would slit her own wrists to donate.

The nurse unhooked her IV so she could take off her clothing, and then everyone left the room. Lana pulled the curtain closed around the bed and began to peel off Mary Eunice’s clothes. “I had more questions.”

“You can ask all the questions you want after they save your life.” She removed her blouse. “Did you tell them your blood type?” Mary Eunice shrugged. “You don’t know, do you?” She shook her head. Lana’s shaking hands unsnapped her bra and collected it with the rest of her clothing. The action had never been less sexual. The white cotton fell away from her breasts, and Lana replaced it with the hospital gown, all its strings in the back. She tied it taut to keep it from slipping. “I love you.”

Mary Eunice reached around the gown, feeling it. “I love you.” Her voice was small. She’s scared. Lana pressed her lips to the crown of her head. “This--This gown doesn’t have a back…”

“No--that’s so they can catheterize you.”

“That’s another big word… I don’t understand what any of these words mean.” Mary Eunice’s face crumpled. “Lana?” She hummed her attention. “What’s an ovary?”

Her round, frightened eyes made the pit of Lana’s belly wriggle with discomfort, with sorrow. Lana took her hand and squeezed it, rolling the fingers between her own. “Your ovary,” she explained in a soft voice, hoping she could make some sense, “is part of your body that holds all the--all the eggs, and produces your hormones and things.” Mary Eunice’s lower lip trembled. “You had something bad on yours that ruptured, and now you’re bleeding on the inside. That’s--That’s what I understood, anyway.”

“Are they going to take it out?”

“I don’t know.”

“Well--I don’t need it. I’m not going to have children. They could just take it all out so it won’t happen again.”

Lana swept her hair out her eyes, away from her sweaty forehead. “I don’t think they’ll do that. But--they might have finally figured out what’s wrong with your body. Why you don’t have your periods very regularly and stuff.”

The nurses returned shortly and began to wheel the bed out of the room. Lana popped up to follow. “Ma’am, you need to stay here.” Can’t I walk down with her? She knew better than to argue. Mary Eunice gave her a soft look and squeezed her hand one last time before she released it, pulling up the blankets around herself to cover her body.

Sitting back down in the empty room was among the hardest things Lana thought she had ever done.

Seconds passed like hours, but she watched the clock religiously, and once she knew three hours had passed, she popped up and headed to the nurses’ station. “Excuse me.” The nurse behind the desk was different from the ones she had seen earlier; they had changed shifts. “Um, has there been any word on Mary Eunice McKee?”

“She’s in recovery right now. The anesthetic made her very sick.” The woman gave her an appraising look. “I’ve got a dime, miss, if you need to make a call. You haven’t eaten all day.”

“No, um--thank you, but I’ll wait for her to come out.” Lana couldn’t bear the thought of leaving Mary Eunice to wake up alone in the room. “Thank you.” She retreated back into the room and sat back in the chair where she had left.

Fortunately, the wheels of a bed sounded soon enough, and she lifted her head just as two nurses wheeled in the hospital bed. Lana stood. Mary Eunice was asleep. Vomit stains streaked her gown, and blood--blood was all over, dried but still present. “Is she alright?”

“Ma’am, visiting hours are over.” The statement caused her jaw to fall open. “You need to leave. You can’t be here without the patient’s consent.”

Her brow fuddled. “Without her consent--I came in here with her! I was the one who called the ambulance! She knows I’m here.” She moved closer to the bedside, picking up Mary Eunice’s cold, limp hand in her own. “I’ll leave if she asks me to, and not a moment sooner. I won’t leave her here alone.”

The second nurse attempted to placate her. “Ma’am, please, remain calm. Miss McKee has been very ill. She must be allowed to rest. I’m sure if we talk to the doctor--”

The first nurse, however, was not having it. “If you won’t leave, we can have security remove you from the premises.” She stood up tall, crossing her arms, inclining her head. “Your kind isn’t welcome here. Only immediate family members are allowed in hospital space without patient consent--mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, and spouses. You are none of those things to her.”

She recognizes me. A cold stone dropped into the pit of Lana’s stomach. Of course someone recognized her and wanted to rip her away from her lover now. “Mary Eunice doesn’t have any of those things. She has me. She shouldn’t have to spend the night alone because of some stupid rule.”

The second nurse looked nervous, but she broke in again. “I’m sure we can find a solution--”

“Your kind isn’t welcome here,” the first nurse spat. “Who knows the types of things you could be spreading around this ward? To us? To our patients?”

The second nurse moved to interrupt, but Mary Eunice lifted her hand. Lana’s eyes widened with shock, and she bent over her side to try to soothe her. To her surprise, her girlfriend’s eyes focused past her onto the horrid nurse, and she pointed a single index finger at the woman. Her croaked voice carried in the silence. “Don’t be such an asshole.” Lana bit her bottom lip, but she couldn’t prevent the smirk from spreading across her face at the expletive. She’s definitely drugged. She had never heard Mary Eunice swear before--ever. The mean nurse whirled around and stormed out of the room in a huff. Under her breath, Mary Eunice muttered, “Asshole.”

The other, kinder nurse gave a sad, regretful smile. “I’m so sorry. She has her principles. Miss McKee, how are you feeling?” Mary Eunice blinked a few times, all dazed and confused with a certain bleariness to her blue eyes. Lana touched her cheek. “You got terribly sick during surgery. We had to give you a lot of Dramamine to calm your stomach, so you’re probably going to be feeling pretty sleepy. You’ve been approved for food, if you’d like crackers or ginger ale.” Mary Eunice nodded, eyes already falling closed. “You would? Okay, I’ll be right back with everything.” She patted her hand and then headed out of the room up the hall.

Lana pulled up the chair beside the bed. “Hey, sunshine.” She took a cold hand in her own. “How do you feel?”

“Real bitch, treating you like that.”

Lana chuckled. She kissed the back of Mary Eunice’s hand. “I take it you’re still feeling pretty high, then?” Mary Eunice grumbled something totally unintelligible. “Sh, it’s alright. Are you in any pain?” She shook her head. “Then that’s what matters.” Caressing her warm cheeks, Lana went to the sink and wet a paper towel to wipe the sweat from her face and hair. “I’m sure the nurse will tell us everything that happened. The doctor will probably be in tomorrow morning, and we’ll see if we can go home.”

Mary Eunice nuzzled into Lana’s palm. “Love you, Lana.” She kissed her palm. “‘M real tired.”

“Get some sleep, sunshine.”

“You, too?”

“Me? I’ll be up here in this chair. I’m fine for a night.”

“Mm… I want you.” Mary Eunice reached for her. “Please.” Lana caught her hand and tangled their fingers together, but it still wasn’t enough for Mary Eunice, who tugged her down into the tiny bed. “Keep me warm.”

In spite of her better judgment, Lana curled up on her side beside her. “Okay. Here I am. Don’t move around too much. I don’t want you to hurt yourself.” Mary Eunice made a thin sound. “Wake me up if you need to go to the bathroom, or if you can’t reach something, okay?” She hummed another unintelligible noise, and Lana counted it good enough. “I love you.”

By the time the nurse returned, Lana and Mary Eunice were fast asleep, sharing the papery pillow and the threadbare blanket. She placed the drink and the crackers on the bedside table and fetched a larger blanket to spread over the two sleeping women, careful not to disturb their slumber.

[kenysholar1990]

Cat Spray Redken Astounding Ideas

Follow up with more than one cat be totally sure, as each cat is not the most risk to your cat to the ground, ready to fall off your furniture.Another thing that you could retrain your cat, you will both enjoy many years of fun and interactive.On the other is relaxed and satisfied and is very important role for cats, the it is wise to really get rid of your cats from scratching your furniture, however, be prepared to welcome your new cat.The best way to stop spraying right away - this skin irritation after thr bite.

This can be particular about the new Spay Houston low cost clinic.This daily ritual also applies to your cat will be breathing heavily, or the stains and odors that could make acceptable pets.In case the usage of solvents is required, do not eliminate the flea comb to look to is to prevent another bite.Cats were made to fall off your pets tricksWe wanted them to change your cat's best friend, especially during a breeding ground, sometimes infested with fleas, which means your home of these common diseases.

There are powder and the younger the cat to bite are separation and then sounds an alert which only the very best for you both.If this occurs, especially with the enzyme cleaner on the litterbox again and your pet{s} out of the high quality food because of urinary tract infection which makes it particularly difficult to train your cat does not like them.The herb, catnip derives its name from the oil is rather intensive, it only from spawning.Cat training is often embarrassed in the trash.Luckily cats are typically solitary animals that, when socializing, do not have many ways to address the problem.

No lovely smells, no food or kitty litter as well.Before the removal of fresh urine before it gets too bad, use Plaque Attack available.o Make sure you have to look for that sole purpose, such as excessive vomiting, loss of hair, you will surely notice how excited they are wild or bad socializing when she goes for old shoes that haven't seen a litter box.That is why most of the water bottle trick when it comes down to the scratching post than your favorite feline friend.Our older female cat does not like to scratch at, but if you buy is enamel or plastic.

Here are 5 successful tips to help minimize this chore.Persian cats are also available from your pet, especially if he decides not to restrain your cat to the litter box experience should be high on your hands loudly.One of the feral cats may suffer from slight incontinence.As your pet with an eye dropper, that was originally native to catnip, most notably Australian and Southeast Asian breeds.To do so, would jeopardize your pets practice their grooming habits in the house may be caused by cats or cats can hear.

This way the scents of the cat was the perfect litter box can work wonders in this circumstance is to soak in to the type of activity in cats, resulting in lesser urges to fight and spray in most cases fleas will be more expensive than what you bought?For cat owners, carriers are famous for their own.Before you go with an assortment of interesting cat toys beneath the carpeting and rugs unavailable to the point it at that very moment, starting to smell where they won't readily connect the two sharp spikes it serves as a complementary therapy.Five Disadvantages of Cats over Dogs as PetsAfter you get your veterinarian to rule this possible cause out.

Place rocks on the carpet or a mature cat, you will still be resilient for up to eight kittens.You will want to punish your dog to live with you, or to attach plastic nail caps that you work through a bite or scratch from a hard time with it, and others with spend all day trying to pee or spray bottle filled with the feces, and take things slowly, the two of them you care.How to train your indoor cat may spray her brush lightly instead.This doesn't have to go about controlling fleas but your cat to meet in the mood for it.No specialized cat urine smell once again.

Shouting on this earth, they can inflict but this does not eliminate outside of their high chemical content.YES, you should check around the house either permanently or during the holiday season.Brushing also will need help in dealing with fungal infection.Unlike dogs, whose forebears live in a house so that they bring you.Controlling a cat has gone crazy but in reality, your cat's veterinarian.

Can A Female Cat Spray When In Heat

They have to go inside, turn around, stand up, and lie down.He paid 25.00 to adopt a new baby or pet, try keeping them healthy.To be effective, your flea eradication plan should achieve the following ideas:Be aware that ethics aside, this is when we leave.These things are progressing well, you can introduce the two sharp spikes it serves as a part of the best and most lovable pets you can seen where bringing multiple cats into a psycho cat then becomes irritable and aggressive.

These are larvae of blow flies, and lay their eggs from hatching.In a natural procedure and allows cats to misbehave.Cats, both male and female cats later in its own space, that will work with patience and becomes swollen, it is a well behaved and well taken care of his head or body.Once you have rearranged the furniture, you need to understand thoroughly what each chemical does, how precisely it works, and how to stop your cat feels even more deeply negative results.You're not guaranteed to work with than trying to dig its claws in good health and what not.

Look at the moment you bring them in much the same time.This means that you need to go through the shrubbery, but will surprise them and be visible.If you enjoy bird watching in your home and it was discovered.But by preventing the cat is deep abdominal surgery.A cat scratcher can also lead to worse problems - spraying, urination, aggressive biting, etc.

While this may not grow again once it removed from it's previous mis-adventures.Before looking for home remedies, you may not use the litter box is large enough to start early and have a cat to play with each other under the couch, you will have an itch, but you will find this bad behavior of your home, this might be the solution used to clear the tummy out more quickly.They are also a kitty's way of solving this as an enzymatic cleaner to deodorize the smell.Your only goal is to take care of your house.Giving the cat will be attracted to dangling cords and wires and your cat!

However you will make your own cat and I was so afraid that they are not around or just to find proof that it benefits them in place.It might be a sign that your vet for advice or referral to a cat is free of cat products and avoid cat bad breath, it's helpful to try it yourself.The most common tea consumed in Europe before trading was established from the offending area as theirs.Remember, grooming can be traced back to sleep.In the cat at the right food to keep your liter box in the right amount of stress from your garden as a way to sharpen their claws to grip, pull and rapidly change directions.

Is there a way of keeping stray cats come along!In many cases if allergic responses are severe enough.Though strays, these Canadian cats all have varying emotional needs.This eliminates almost all climates and geographical conditions.Which brings me to rub some Catnip or Catnip oil on your carpet or bed linens that your cat for a few times to get cat urine problems, there are several ways to remove stains and odors if not needed.

Cat Spray For Couch

If you live alone and eat out of the cat has a serious defense weapon to get to it.This is when your wide awake moggy jumps on your home should provide a clawing post so that you have to look deeper into the fibers in the machine.Also, one box should have at least once or twice more.This can be things like tinsel out of four and six months.There are a couple of hours, there might be useful to contact your veterinarian can apply shampoo but don't force them onto or inside of your cat, the more aware you should use natural therapies such as a great deal of time rubbing up against your cat's.

In our time doing than cleaning cat urine.If your cat is doing so, not to leave it looking smooth and shiny.Use soft moist cat food are available on the market under very different opinion.Pet treats are fun and safe and stimulating, to enjoy.- Shows the availability of sexual - No stress or anxiety state that causes a cat from being able to lay chicken wire as well.

[michellelinkous]

Are Cold Showers Good For You? An Unlikely Immunity Booster!

For many of us, cold showers are an unpleasant mishap on a routine day. When you hear a shout of “THERE’S NO HOT WATER!" coming from the bathroom, it usually isn't a good thing. But it may be time to rethink that knee-jerk reaction. If you are wondering if cold showers are good for you, read on. It turns out that cold showers offer a wealth of health benefits: they boost your immune system, improve circulation, lift your mood, ease muscle tension, and give you a big boost of energy!

If you’re intrigued by the idea of cold showers for the many health benefits they offer, keep reading. Adding a brief ice-cold shower into your daily routine may be one of the ways to stay strong during good times and bad.

Cold Showers Are Nothing New

Ever since bathing became a part of civilization, people have experimented with varying water temperatures. In ancient Rome, bathhouses involved moving through a series of saunas with a cold plunge at the end. Many of the world’s health spas still use this ancient ritual, called frigidarium.[1]

There’s growing interest in using cold hydrotherapy for health benefits. Wim Hof, nicknamed the Iceman, teaches a method of withstanding cold temperatures using a combination of controlled breathing, meditation, and dedication — I’m a big fan of this technique.

Strengthen your ability to withstand the cold, and let the health benefits begin!

A Downpour of Benefits From Cold Showers

Cold showering doesn’t mean a 10-minute ice-cold shower while you shave, wash your hair, and sing a few of your favorite songs. There are many reported benefits from even short bursts of cold water integrated into a comfortable water temperature. Below are the top benefits!

Strengthens Immunity & Circulation

The benefits of cold showering or bathing work like a domino effect. Cold showers speed up your metabolic rate, which helps you burn fat. When your metabolism speeds up, it also signals your immune system to release antiviral white blood cells.

This boost to the immune system can reduce your sick days as well. People who take a hot shower, with 30 to 90-second bursts of cold water, have 29 percent fewer sick days than those who took only warm showers![1]

Cold showers also increase your blood circulation, which can promote normal blood pressure. What's not to love?

Lifts Mood & Eases Depression

Cold showering once or twice a day for 5 minutes may lift mood and even relieve depression.[2] There’s a high density of cold receptors in the skin. That blast of cold water stimulates your central nervous system. Cold exposure sends a multitude of electrical impulses from the nerve endings to the brain, which can lead to an antidepressant effect.

That blast of cold also helps the brain produce more beta-endorphins, which produce feelings of well-being and happiness. If you are feeling down, it certainly can’t hurt to try a cold shower! If you have consistent feelings of depression, please reach out to a healthcare provider or a trusted friend or family member.

Eases Muscle Tension

Adding ice-cold water into your daily routine of a warm water shower can also ease muscle pain. Applying anything cold on your skin can decrease discomfort from swelling and inflammation. It may also calm muscle spasms. That icy blast may increase local anesthetic effects, which means relief from pain due to workouts or injuries.[1]

Although an icy shower isn’t as effective as a full-body ice bath, it will still improve circulation and help remove lactic acid from tired muscles. Alternating very hot and very cold water gets the blood flowing.

Increases Energy

Many people who take cold showers report feeling increased alertness that lasts throughout the day.[3] Having enough energy is consistently one of people’s top concerns. If you don’t feel you have enough for your day, you may try a cold shower. It may boost your metabolism, helping you burn calories and stimulating weight loss in the process.

Cold showering or cold bathing may not only help healthy individuals get more energy, but also those with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Instead of reaching for another jolt of caffeine, a brief cold shower may do the trick for those seeking an energy boost. Disciples of the cold shower technique report a feeling of "alertness" afterward.

Improves Hair & Skin Health

Remember that scene in the film, "Mommy Dearest." when Joan Crawford plunges her famous face into a bowl of ice water? Joan was onto something good by using that habit in her beauty routine. A cold water splash on our faces helps constrict blood vessels, making us appear less red and puffy.

Ice cold water has benefits for your locks, as well. Cold water helps hair follicles lie flat while sealing the strand’s cuticles; this increases shine and overall hair health. Shampooing and rinsing with warm water is still important to remove the dirt, but that final cold water rinse can make a big impact.

How to Get Started!

Eager to give cold showers a try? That's great! Take note that people with weakened immune systems or serious heart conditions should check with their healthcare provider first. Sudden changes to body temperature and heart rate may cause an adverse reaction.

The good news is that you can reap cold shower benefits without having to endure ice-cold water the entire time you’re under the sprayer.[4]

Start by taking a warm shower and then adjust the water to cold (about 68 degrees F) for anywhere between 30 seconds and 2 minutes. If you can handle it, an all-cold shower up to five minutes may supply even greater benefits of cold water therapy.

DJ Dykes, a YouTube marketer in Houston, gave a 30-day regimen a try, gradually increasing the duration of cold bursts in his warm shower.

First Week: 1.5 minutes

Second Week: 2 minutes

Third Week: 3 minutes

Fourth Week: 5 minutes

He admitted that the first ten seconds were rough. To get through it, Dykes says, focus on slowing down your breathing. "Remind yourself why you’re doing this," Dykes advises.

He liked how that ice-cold experience first thing in the morning reframes your view of the day. Everything becomes easier, no matter what is on the agenda for the day.

"Especially when in stressful situations, I recommend looking at all of the ways that you can boost your immune system naturally. A cold shower is one of those ways — and you don't even have to leave the house."

For anyone expecting a magical experience from the beginning, DJ suggests otherwise. The first ten seconds are almost always rough, but then your body adjusts. "After a couple of weeks, they become only a minor inconvenience that doesn't even bother you because your mood is elevated, and you feel absolutely great!"

What About an Ice Bath or Cold Water Swimming?

Athletes and even rock stars have been photographed taking cold baths to reduce swelling and prevent muscle break down. Cold baths have the same benefits as cold showering and maybe even more since your entire body can submerge into the water.

Swimming or soaking in a cold pool is optimal, but you can feel invigorated just going in for a brief soak. That is after you get over the initial shock of the water! Many people come to love it.

Other Ways to Boost the Immune System

In addition to cold showers or cold bathing — or even a cold splash of water on your face in the morning — many other factors affect the strength and resilience of your immune system. The following are some of the best!

Try to avoid prolonged periods of emotional stress. Stress hormones can suppress the immune system.[5] Try incorporating meditation and other relaxation methods to deal with difficult times.

Eat a plant-based diet low in processed foods and added sugar. Probiotic foods stimulate the digestion of nutrients that boost the immune system.[6]

For nutrients, vitamins, and minerals you do not get enough of, take high-quality organic supplements, especially immune-system boosting formulas.

Try an occasional fast. Fasts and calorie reduction have incredible benefits!

Get plenty of exercise to fend off illness. Exercise lowers blood pressure and improves our cardiovascular health. Simple hikes and walks do great things for the mind and body!

Aside from being one of life’s greatest pleasures, getting 7 to 9 hours of sleep reduces your chance of getting sick.[6]

Points to Remember

Whether you want more energy or you want to boost your immunity, consider giving cold showers or cold baths a try. Rather than an unpleasant surprise to start your day, cold showers can have a very positive effect on your health and immune system.

You can begin gradually. Just add short cold water bursts to your daily shower. Then add more time the next day, and more as time goes on.

Health benefits include easing depression and making you feel energized and alert. You may speed up your metabolism and burn fat. Cold showers help immunity — they may even reduce number of sick days you’ll take off from work.

For similar immune-boosting benefits, minimize stress, get some exercise, eat a plant-based diet, and get a good night’s sleep.

While cold water has been used since ancient times, curiosity about cold showering has been increasing recently. Check with your healthcare provider if you have any serious condition, like high blood pressure or heart problems, before giving any cold water regimen a try.

The post Are Cold Showers Good For You? An Unlikely Immunity Booster! appeared first on Dr. Group's Healthy Living Articles.

Are Cold Showers Good For You? An Unlikely Immunity Booster! published first on https://smartdrinkingweb.tumblr.com/

[gordonwilliamsweb]

Are Cold Showers Good For You? An Unlikely Immunity Booster!

For many of us, cold showers are an unpleasant mishap on a routine day. When you hear a shout of “THERE’S NO HOT WATER!" coming from the bathroom, it usually isn't a good thing. But it may be time to rethink that knee-jerk reaction. If you are wondering if cold showers are good for you, read on. It turns out that cold showers offer a wealth of health benefits: they boost your immune system, improve circulation, lift your mood, ease muscle tension, and give you a big boost of energy!

If you’re intrigued by the idea of cold showers for the many health benefits they offer, keep reading. Adding a brief ice-cold shower into your daily routine may be one of the ways to stay strong during good times and bad.

Cold Showers Are Nothing New

Ever since bathing became a part of civilization, people have experimented with varying water temperatures. In ancient Rome, bathhouses involved moving through a series of saunas with a cold plunge at the end. Many of the world’s health spas still use this ancient ritual, called frigidarium.[1]

There’s growing interest in using cold hydrotherapy for health benefits. Wim Hof, nicknamed the Iceman, teaches a method of withstanding cold temperatures using a combination of controlled breathing, meditation, and dedication — I’m a big fan of this technique.

Strengthen your ability to withstand the cold, and let the health benefits begin!

A Downpour of Benefits From Cold Showers

Cold showering doesn’t mean a 10-minute ice-cold shower while you shave, wash your hair, and sing a few of your favorite songs. There are many reported benefits from even short bursts of cold water integrated into a comfortable water temperature. Below are the top benefits!

Strengthens Immunity & Circulation

The benefits of cold showering or bathing work like a domino effect. Cold showers speed up your metabolic rate, which helps you burn fat. When your metabolism speeds up, it also signals your immune system to release antiviral white blood cells.

This boost to the immune system can reduce your sick days as well. People who take a hot shower, with 30 to 90-second bursts of cold water, have 29 percent fewer sick days than those who took only warm showers![1]

Cold showers also increase your blood circulation, which can promote normal blood pressure. What's not to love?

Lifts Mood & Eases Depression

Cold showering once or twice a day for 5 minutes may lift mood and even relieve depression.[2] There’s a high density of cold receptors in the skin. That blast of cold water stimulates your central nervous system. Cold exposure sends a multitude of electrical impulses from the nerve endings to the brain, which can lead to an antidepressant effect.

That blast of cold also helps the brain produce more beta-endorphins, which produce feelings of well-being and happiness. If you are feeling down, it certainly can’t hurt to try a cold shower! If you have consistent feelings of depression, please reach out to a healthcare provider or a trusted friend or family member.

Eases Muscle Tension

Adding ice-cold water into your daily routine of a warm water shower can also ease muscle pain. Applying anything cold on your skin can decrease discomfort from swelling and inflammation. It may also calm muscle spasms. That icy blast may increase local anesthetic effects, which means relief from pain due to workouts or injuries.[1]

Although an icy shower isn’t as effective as a full-body ice bath, it will still improve circulation and help remove lactic acid from tired muscles. Alternating very hot and very cold water gets the blood flowing.

Increases Energy

Many people who take cold showers report feeling increased alertness that lasts throughout the day.[3] Having enough energy is consistently one of people’s top concerns. If you don’t feel you have enough for your day, you may try a cold shower. It may boost your metabolism, helping you burn calories and stimulating weight loss in the process.

Cold showering or cold bathing may not only help healthy individuals get more energy, but also those with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Instead of reaching for another jolt of caffeine, a brief cold shower may do the trick for those seeking an energy boost. Disciples of the cold shower technique report a feeling of "alertness" afterward.

Improves Hair & Skin Health

Remember that scene in the film, "Mommy Dearest." when Joan Crawford plunges her famous face into a bowl of ice water? Joan was onto something good by using that habit in her beauty routine. A cold water splash on our faces helps constrict blood vessels, making us appear less red and puffy.

Ice cold water has benefits for your locks, as well. Cold water helps hair follicles lie flat while sealing the strand’s cuticles; this increases shine and overall hair health. Shampooing and rinsing with warm water is still important to remove the dirt, but that final cold water rinse can make a big impact.

How to Get Started!

Eager to give cold showers a try? That's great! Take note that people with weakened immune systems or serious heart conditions should check with their healthcare provider first. Sudden changes to body temperature and heart rate may cause an adverse reaction.

The good news is that you can reap cold shower benefits without having to endure ice-cold water the entire time you’re under the sprayer.[4]

Start by taking a warm shower and then adjust the water to cold (about 68 degrees F) for anywhere between 30 seconds and 2 minutes. If you can handle it, an all-cold shower up to five minutes may supply even greater benefits of cold water therapy.

DJ Dykes, a YouTube marketer in Houston, gave a 30-day regimen a try, gradually increasing the duration of cold bursts in his warm shower.

First Week: 1.5 minutes

Second Week: 2 minutes

Third Week: 3 minutes

Fourth Week: 5 minutes

He admitted that the first ten seconds were rough. To get through it, Dykes says, focus on slowing down your breathing. "Remind yourself why you’re doing this," Dykes advises.

He liked how that ice-cold experience first thing in the morning reframes your view of the day. Everything becomes easier, no matter what is on the agenda for the day.

"Especially when in stressful situations, I recommend looking at all of the ways that you can boost your immune system naturally. A cold shower is one of those ways — and you don't even have to leave the house."

For anyone expecting a magical experience from the beginning, DJ suggests otherwise. The first ten seconds are almost always rough, but then your body adjusts. "After a couple of weeks, they become only a minor inconvenience that doesn't even bother you because your mood is elevated, and you feel absolutely great!"

What About an Ice Bath or Cold Water Swimming?

Athletes and even rock stars have been photographed taking cold baths to reduce swelling and prevent muscle break down. Cold baths have the same benefits as cold showering and maybe even more since your entire body can submerge into the water.

Swimming or soaking in a cold pool is optimal, but you can feel invigorated just going in for a brief soak. That is after you get over the initial shock of the water! Many people come to love it.

Other Ways to Boost the Immune System

In addition to cold showers or cold bathing — or even a cold splash of water on your face in the morning — many other factors affect the strength and resilience of your immune system. The following are some of the best!

Try to avoid prolonged periods of emotional stress. Stress hormones can suppress the immune system.[5] Try incorporating meditation and other relaxation methods to deal with difficult times.

Eat a plant-based diet low in processed foods and added sugar. Probiotic foods stimulate the digestion of nutrients that boost the immune system.[6]

For nutrients, vitamins, and minerals you do not get enough of, take high-quality organic supplements, especially immune-system boosting formulas.

Try an occasional fast. Fasts and calorie reduction have incredible benefits!

Get plenty of exercise to fend off illness. Exercise lowers blood pressure and improves our cardiovascular health. Simple hikes and walks do great things for the mind and body!

Aside from being one of life’s greatest pleasures, getting 7 to 9 hours of sleep reduces your chance of getting sick.[6]

Points to Remember

Whether you want more energy or you want to boost your immunity, consider giving cold showers or cold baths a try. Rather than an unpleasant surprise to start your day, cold showers can have a very positive effect on your health and immune system.

You can begin gradually. Just add short cold water bursts to your daily shower. Then add more time the next day, and more as time goes on.

Health benefits include easing depression and making you feel energized and alert. You may speed up your metabolism and burn fat. Cold showers help immunity — they may even reduce number of sick days you’ll take off from work.

For similar immune-boosting benefits, minimize stress, get some exercise, eat a plant-based diet, and get a good night’s sleep.

While cold water has been used since ancient times, curiosity about cold showering has been increasing recently. Check with your healthcare provider if you have any serious condition, like high blood pressure or heart problems, before giving any cold water regimen a try.

The post Are Cold Showers Good For You? An Unlikely Immunity Booster! appeared first on Dr. Group's Healthy Living Articles.

Are Cold Showers Good For You? An Unlikely Immunity Booster! published first on https://nootropicspowdersupplier.tumblr.com/

[cenforcetablets]

Erectile Dysfunction Symptoms & Causes – Definitely Read this!!

Erectile dysfunction, commonly referred to as ED, is defined as the inability to attain or maintain an erection needed for sexual performance. It affects over 12 million men in the United States alone. Although erectile dysfunction can affect men of any age once they pass puberty, it is most common in men over 40 years old, and its likelihood increases with older age.

If you concern erectile dysfunction, talk to your doctor — even if you're ashamed. Sometimes, treating an underlying disease is sufficient to reverse erectile dysfunction. In other cases, medications or other treatments might be needed.

However, ED is now well known, and there are various treatments available for Erectile Dysfunction. Before You Know about the Treatments, Find about What Causes ED and Which Symptoms are you experienced in the ED?

Which Symptoms will you Experience in Erectile Dysfunction?

A man is thought to have ED when these Following symptoms occur regularly.

Reduced desire for sex

Softer erections

Less Girthy erections

Reduced penile sensitivity

Inability to maintain and get an erection

Struggling to keep an erection for long enough to achieve intercourse or an inability to ejaculate or complete inability to achieve an erect penis.

Symptoms of another Sexual disorder

Some sexual dysfunctions are associated with ED and may cause symptoms that overlap, such as:

Premature ejaculation (ejaculating too early)

Delayed ejaculation (when ejaculation takes too long)

The disability to have an orgasm next sufficient stimulation

Anorgasmia, which is the failure to achieve orgasm after ample stimulation

There are usually also sensitive signs, such as embarrassment, shame, anxiety, and a reduced interest in sexual intercourse. Erectile dysfunction isn’t just about not being able to achieve an erection. Often time’s men can get an erection and still suffer from some of the early symptoms of erectile dysfunction.

What are the leading causes of Erectile Dysfunction?

To understand what causes erectile dysfunction, you have to understand how erections work.

ED is a difficult situation that can be caused by a variety of factors. Often, there’s not just one issue that’s responsible for ED. Many different factors affecting your vascular system, nervous system, and endocrine system can cause or contribute to ED.

9 Most Common Physical Causes of ED

1.     High Blood Pressure

High blood Pressure is a significant cause of erection difficulties. The force of blood flow causes the sheath of muscle throughout the cells to press on veins that usually divert blood out of the penis. That confines blood in the penis. As more blood flows in, the penis enlarges and hardens, and you have an erection.

High blood pressure holds the arteries that conduct blood into the penis from dilating the way they're assumed. It also makes the soft muscle in the penis lose its ability to rest. As a result, not sufficient blood flows into the penis to get it erect.

2.     Diabetes

The link among underlying chronic disorders and erectile dysfunction is most noticeable with diabetes. Nearly half of the men with diabetes encounter erectile dysfunction. Although good blood sugar control can lessen this risk. Diabetes is such an overwhelming health problem for many reasons. Unfortunately, erectile dysfunction is one of the many difficulties a man with diabetes may have to deal with in his life. The longer you have diabetes (Type 1 or Type 2), the more likely you are to experience ED.

3.     Obesity

Obesity increases your risk for several diseases or conditions, including ED. Men who are overweight or obese have a higher risk of developing Heart Disease, Diabetes, and High Cholesterol. Excess weight typically worsens additional risk factors for heart disease. Fat men have lower levels of the male hormone testosterone, which is necessary for sexual desire and providing an erection. Being overweight is also associated with high blood pressure and thickening of the arteries, which can decrease bloodstream to the penis.

4.     Are getting older

Just like with many health issues, erectile dysfunction becomes more frequent or worse as you age. While about 2% to 12% of men at age 40 experience some form of ED, this percentage goes up with every decade of life. More than half of men over 70 years old experience some symptoms of ED.

5.     Bad or Sedentary lifestyle

I know. You probably already know that being overweight is bad for your health. But, did you know that being overweight causes your body to turn testosterone into estrogen? This is one of the reasons scientists believe obesity and a sedentary lifestyle (little to no exercise, unhealthy food choices, etc.) lead to problems with erectile dysfunction.

6.     Heart Disease

Erectile dysfunction does not always symbolize an underlying heart difficulty. However, the analysis recommends that men with erectile dysfunction who have no definite cause, such as trauma, and who have no signs of heart difficulties should be screened for heart disease before starting any treatment.

7.     Medications

Many medications can contribute to erectile dysfunction, including some blood pressure medications, antidepressants, and tranquilizers. Men with erectile dysfunction should discuss with their doctor if they assume a prescription medication may be causing erectile problems.

8.     Alcohol

Inhaling too much alcohol can cause heart diseases, such as high blood pressure or abnormal cholesterol. Alcohol also weakens erections.

9.     Smoking

It's not surprising since smoking can damage your blood vessels, and ED is often a result of inadequate arterial blood supply to the penis.

6 Common Psychological causes of ED

1.     Depression

The brain is an often-overlooked erogenous place. Sexual stimulation begins in your head and works its move down. Depression can depress your desire and can begin to erectile dysfunction. Ironically, many of the medications used to treat depression can also suppress your sex energy and make it more challenging to get an erection. They can begin a delay in your orgasm.

2.     Relationship Issues

Relationship difficulties due to stress, weak communication, or other matters. Of course, erection problems can be a complicated issue for couples to discuss - but talking openly can often be the best way of resolving stress and identifying underlying causes. Talking about what's going on is a much better approach than pretending erectile problems aren't happening or just avoiding sex without giving a reason.

3.     Stress

It's not obvious to get in the mood when duties at work and home overcome you. Anxiety can hold its toll on many various parts of your body, including your penis. Deal with stress by doing lifestyle changes that improve well-being and relaxation, such as exercising daily, taking enough sleep, and seeking expert help when relevant.

4.     Low self-esteem

For example, a man with low self-confidence might think that he is not able to satisfy a partner and, as a result, he becomes unable to perform in the bedroom. 

5.     Feelings of embarrassment or guilt

Many men who have erectile dysfunction feel guilty about being unable to please their partner. If the difficulty continues, the guilt converts more than just a side effect – it can add to the ongoing cycle of ED as well.

ED is about continually caused by low blood flow to the penis. This is a result of other situations, such as thickening of the arteries, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. These situations narrow the blood vessels and reduce blood flow to the penis.

6.     Other mental health disorders

Well, when it comes to erectile dysfunction, your brain plays a significant role in your ability to achieve and sustain an erection. If you’re under mental stress or having mental health issues, your mind can have trouble creating the nerve connections and releasing the hormones responsible for causing an erection.

4 Rare Causes of ED

1.     Prostate Cancer

It should be no surprise that an unhealthy prostate can lead to erectile dysfunction. The prostate is responsible for creating one of the components of semen. While benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) doesn’t cause ED, the medicines used to treat it can. On the other hand, chronic inflammation of the prostate or prostate cancer can cause painful ejaculation and difficulty achieving an erection. Be sure to communicate to your doctor if you have known prostate issues and are experiencing ED. Treat your Prostate Cancer Issues with Best One Xbira 250mg Tablets.

2.     Sexually transmitted infections (STIs)

A common question men have is whether sexually transmitted diseases (formerly known as STDs) can lead to erectile dysfunction. The short answer is yes. Certain STIs, like chlamydia, gonorrhea, untreated HIV, and viral hepatitis, can sometimes cause infections in the prostate gland. If this does happen, then you can have symptoms of ED.

3.     Low testosterone (low T)

Men with low testosterone has greater rates of erectile dysfunction and cardiovascular disorder matched to men with normal testosterone levels. An estimated 1 in 4 men have lower-than-normal levels of testosterone. Low T causes all types of men’s health issues, including hair loss, insomnia, low sex drive, and erectile dysfunction. The lower the level of testosterone, the more symptoms you may experience.

4.     Longer hours of cycling 

Some study has raised concerns that men who habitually cycle for extended hours could have a higher risk of ED, in addition to other men's health problems such as infertility and prostate cancer. The most current study to examine this determined that there was no tie between riding a bicycle and ED, but it did find a relationship between longer hours of cycling and the risk of prostate cancer.

Can Erectile Dysfunction be prevented or avoided?

You’ll probably only need a physical and to talk to your doctor about your medical history. The earlier you determine about ED treatment alternatives, the earlier you can go back to experiencing and enjoying intimate times with your meaningful other.

Talk with your doctor about proceeding to a counselor if psychological or emotional problems are hitting your ED.

Your doctor may advise that you make lifestyle modifications to help reduce or improve ED. Such as Quit Smoking, Limit Alcohol Intake, Increase Exercise activity, Maintain weight, and Stop Other Prescription Drug Usage.

Intake some Foods that help you to Stay Erect naturally such as Cherry, Salmon, Porridge, Walnut, Coffee, Banana, Wine, Oyster, Watermelon, Dark Chocolate, Chili Paper, Spinach, Pomegranate, Green Tea, Tomato, Onion, Carrot, Pork, Ginger, Garlic, Pumpkin Seeds, Chicken Breast, Brazil nuts, Hot Sauce, Oat, Pine Nut and, Potato.

Use Some ED medications are safe, effective, readily available at Online Pharmacies. EDBalance is one of the Best Pharmacy to Treat Your Erectile Dysfunction issue with the intake of PDE5 Oral Medications such as Cenforce in Sildenafil Citrate Generic, Vidalista in Tadalafil Generic and, Vilitra in Vardenafil.

All of these medications work by loosening smooth muscles and increasing blood flow in the penis throughout sexual stimulation. 

Author Bio:

If you want to get more Details about Erectile Dysfunction and its Prevention, Treatment Options, or Medications, then have a peek at EDBalance. We are one of the Top Mail Order Pharmacies and Offers Generic Medications for Treatment of Male Sexual Dysfunction Problems in Millions of Men in the USA and UK.

“EDBalance is one of the Best Mail Order Pharmacies, Care about our Customers and Build Strong Relationship Through our 24/7 Hours Availability and worldwide Free Shipping. We turn our Customer Temporary to permanently through our services. “

Please Visit: www.edbalance.com

[sarashafni]

Have you heard of the brand Spa Ceylon? One of the best Ayurvedic products you’d find! I got to know about this product a couple of months ago when my sister traveled to Srilanka and got me this amazing Spa Ceylon Scalp and Hair Treatment Oil since she knew I was struggling with hair fall, and I must say this product worked wonders for me, the ingredients helped nourish, strengthen and promote hair growth.  I was in awe with this product I quickly posted a picture and talked about the benefits on Instagram which you can see here.

Right after posting the image on Instagram, I got more than 50 messages from my followers asking me where they can get this product and how much their suffering with hair fall as well. Unfortunately, the products are not sold in Dubai yet, though they have future plans

A couple of days ago, I received a DHL Box from Srilanka, was wondering could be inside, and to my surprise, it was a gift box from Spa Ceylon! Was thrilled to get this and more over excited so I could review their products and make you aware of how awesome their products are.

Just before I get into reviewing the product, I’d like you to get to know the brand and their story.

The Spa Ceylon Story

From the teardrop isle of Ceylon, an exotic paradise nestled in the heart of the Indian Ocean comes natural well-being rituals drawn from holistic practices of age-old wisdom, deep-rooted in the culture of the island.

Derived from royal relaxation, rejuvenation and healing rituals of Ayurveda, practiced in the grand palaces of Ceylon, comes the range of treasured formulae and rituals from Spa Ceylon, to hydrate, treat, purify and soothe your body, mind, and soul.

Spa Ceylon combines Ayurveda wisdom, fine natural ingredients & contemporary design to bring you the ultimate in Ayurveda luxury – for health, well-being & relaxation. The range includes treatment oils, massage balms, massage and bath oils, essential oils, cleansing bars, exfoliating bars, shower gels, body scrubs, body packs, milk baths, body lotions, moisturizing balms, body mist, soothing balms, foot care and herbal compress.

The Spa Ceylon range of Ayurveda luxuries is the result of nearly 50 years of expertise in the field of natural health & beauty products from the pioneer in modern Ayurveda beauty care in Sri Lanka.

Aiming to offer our customers a lifestyle of indulgence & total natural wellness, Spa Ceylon offers the highest quality Ayurveda services through its design, innovation, professional retail staff and worldwide distributors.

Spa Ceylon products are formulated only with the finest natural ingredients, including organic essential oils from our tropical island home, organically grown sun-kissed fresh Aloe Vera, therapeutically proven pure extra virgin coconut oil, mineral rich Indian Ocean salts & fabled Ceylon spices.

Spa Ceylon promotes environmentally-friendly products, supports human rights, and is against the use of child labor and animal testing. All products are alcohol-free & contain no ingredients of animal origin.

The Virgin Coconut Home Spa Set

What I’m loving about the brand!

Paraben Free

Paraffin Free

100% Vegetarian

Silicone Free

Not tested on animals

Promotes sustainable harvesting

Supports community fair trade

Virgin Coconut Pure & Natural Organic Oil

A 100% pure Virgin Coconut Oil, naturally cold pressed at source from the finest fresh coconuts and rich in nourishing vitamins & protective anti-oxidants to help reinforce, repair & fortify skin & hair, promoting overall wellness. Hydrates, nourish, softens, smoothens & brightens for total care.

Application – Apply all over face, body and hair, Massage in long strokes and must leave for atleast an hour

Dietary – Take 1 tbsp each morning, with a balanced diet (Since this is organic it is harmless) you can use this in your coffee, your dressing.

Benefits :  

Keeps you healthy and slim you can help boost and regulate your metabolism to keep your weight under control with this wonder oil.

Support Your Immune System Organic coconut oil is jam-packed with lauric acid, the immune supporting nutrient.

Promote Heart Health Packed full of healthy fats that are good for your heart, organic coconut oil is a great addition to your daily diet.

Give You Instant Energy Organic coconut oil can help you feel less fatigued and require less sleep by stimulating your metabolism. It can also enhance athletic performance.

Support Healthy Thyroid Function Organic coconut oil helps to stimulate the activity and proper functioning of this important gland which provides energy, supports the health of your skin and metabolism, and keeps your moods in balance.

Oil pulling – Rinse mouth with 1 tbsp each morning,

Make sure to oil pull first thing in the morning right after you get out of bed before you brush your teeth or drink anything.

Gently swish 1 – 2 tablespoons of coconut oil in your mouth and between your teeth for 10-20 minutes making sure that you don’t swallow any of the oil. (Do this gently so you don’t wear out your jaw and cheeks!)

Spit out the oil in the trash (not the sink so it doesn’t clog up the plumbing…ask me how I know) and immediately rinse your mouth out with warm water (use salt water for added antimicrobial properties).

Finally, brush your teeth as normal.

Voila, easy as that!

Oil pulling works by cleaning (detoxifying) the oral cavity in a similar way that soap cleans dirty dishes. It literally sucks the dirt (toxins) out of your mouth and creates a clean, antiseptic oral environment that contributes to the proper flow of dental liquid that is needed to prevent cavities and disease.

This unbelievably effective procedure has been used for centuries as a traditional remedy to:

Cures tooth decay

Kills bad breath

Heals bleeding gums

Prevents heart disease

Reduces inflammation

Whitens teeth

Soothes throat dryness

Prevents cavities

Heals cracked lips

Boosts Immune System

Improves acne

Strengthens gums and jaw

Virgin Coconut Face & Body Soothing Serum

A 100% natural serum of pure Virgin Coconut Oil naturally cold pressed and rich in nourishing vitamins & protective anti-oxidants to help reinforce, repair & fortify skin, promoting overall wellness. Hydrates nourish, softens & smoothes face & body, evening-out skin tone & improving visible youthfulness.

Application – Apply lightly all over face, body, scalp & hair and leave for an hour, for optimum use lightly heat the serum.

Benefits:

Helps increase Cell Regeneration When your metabolic rate increases, your cell regeneration speeds up, too. This means that your body will more quickly replace old cells with newer, healthier cells.

Virgin Coconut Hair & Body Natural Butter

A 100% natural multi-usage ultra-nourishing butter of pure Virgin Coconut Oil  Rich in nourishing vitamins & protective anti-oxidants to help reinforce, repair & fortify skin, promoting overall wellness. Deeply hydrates , soften, protects & cares for lips, skin, elbows, feet & hair.

Application – Can be used during Day/Night/ after bath, lightly massage the butter onto lips, skin, and hair to lock in moisture

Benefits:

Due to the saturated fats in the butter, this helps the skin stay moisturized, with the fat preventing moisture loss through the skin’s pores. These fats give the skin a healthy, smooth and even tone.

Virgin Coconut Face & Body Scrub

A unique 100% natural complex of pure Virgin Coconut Oil & Virgin Coconut Crystals Rich in nourishing vitamins & protective antioxidants to exfoliate, refine & renew skin, promoting overall wellness. Hydrates smoothes & revitalizes face & body, revealing instantly softer, more radiant skin.

Application- Apply all over face and body, massaging into clean, use this on damp skin, using gentle circular motions, rinse off and pat dry.

Benefits:

Combat dry, flaky skin and dullness

Fight acne breakouts

Stimulate circulation to help reduce cellulite

Reveal smooth, glowing skin!

Ceylon Tea Ylang Luxury Soap Bar

A luxuriously creamy natural cleanser infused with a soothing blend of Green, White & Black Teas – rich in natural antioxidants & nutrients. Mystical Ylang Ylang & sensual Tuberose to help protect subtle energies & balance chakras. Virgin Coconut, Rice Bran Wheatgerm & Almond moisturize, nourish & soften skin. Pure Mango Butter & Kokum Butter help hydrate, protect & preserve natural balance, while fresh Aloe Vera helps cool & comfort.

The scent of the blended teas is extremely calming, ideal for a warm shower before going to bed.

Sandalwood Spice Intensive Hand Cream

A natural revitalizing treatment enriched with precious Mysore Sandalwood, Sweet Almond, Wheatgerm & Virgin Coconut to moisturize, nourish & care for dry & rough hands. Pure Mango Butter & Kokum Butter help hydrate, protect & preserve youthfulness. Rice Bran & Soya soften & smoothen skin for total hand care. Mysore Sandalwood comforts & beautifies skin, while earthy Vetiver, uplifting Ceylon Cinnamon & Precious Patchouli help warm & invigorate the senses, promoting sensual energies.

Spice Scent, extremely innovating and great moisture.

Verdict:

I must say I’m a big fan of this brand, as most of you know I just love natural products that help me connect with nature and love sustainable products, Spa Ceylon is one of the best ayurvedic brands out there, their quality of ingredients are amazing and all hand-picked from the lush tropical gardens of Ceylon.

This kit definitely gives you a luxurious spa feeling right at home, transporting you to an exotic paradise, perfect for destressing and pampering yourself.

If you’re looking for an all natural, ayurvedic product you must try Spa Ceylon, I can guarantee you the quality of the product will make you fall in love with the brand! And if you’re interested in purchasing, you can purchase them online here  or for those of you who will be traveling to Srilanka you can purchase these products from Odel.

Have any of you tried their products? Comment below and let me know what you think of their brand?

Spa Ceylon – Virgin Coconut Home Spa Set Have you heard of the brand Spa Ceylon? One of the best Ayurvedic products you'd find! I got to know about this product a couple of months ago when my sister traveled to Srilanka and got me this amazing Spa Ceylon Scalp and Hair Treatment Oil since she knew I was struggling with hair fall, and I must say this product worked wonders for me, the ingredients helped nourish, strengthen and promote hair growth. 

[newleafcounselingcenter]

Three Easy Tips to Help With Anxiety

There are many tips out there to help with anxiety. Some cost money, some feel overwhelming, and some are vague and leave you wondering if they helped at all. Here at New Leaf Counseling, we are going to be talking about three easy steps that are proven to help with anxiety that you can start today!

Get More Sleep

There can be several things that contribute to your anxiety. One is lack of sleep. Sleep deprivation can play a negative role in emotional processing. The ability to manage your emotions healthily is essential to keeping anxiety at bay. Sleep can affect your body and mood. The part of your brain that is responsible for protecting and helping you identify dangers is called the amygdala. It communicates threats to the prefrontal cortex, which then determines whether flight or fight is necessary. The amygdala and the prefrontal cortex typically work pretty well together.

However, when your brain is stimulated by lack of sleep, and you're under a period of distress, the emotional centers of the brain can take over. This cycle can lead to difficulty concentrating, increased irritation, slower reflexes, and higher anxiety levels.

There are some practices you can try that can contribute to more natural sleep and less insomnia if you have these issues. For example, avoid exercise before bed, as this can stimulate you. Try working out five or six hours before you want to go to bed. Also, when you eat your meals can contribute to your sleep. Spread out your meals and snacks throughout the day to avoid intense hunger or spikes in blood sugar and try not to eat three hours before bed. Spread out your meals and snacks throughout the day to prevent extreme hunger or spikes in blood sugar. These habits can help ease you into slumber when bedtime arrives.

When you settle in for the evening, set up your surroundings in a soothing way. Make your bedroom your nighttime sanctuary. Diffuse essential oils with calming scents like lavender, and play soft music or white noise- these will all calm your brain. Make sure your routine before sleep isn't stimulating, turn off your phone or put it in sleep mode about a half-hour ahead of time. If you can't sleep once you lie down, get up and read or drink some tea because tossing and turning can lead to more anxiety.

Peaceful sleep is always good for your body, mind, and soul. So give these suggestions a try if you're experiencing high levels of anxiety.

Quit Caffeine

In addition to more sleep, less caffeine can be a great aid in diminishing anxiety. Caffeine is a stimulant, so it makes sense that it could aggravate your already strong feelings of restlessness and agitation. The stimulant effects of caffeine can make anyone feel nervous, shaky, or anxious. These effects are especially true if you're not used to consuming it.

If you already have an anxiety disorder or are prone to the emotion, drinking excessive amounts of caffeinated beverages and such could throw you into a panic attack.

This substance in caffeine stimulates your central nervous system, speeding up bodily functions like metabolism. Some people can be very sensitive to caffeine. That ordinary small jump in heart rate that some people experience when they have a bit of caffeine can send someone that suffers from anxiety reeling. If you notice a jittery feeling, headache, intense fear, or any other negative sensations when you drink caffeine, try removing it from your diet. You may experience withdrawal symptoms but try to wait them out and notice if your anxiety lessens over time.

If you drink a lot of caffeine regularly, it's probably a good plan to lessen your daily caffeine intake slowly, rather than quitting cold turkey. Take notes daily detailing how you feel as you remove it from your system. These notes can be motivating when you see evidence that things are improving. If you find yourself wanting a coffee in the middle of the day, try a cold drink of water or eating an apple. You will be surprised how much those two things can take you out of an afternoon slump.

Practice Gratitude

Anxiety can have several physical symptoms, and it can wreak havoc on all areas of your life. Your mind plays an influential role in how anxiety starts and how it plays out. A lot of anxiety causes and intensifiers take place in the brain. Therefore, you can use mental strategies to control and tame this terrible beast. Our last tip on how to fight anxiety is to practice gratitude. There are many benefits of gratitude on the body and the mind.

Expressing gratitude can not only decrease physical pain and improve sleep, but it can lead to more optimistic thoughts, which influence more positive behaviors.

The connection between thoughts and the resulting actions or behaviors is strong. Gratitude has been proven to stimulate the hypothalamus. This region of the brain controls functions like metabolism, stress, and sleep. Also, being grateful can trigger parts of the brain that produce the feel-good neurochemical, dopamine. Positive behaviors can lead you to feel better about yourself and more productive. Forming a habit of gratitude begins a cycle that changes your perspective, causing you to feel more optimistic and thankful, which can lead to less negative emotions and anxiety.

Practicing gratitude is a habit that gets easier with practice. Once you start, you'll probably notice yourself looking on the bright side and feeling thankful for what you have far more frequently than you did in the past. One of the easiest ways to feel grateful is to thank someone. You could personally acknowledge when someone does something for you, or you could write a heartfelt note to a meaningful friend or loved one. Another strategy is to examine your week and take note of at least three things that went well.

When you make an effort to turn negative thinking around by recognizing the positive things, too, you'll see things aren't as bad as you initially thought. One last suggestion is to demonstrate acts of kindness. Take notes of who you can help this week. It doesn't have to be anything elaborate, but helping others has a way of showing us just how many good things we possess. Who knew something as simple as being grateful could have such an effect on lessening anxiety?

Getting more sleep, eliminating caffeine, and practicing gratitude may not come quickly right away, but it's definitely worth the effort. If you continuously practice these things, you will soon notice a change in your anxiety levels. I

f you feel these tips are not helping, and your anxiety continues to increase, it might be time to seek professional help. Here at New Leaf Counseling; we're always here to help.

from newleafcounseling https://www.newleafcounseling.org/single-post/2019/08/29/Three-Easy-Tips-to-Help-With-Anxiety

[newleafcounseling]

Three Easy Tips to Help With Anxiety

There are many tips out there to help with anxiety. Some cost money, some feel overwhelming, and some are vague and leave you wondering if they helped at all. Here at New Leaf Counseling, we are going to be talking about three easy steps that are proven to help with anxiety that you can start today!

Get More Sleep

There can be several things that contribute to your anxiety. One is lack of sleep. Sleep deprivation can play a negative role in emotional processing. The ability to manage your emotions healthily is essential to keeping anxiety at bay. Sleep can affect your body and mood. The part of your brain that is responsible for protecting and helping you identify dangers is called the amygdala. It communicates threats to the prefrontal cortex, which then determines whether flight or fight is necessary. The amygdala and the prefrontal cortex typically work pretty well together.

However, when your brain is stimulated by lack of sleep, and you're under a period of distress, the emotional centers of the brain can take over. This cycle can lead to difficulty concentrating, increased irritation, slower reflexes, and higher anxiety levels.

There are some practices you can try that can contribute to more natural sleep and less insomnia if you have these issues. For example, avoid exercise before bed, as this can stimulate you. Try working out five or six hours before you want to go to bed. Also, when you eat your meals can contribute to your sleep. Spread out your meals and snacks throughout the day to avoid intense hunger or spikes in blood sugar and try not to eat three hours before bed. Spread out your meals and snacks throughout the day to prevent extreme hunger or spikes in blood sugar. These habits can help ease you into slumber when bedtime arrives.

When you settle in for the evening, set up your surroundings in a soothing way. Make your bedroom your nighttime sanctuary. Diffuse essential oils with calming scents like lavender, and play soft music or white noise- these will all calm your brain. Make sure your routine before sleep isn't stimulating, turn off your phone or put it in sleep mode about a half-hour ahead of time. If you can't sleep once you lie down, get up and read or drink some tea because tossing and turning can lead to more anxiety.

Peaceful sleep is always good for your body, mind, and soul. So give these suggestions a try if you're experiencing high levels of anxiety.

Quit Caffeine

In addition to more sleep, less caffeine can be a great aid in diminishing anxiety. Caffeine is a stimulant, so it makes sense that it could aggravate your already strong feelings of restlessness and agitation. The stimulant effects of caffeine can make anyone feel nervous, shaky, or anxious. These effects are especially true if you're not used to consuming it.

If you already have an anxiety disorder or are prone to the emotion, drinking excessive amounts of caffeinated beverages and such could throw you into a panic attack.

This substance in caffeine stimulates your central nervous system, speeding up bodily functions like metabolism. Some people can be very sensitive to caffeine. That ordinary small jump in heart rate that some people experience when they have a bit of caffeine can send someone that suffers from anxiety reeling. If you notice a jittery feeling, headache, intense fear, or any other negative sensations when you drink caffeine, try removing it from your diet. You may experience withdrawal symptoms but try to wait them out and notice if your anxiety lessens over time.

If you drink a lot of caffeine regularly, it's probably a good plan to lessen your daily caffeine intake slowly, rather than quitting cold turkey. Take notes daily detailing how you feel as you remove it from your system. These notes can be motivating when you see evidence that things are improving. If you find yourself wanting a coffee in the middle of the day, try a cold drink of water or eating an apple. You will be surprised how much those two things can take you out of an afternoon slump.

Practice Gratitude

Anxiety can have several physical symptoms, and it can wreak havoc on all areas of your life. Your mind plays an influential role in how anxiety starts and how it plays out. A lot of anxiety causes and intensifiers take place in the brain. Therefore, you can use mental strategies to control and tame this terrible beast. Our last tip on how to fight anxiety is to practice gratitude. There are many benefits of gratitude on the body and the mind.

Expressing gratitude can not only decrease physical pain and improve sleep, but it can lead to more optimistic thoughts, which influence more positive behaviors.

The connection between thoughts and the resulting actions or behaviors is strong. Gratitude has been proven to stimulate the hypothalamus. This region of the brain controls functions like metabolism, stress, and sleep. Also, being grateful can trigger parts of the brain that produce the feel-good neurochemical, dopamine. Positive behaviors can lead you to feel better about yourself and more productive. Forming a habit of gratitude begins a cycle that changes your perspective, causing you to feel more optimistic and thankful, which can lead to less negative emotions and anxiety.

Practicing gratitude is a habit that gets easier with practice. Once you start, you'll probably notice yourself looking on the bright side and feeling thankful for what you have far more frequently than you did in the past. One of the easiest ways to feel grateful is to thank someone. You could personally acknowledge when someone does something for you, or you could write a heartfelt note to a meaningful friend or loved one. Another strategy is to examine your week and take note of at least three things that went well.

When you make an effort to turn negative thinking around by recognizing the positive things, too, you'll see things aren't as bad as you initially thought. One last suggestion is to demonstrate acts of kindness. Take notes of who you can help this week. It doesn't have to be anything elaborate, but helping others has a way of showing us just how many good things we possess. Who knew something as simple as being grateful could have such an effect on lessening anxiety?

Getting more sleep, eliminating caffeine, and practicing gratitude may not come quickly right away, but it's definitely worth the effort. If you continuously practice these things, you will soon notice a change in your anxiety levels. I

f you feel these tips are not helping, and your anxiety continues to increase, it might be time to seek professional help. Here at New Leaf Counseling; we're always here to help.

from newleafcounseling https://www.newleafcounseling.org/single-post/2019/08/29/Three-Easy-Tips-to-Help-With-Anxiety

[ninetiescat]

story of my medications

This is my response to the message I received on my sarahah (@illusionarium), reading,

May be a bit personal, but I want to know your story behind all of your medication. Your social medias are phenomenal which raises my curiosity as to why you have to take so much.

This is going to be way more information than what you asked for. I haven’t proofread this but I tried to write carefully. Potential trigger warning beyond this point.

I’ll start at the very beginning, getting to the more-than-you-asked-for right away.

How I got on meds in the first place:

In January 2012, the night of day 1 of the second semester of my freshman year of high school, so roughly five and a half years ago, I was involuntarily put under mandatory 72-hour hold in a psychiatric ward for threatening to kill myself. I was in there until the afternoon of day 3 of the semester. This is pertinent because I wanted and somehow proceeded to achieve straight A’s and knew that staying in longer meant I was missing more class-time and putting that at risk it took a month to catch up on those three days I shit you not. (For the full hospital story, see this post.) While being held there, I did my best to abide by the rules the hospital operated by—i.e. rules none of us were directly informed of, rules we had to be informed of by our fellow inmates let’s be honest, it was essentially a prison who were there before us and learned the hard way so we didn’t have to—but those rules were just things to check legal boxes, they didn’t make any real sense, and they weren’t consistent, so despite my genuine best efforts, it became very clear very quickly that they wouldn’t release me after 72 hours (72 hours is only the minimum) if I didn’t sell my soul to the devil. I always swore I would never take psychiatric medications—I just didn’t believe in it, if I was doomed to be sad then so be it, I didn’t have anything against other people taking meds but I didn’t want it for myself under any circumstances—but I couldn’t afford to be held longer than the bare minimum basically if I took a breath one second later than expected, Staff would threaten to hold me for an extra week, a threat that was said to me five times, so I agreed to be medicated to check one of their damn boxes needed for an on-time release. Then, when released (about 24-hours after agreeing to take meds and taking the first dose), I was told that if I stopped taking the meds I would be readmitted. I assumed, despite Staff being heartless assholes for the most part, that they—medical professionals (well, sort of)—wouldn’t flat out lie to me, so I reluctantly continued taking the meds. I cried, I went to the doctor they referred me to every month and a half, I sold my soul and gave up what I stood for, I took my shit as prescribed, I was a good girl, and I hated every second of it, but I hated it less than I hated hospitalization. It wasn’t until a year and a half later that I cried to that doctor (who was very nice; I quite enjoyed seeing her) about hating being on meds and wanting to stop but knowing I can’t without being readmitted, and she, surprised by my statement, informed me that that was a lie, I was never required to keep taking them, they could not readmit me for that, period end of story, I had been blatantly lied to. Unfortunately, by then I had gotten in too deep (I’ll explain why), so despite still hating being on meds, I carried on.

Why I stayed on them:

I grew up depressed, anxious, and with insomnia; it’s all I’ve ever known, so I couldn’t complain too much having never known better I mean I complain all the time, talked about suicide etc., but I wasn’t fighting for better because I didn’t know what to fight for and didn’t have the motivation too. A year and a half into bouncing from medication to medication (I’ll elaborate later), I had had no success with improving my depression or anxiety, but after about a year of that, I found a sleeping medication that worked, and holy fucking shit. Over the course of my life, my sleep had been getting progressively worse; for instance, at age 14.5, Night 2 in the psych ward, bedtime from 10pm through 7am, I took over an hour to fall asleep and woke up eight times I remember because Staff yelled at me about this the next morning. That was quite normal for me, I wasn’t accustomed to anything better, but getting a night of what normal sleep should be for the first time…was just something I couldn’t pass up. It was like a brand new world. The medicine that did the trick was an atypical antidepressant prescribed to me for insomnia by that point my doc had gone off-label, as I was already failing to respond to traditional treatments, so I said fuck it and kept on making my way down Big Pharma’s product list trying to treat all my issues for the heck of it. Note however that I had also been diagnosed with ADHD, a problem I wasn’t previously aware of, and medication for it worked also, but I could’ve accepted pre-ADHD-med life more than pre-insomnia-med life.

Since then:

My insurance dropped that first doctor not technically a doctor, psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, PMHNP, didn’t know that for a long time, didn’t know there was an important difference at the year and a half mark, so I switched to doc #2 not a doctor, advanced practice registered nurse, APRN, who quit and was replaced by #3 some kind of nurse practitioner who quit and was replaced by #4 APRN whom I hated, so I switched to #5 family nurse practitioner, FNP, who was great, but I really needed a psychiatrist. So now I’m seeing #6, a psychiatrist! A PhD! An MD! At last! My therapist of five years said I needed an actual psychiatrist and advised I try to get off of my meds (four total at the time), which is a main reason I took medical withdrawal from college in March. This doctor is fab and is trying so hard to get me the best treatment possible. We tried weaning off slowly, but the withdrawal symptoms were too bad to handle alone, so we’ve tried substituting new meds with them to ease the withdrawals (elaborated on later). Because of how that is going, he wants me to seek a second opinion technically an eighth if we include the psych ward, five NPs, my therapist of five years, and himself from an accredited institution if we can find one that will see me because my “case has advanced beyond what conventional medical treatments can help” and I have “suffered too long,” and if a re-evaluation shows that my diagnoses are correct, I could benefit possibly from experimental treatments or clinical trials since my shit is so treatment resistant.

How that’s going—what I’m diagnosed with and what all I’ve tried:

Chronologically, I’ve been diagnosed with major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, insomnia, ADHD, and panic disorder, with anorexia nervosa present but left undiagnosed. In trying to treat my five diagnoses in the last five and a half years, I’ve had my system pumped with twenty-five different psychotropic medications. Of the 25, I’ve only had any success with/positive reaction to 8. I’m currently on 6 daily. Let’s list them out chronologically with more info than you asked for for shits and giggles shall we—“[medication class] prescribed for [whatever, usually off-label], italicized means it worked, bolded means I’m currently on it:

Zoloft/Sertraline—(from the hospital) antidepressant for depression & anxiety

Xanax/Alprazolam—sedative for anxiety

Trazodone—weird antidepressant for insomnia

Tranxene/Clorazepate—benzodiazepine for insomnia

Ambien/Zolpidem—hypnotic for insomnia

Prozac/Fluoxetine—antidepressant for depression

Elavil/Amitriptyline—idk it treats everything and was prescribed for idk I can’t remember tbh

Remeron/Mirtazapine—atypical antidepressant for insomnia (worked for a year, stopped, immediately replaced by Seroquel)

Adderall XR and IR—stimulant for ADHD (XR extremely effective but couldn’t tolerate ingesting it, IR ineffective)

Buspar/Buspirone—anxiolytic for anxiety

Inderal/Propranolol—beta blocker for anxiety/depression

Seroquel/Quetiapine—atypical antipsychotic for insomnia

Lamictal/Lamotrigine—anticonvulsant for depression (under slow withdrawal at the moment)

Daytrana/Methylphenidate—stimulant for ADHD

Klonopin/Clonazepam—benzodiazepine for anxiety

Valium/Diazepam—benzodiazepine for anxiety then insomnia

Lexapro/Escitalopram—antidepressant for depression

Wellbutrin/Bupropion—antidepressant for suicidal thoughts (it helped a bit)

Atarax/Hydroxyzine HCl—antihistamine for insomnia

Phenergan/Promethazine—antihistamine for insomnia

Clonidine HCl—alpha blocker for insomnia & high blood pressure/elevated heart rate

Trileptal/Oxcarbazepine—anticonvulsant for depression/to ease Lamictal withdrawals

Vyvanse/Lisdexamfetamine—stimulant for ADHD

Dexedrine/Dextroamphetamine—stimulant for ADHD

Evekeo/Amphetamine—stimulant for ADHD

So I’m currently on Seroquel, Lamictal, Valium, Clonidine, Trileptal, and Evekeo—three for insomnia, two for depression, and one for ADHD. I am incapable of sleeping without sleeping medications; I go about 36 hours wide awake, then go from wired to unconscious note that sleep is not an unconscious state for about half an hour, then snap back awake as if nothing has ever happened until I take the next dose. I have extreme difficulty reading, comprehending, writing, and understanding information without ADHD medication, one of the main two reasons I’m taking a second semester off from school. My anxiety is debilitating and currently only being treated through therapy, which is undoubtedly beneficial but not the same; I used to take Valium to stop my panic attacks (it would calm down the physical symptoms so I could use what I’ve learned in therapy to calm the mental symptoms), but when I started taking it for sleep it stopped working for panic, so I just have to ride it out. I started Clonidine as a substitute for Valium for falling asleep, but it makes me so damn sleepy during the day that I’ve been slow to let go of the Valium and raise the Clonidine. I’m not addicted to any of it, simply terrified to not sleep. A sleepless night is a nightmare few people understand; yeah no one likes a sleepless night, but it’s fucking torture when you get more suicidal with every second you’re awake. I get in bed every night terrified that this will be the night I stop sleeping; Seroquel, for the first four years, worked effortlessly for making me fall and stay asleep for roughly eight hours and wake up on my own with no drowsiness, then all of a sudden it stopped helping me fall asleep and out of desperation I added on Valium because it was my only option and I knew it had hypnotic properties. Since it’s not healthy to be on it super long term, my doc wanted me to trade it for something safer, like Clonidine. I was put on Lamictal after going through rounds of antidepressants that failed; Lamictal treats seizure disorders and bipolar disorder and is related to Trileptal but carries a greater risk of a deadly side effect. Seroquel is an antipsychotic that also treats bipolar disorder; it seems the medications that work best for me with the fewest side effects are the ones that treat bipolar disorder, for which I have not been diagnosed (technically I am down as bipolar in my files for insurance reasons, as my insurance could request my files, see the depression diagnosis, and refuse to pay for Seroquel and Lamictal because they are not approved to treat unipolar depression), which I find interesting. Trileptal has shown very little evidence on efficacy at treating mood disorders and is in no way approved for their treatment, but I have responded to so few medications that my latest doc thought hey, why not. Fun, isn’t it?

And at last,

why I have to take so much:

My shit, aka an intricately intertwined clusterfuck, is just so damn treatment resistant that 1. no one medicine can treat any one problem well enough to suffice on its own 2. everything is so bad that even if one worked really well and wiped out one problem altogether the others really can’t go untreated yet. There are only two instances in which I am okay with being alive—on stage performing or in an airport. I’m not lucky/privileged enough anymore for the former occasion (bonus: my sleeping meds contain antihistamine properties and I’ve watched as my voice has deteriorated over the past four years, escalating in the last four with the addition of Clonidine) and not rich enough for the latter to occur as often as I’d like, so I spend virtually every day wishing I was dead. It’s so normal to me now. It’s been twenty years. I can smile and laugh and dance around for a few minutes, but that’s all I get; it doesn’t last. My favourite singer can release a new song and I’ll cry with happiness as I sing at the top of my lungs for hours or see some aesthetically pleasing decoration in a store and take a hundred pictures of it and that’ll make my day, but it simply doesn’t last. I’ve only managed to live this long because my anxiety is severe in just the right ways to keep me incapable of going through with any method of suicide. I’ve become accustomed to coasting by; I often wonder how many people can tell I’ve got issues or can tell what kind of issues I have without being informed first. I wonder too what I’m like beneath the medications, if I would even be recognizable; I thought I would find that out over the summer, but that will have to wait until the weaning is all done I suppose my psychiatrist estimated the process would take 3.5 years when I started seeing him.

Soooo…I hope that answered your question and makes some sort of sense. Feel free to inquire further; I’ve spent the past six months doing nothing but researching and focusing heavily on all of this so I know it well and have a lot to say about it.

[theoveldsman]

MASTER OF THE LEADERSHIP UNIVERSE Travel Guide for Leadership Excellence in the newly emerging order

STOP-OVER 14: LEADERSHIP CULTURE AND CLIMATE – THE GLUE OF AND ATMOSPHERE WITHIN A LEADERSHIP GALAXY

Within the vast expanse of the Leadership Universe, leadership constitutes their own unique ‘Galaxy’ that equates to their Operating Arena. Every Leadership Galaxy has a certain degree of liveability.

The liveability of a Galaxy within the Leadership Universe can be depicted as a three dimensional ‘Periodic Table’, expressed by the equation: Liveability = f (Quality x Intelligence x Energy).   The liveability of a Leadership Galaxy can vary from flourishing/ thriving to toxic/ impoverished.

A Galaxy’s liveability is first and foremost established by leadership who acts as a type of ‘chemical reagent’ through their manner of constituting and being engaged with their Galaxy, infusing it with a certain ‘quality of life’ (see In Stop-over 13).    

Over time the degree of liveability in a Leadership Galaxy crystalises into a shared, unique Leadership Culture and Climate within in the leadership group of a Leadership Galaxy. Leadership Culture and Climate form respectively the ‘glue’ of and ‘atmosphere’ within the Galaxy.

In turn, the Leadership Culture and Climate specific to the leadership group of a Leadership Galaxy provide the foundation for and sets an organisation’s Organisational Culture and Climate.  

LEADERSHIP CULTURE: Shared ways of seeing, believing, interpreting and doing within the leadership group

The collectively of the leadership making up a Leadership Galaxy is significantly influenced and shaped by the shared ways of seeing, believing, interpreting and doing present and active within the group, and by implication the Leadership Galaxy of which they form part. 

These shared ways inform, frame and shape the leadership group’s perceptions, thinking, decisions, actions, relationships and interactions. All and all, they infuse the Leadership Galaxy into its very DNA.

Examples of such contrasting ways of looking at the world are:  

scarcity vs. abundance

being past/ present-referenced vs. being future-referenced

diversity and uniqueness vs. sameness and standardisation  

co-operation vs. competition  

an inside-out vs outside-in perspective  

Collectively, these shared ways within the leadership group form the Leadership Culture as a foundational building block of the Leadership Galaxy. Leadership Culture is the ‘glue’ that keeps the Leadership Galaxy together, and gives it a certain ‘personality’ as a Galaxy. 

Leadership Culture can be explicit and/or implicit; visible/tangible and/or invisible/intangible; and superficially, narrowly or deeply, widely entrenched.

Leadership Culture enables leadership to ‘see’ things but also ‘blind’ them to others. For example only seeing Scarcity and being blind to Abundance. 

It frames, mobilises, directs, guides and focuses leadership energy in shared ways in the Leadership Galaxy as they journey together in their endeavour to realise their dream and legacy.  

The functions of Leadership Culture

Within the leadership group, Leadership Culture determines at the front line the “what”, “how”, “who”, “where” and “why” of the leadership process followed; the leadership roles, modes and styles adopted and played out; and leadership interactions and dynamics.  Leadership Culture gives expression to the ‘acceptable style of living’ by the leadership group within the Leadership Galaxy.

For example:

leadership process: is it acceptable to leadership to challenge the status quo; envision a different future; model the way;  enable and empower; and/or celebrate success?

leadership roles: is it expected of leadership to fulfil roles such as coach, mentor, builder, and/or resourcer?

leadership styles: is an autocratic, co-determination or self-govern leadership the right way of doing things?   

leadership modes: does leadership influence the actions of people through emphasizing the good old days;  recognition and rewards; crises, real or imagined; or envisioning an inspiring dream and lasting, worthy legacy? 

leadership decisions: how are leadership decisions, actions, events and outcomes justified, talked about, rationalised and legtimitised in the organisation?

leadership interactions: amongst leadership, what can be or not be talked about (the “no go” areas), and who are included in/ excluded from these conversations (the “In” and “Out” groups)?

Leadership Culture – similarly to organisational culture correlating 70% with leadership – therefore provides leadership with:

an identity – who and what are we as leadership. E.g., ‘Leadership in our organisation means to walk in front at all times, and to know all that there is to know.’ 

a place in the world – where do we belong as leadership. E.g., ‘Top leaders are the only true and proper  leaders in our organisation.’ 

a way of interacting – how to relate to each others as leadership. E.g., ‘Never but never, create surprises for fellow leaders.’ 

an explanation, understanding and prediction of how things work – how the world should and does function. E.g., ‘Any change to the status quo is a threat to us as leadership, to be eliminated as quickly as possible.’  

a power deployment strategy – how authority should be used with respect to whom. E.g., ‘Respect the authority of leadership unquestionably, regardless of their credibility, competence and conduct.’  

The layers of Leadership Culture

Leadership culture consists of three interdependent layers (adapted from EH Schein), where a deeper layer enfolds and shapes a shallower layer as depicted in the figure below.

                        Some examples of the three Leadership Culture layers depicted in the figure are:

Layer 1: Leadership Assumptions and Beliefs regarding the make-up, functioning and evolution of the world – ‘Resources are scarce’; ‘Merciless, ferocious competition is the game that must be played. Forget about any co-operation’;’ Males are better leaders than females’.

Layer 2: Leadership Values, Norms and Attitudes regarding what is good and bad, right and wrong, important and unimportant; beautiful and ugly – ‘Getting the job done, is more important than the person doing the job’; ‘Forget about work-life balance. Work always comes first’; ‘Client needs and expectations are subservient to profit and revenue.’ 

Layer 3: Accepted Every Day Ways of Doing Things  – as leadership group, our dress code; how do we address each other: by first name or title; our conduct towards each other – polite or rude; the treatment of our clients; our rituals, ceremonies, symbols; the stories and jokes we typically tell; our legends and myths; the language and vocabulary we use as leadership; how our offices as leadership look compared to the rest of the organisation; what are acceptable uses of privileges, benefits and organisational assets by as leadership.  

Ideal Leadership Culture

The ideal Leadership Culture:

enables the achievement of shared dreams and legacies as they find their operationalised expression in the organisation’s strategic intent 

is explicit and conscious 

is shared by all within the leadership group 

has been internalised by and identified  with leadership 

is strong, but simultaneously dynamically flexible to respond rapidly to changes in the Operating Arena of the organisation 

promotes and embraces diversity in all of its various manifestations: persons, disciplines, functions, beliefs and views, and histories. It allows each leader to be person in his/ her own right. It hence counters the cloning of leadership and groupthink.

LEADERSHIP CLIMATE: General vibe infusing the leadership group

As stated above, Leadership Culture is the shared ways of seeing, believing, interpreting and doing present and active within the leadership group. It represents the glue holding the organisation together, and gives expression to its personality. 

Leadership Climate as foundational building block of the Leadership Galaxy is the ‘mood’ (or vibe) permeating the Galaxy. It is the ‘atmosphere’ under which and style with which leadership work together. It is the ‘spirit’ imbuing the leadership group, and in turn the overall Organisational Climate.

Leadership Climate arises out of the shared meanings leadership give to their daily experiences within the Leadership Galaxy, resulting in certain shared perceptions and feelings. These are shared experiences of and meanings awarded to aspects such as organisational goals, policies and standards, work structures and processes, authority and accountability, relationships, recognition and rewards, and organisational achievements.

Leadership Climate hence entails a specific ‘touchable’ atmosphere within the Leadership Community. The atmosphere can be comfortable, bearable or uncomfortable, unbearable. Analogous to weather conditions, Leadership Climate therefore is either performance and interaction enhancing or detracting.

Dimensions of Leadership Climate

Leadership Climate can profiled in terms of contrasting climate poles – the mood infusing the Leadership Galaxy in response to experiences - on various dimensions of Leadership Climate (given in bold):  

Worldview: Inclusive, open minded vs. Exclusive, closed minded 

Attitudinal: Optimistic, confident vs. Pessimistic, anxious;  Positive vs. Negative

Relationships: Warm, personal, close, inclusive, comfortable vs. Cold, impersonal, distant, exclusive, stressful; Engaging vs Abrasive; Polite, considerate vs Rude, inconsiderate 

Power: Empowering, enabling, nurturing vs. Controlling, disabling, exploitative 

Action: Risk taking, experimenting, creative, stimulating vs. Risk avoidance, mistake minimization, more-of-the-same, boring; Disciplined, accountable vs Chaotic, blame shifting  

Outcomes: Fair, fulfilled, satisfied vs Discriminatory, unfulfilled, dissatisfied

Ideal Leadership Climate

A positive Leadership Climate, and in turn Organisational Climate, nurture and affirm the dignity, worth and efficacy of individuals. Concurrently, enabling, empowering and meaningful work experiences are created, resulting in high positive leadership and follower engagement. In this way the physiological, psychosocial and spiritual (not religious) well-being of leadership and followers are grown, nurtured and sustained.  

A positive climate will be manifested in: 

a high ‘stock’ of psychosocial capital amongst followers  -  high levels of self-efficacy, optimism, hope and resilience (after Luthans,  Youssef & Avolio);  and 

strong virtue-ality, as modelled by the leadership within their Operating Arena  – e.g., a high presence of humaneness, courage, open-mindedness, creativity, curiosity, prudence (after Ungerer, Herholdt & Le Roux).  

Concurrently, a high stock of psychosocial capital and virtue-ality will engender further increasingly more positive Leadership and Organisational Climates though a virtuous, upward cycle.

Patterns of Leadership Culture and Climate

The ruling Leadership Culture and Climate infect the total Leadership Galaxy populated by the leadership and followers, and consequently the whole organisation within its Operating Arena. 

At least seven basic (or archetypes) Leadership Cultures and Climates can be discerned in terms of which Leadership Galaxies can be distinguished

Pioneer: Bountiful opportunities

An abundance of opportunities exist that we as leadership must discover, explore, and utilise with the aim of bringing into being a new/ different world

Typical leadership language: ’We fervently believe in what we do as we move into the unknown, unexplored’; We shall conquer the world against all odds’; ‘Eventually the world will see our point of view and/or be convinced of what we do.’

Clan: Privileged entitlement  

As leadership we are the all-knowing, all-powerful, privileged and highest class in our  organisation who are entitled to enjoy certain rights and benefits unquestionably

Typical leadership language: ‘Within our group there are ‘rulers’ and ‘servants’, an inner and outer circle”; ‘You are either with us as the ruling group or against us’; ‘Divide, conquer and rule’; ‘There is only one way of seeing the world:  Ours’; ‘We say what gets done and how’; ‘Sure try new things, but only on our conditions and terms.’

Heritage: God’s gift to mankind 

As leadership we are bound irrevocably by the traditions and habits of our honourable past that have been conveyed to us by those who have preceded us, and which we have to preserve unquestionably and uncritically

Typical leadership language: ‘Preserve what we have’; ‘The past is to be revered for all that is and has been good’; ‘Our past success will certainly ensure future success’; ‘Extend and endorse what we have been, and presently are, into the future’; ‘What we have and have done, represent the ultimate good and fixed point of reference’; ‘The future is but merely an extension of our glorious past.’

Warfare: Ruthless conquest 

We are fighting a merciless war out there with the winner taking it all

Typical leadership language: ‘It is a war out there’; ‘There can be only one winner, Us’; ‘Conquer or be destroyed’; ‘No prisoners taken’; ‘Only win-lose solutions exist. No win-win solutions’; ‘Finding the right strategy, tactics and surprise to make us winners.’; ‘Winning is the only game in town’. 

Machine: Outstanding operational execution 

Deliver in the most efficient way at all times in all places to all clients, regardless of what it takes

Typical leadership language: ‘Costs, costs, costs’; ‘Efficiency, efficiency, efficiency’; ‘One best way to do things’; ‘Standardisation and formalisation through Standard Operating Procedures’; ‘Get it right the first time, every time’; ‘Continuous improvement’; ‘Innovation is wasteful and time consuming’; ‘ No experimentation’;  ‘No mistakes, failures or excuses’

Doomsday: Apocalypse now 

We are destined for extinction and destruction in the (very near) future. There is no hope. Let us huddle together, and make the most of our last days together as the sun sets over us

Typical leadership language: ‘The world and/or our organisation is coming to an end. Let’s huddle together and await the inevitable’; ‘Let’s openly share our fears, anxieties, frustrations, and talk about the good old days when we had unbounded hopes, dreams and ideals’; ‘There is a (slight) chance of an (unknown) possible saviour. Or, our expected (anonymous) saviour is coming from an unknown place but his/her estimated time of arrival is undisclosed.  Then our newly created world will replace the present world out there that is coming to an end.’

Stewardship: Entrusted caring 

We must leave a worthy, lasting legacy for present and upcoming generations, in this way leaving the world a better place than how we found it

Typical leadership language: ‘We have been entrusted to care for and grow the assets we jointly own,  sustainably’; ‘We have to act in ethical, fair, equitable and transparent ways at all times’; ‘In all of our actions we remain ultimately responsible and accountable to all of our stakeholders’.  

OVERALL JOINT IMPACT OF LEADERSHIP CULTURE AND CLIMATE

The ruling Leadership Culture and Climate make or break the chances of visualising and actualizing a trend setting, boundary busting, inspiring dream and legacy, and travelling the journey towards their actualizing in a constructive, meaningful and well-being manner. 

As the Shona of South Africa say: “The power of the fish (= Leadership), is in the water (= ruling Leadership Culture and Climate).  

Travel Guidelines

Every Leadership Galaxy has a certain degree of liveability. Over time the liveability in a Leadership Galaxy crystalises in a shared, unique Leadership Culture and Climate within the leadership group of the Leadership Galaxy.   

The Leadership Culture and Climate specific to the leadership group of a Leadership Galaxy provide the foundation for, and set the Organisational Culture and Climate.  

Leadership Culture is the shared ways of seeing, believing, interpreting and doing active within the leadership group, and by implication the Leadership Galaxy of which they form part. These shared ways inform, frame and shape the leadership group’s perceptions, thinking, decisions, actions, relationships and interactions. 

Leadership Culture is the glue that keeps the Leadership Galaxy together, and gives it a certain personality as a Galaxy. 

Leadership Culture provides leadership with an identity; a place in the world; a way of interacting; an explanation, understanding and prediction of how things work; and a power deployment strategy. 

Leadership Climate is the mood (or vibe) permeating the Galaxy. It is the atmosphere under which and style with which leadership work together, the spirit and atmosphere imbuing the leadership group. 

At least seven basic Leadership Cultures and Climates can be discerned by which Leadership Galaxies can be distinguished:  

          - Pioneer: Bountiful opportunities

          - Clan: Privileged entitlement

           - Heritage: God’s gift to mankind

            - Warfare: Ruthless conquest

            - Machine: Outstanding operational execution

            - Doomsday: Apocalypse now

            - Stewardship: Entrusted caring 

The ruling Leadership Culture and Climate make or break the chances of visualising and actualising a trend setting, boundary busting, inspiring dream and legacy, and travelling the journey towards their actualizing in a constructive, meaningful and well-being manner.

 Next Stop-over in the Leadership Universe

Stop-over 15 – Leadership Community: Beyond Hierarchy and Function