Omg sooo true. I clear my calendar for an entire week after each session. The healing process is just ughhhh!!
Vibi
I'm honestly going to go by the fact that not a single time in my life has it been brought up by my doctors, psychs, or therapists - some of whom I've been seeing for decades. I'm sure you're incredibly qualified to make these types of diagnoses based off of a few sentences from someone on a message board, but please use your time for your actual patients.
I think these types of feelings tend to come from a bunch of different places for everyone, and it takes each of us different amounts of time and effort to push through them. It's all super overwhelming, especially starting, and sometimes it's hard to pinpoint what's fear, anxiety, embarrassment, or some mental construct that society has programmed into us. It's all new, and sometimes learning and the fear of not being good at something will manifest as different negative emotions (thanks education system).
When you can, try to focus on every small victory! It's silly, but honestly, it is often one step at a time! Shaving different parts of your body and enjoying how smooth your skin is, starting your skincare routine/ritual, researching a new fashion aesthetic and buying your first pieces of clothing, or to make it easier - wearing colors which you may have avoided before, styling your hair differently, getting your nails painted, etc. Each little thing will feel like a huge mountain, but like anything, as you do them more, they'll start to feel more natural 🩷 You will stumble, but just do your best to be patient with yourself! Clothing might not fit or look quite right, that cute hairstyle might not fit your face quite yet, your hands will be a bit clumsy with that make-up brush - all these things are sooo normal, but we're just so used to only being exposed to the curated, 100th take, years of experience, perfect versions of others through social media.
Something that helped me was expanding my circle a bit and being present in queer spaces - physically or digitally. My ideas of gender completely crumbled as I started interacting with gender diverse people and people on their own journey exploring their gender identity. This will also help you find events or friends that will offer a safe space for you to build confidence outside of your home!
You're entirely wrong about that, and I think that's the entire point of this post. Eating does not repulse or disgust me. I have zero anxiety that xyz food is going to make me gain/lose weight. The idea here is that our brains absolutely do not easily create a routine around food. Let's say it's 10am and I'm starting to get hungry- I'll tell myself "okay, lunch in the next hour or two!" I briefly go back to whatever I was doing, look at the clock again, and it's 6pm.
True... but it's not really intentional or desired for some of us. Like, I WANT to put on weight (especially fat), but unless I set timers or am incredibly conscious that I need to eat, time just zips by, and I end up eating as described in the post. When I super focus on it (meal prep, shakes, etc), it starts to become a major point of anxiety in my life, and my relationship with food starts to get kind of toxic. I'm alive, healthy, and all that, but this kind of thing is very different than intentional fasting or dieting.
I was wondering this as well and have been incredibly surprised how different the landscape is from my assumptions. Their algorithm very quickly understood my identity and preferences and started mixing in a good amount of wlw content with just an overflow of positive comments and engagement. I was also super happy to see creators that I enjoy being welcomed and praised on the platform - creators which 100% of the time have people leave the most unkind comments on their posts. There's one in particular, a man who showcases and slays in his dresses, which I've yet to see one negative comment towards. Time will tell how long things stay this way!
Soo it's nowhere near the same- but in FFXIV I once spent weeks after an expansion crafting/gathering to make money to buy a large housing plot. By the end of it I had around ~600million (an absurd amount). Unfortunately my luck just wasn't here and I lost every lottery I entered. Now- I probably have like 5 million. Where did it all go? To other players. I'd just buy people things. Someone in chat said they really wanted this or that- I'd buy it. People wanted a small/medium plot and didn't have the money? I'd give them the gil. I found literally no reason to have so much gil just for the sake of having it, and I love seeing people get excited. I'd put together little welcome packages with expensive mounts, minions, clothes, etc and gift them to new players. I kind of started doing this in real life to, just to a lesser degree as a stranger handing you a gift can be a bit weird. I'd like to imagine, with infinite wealth, I'd do the same thing to a larger scale- really find ways to improve and bring joy to the lives of others. I'd obviously spoil myself with things, but I imagine I'd spend most of it on other people.
Yesss!! 🩷 It's always so nice knowing we're not alone on this journey!
Every one of my previous relationships 😭 I just love making my partners feel happy and comfortable, but I'd love an experience that doesn't leave me feeling greedy not being the lead 🥹
Ahh that sounds like fun and flexible styling! I love seeing people embrace their aesthetics!! Mine is like a mix of Ryousangata, Himekaji, Boho - just depends on the day! Everything is pastel pink or purple though 🤭
Thank you for sharing this! I was a software engineer for over 10 years and was let go with most of my department in June. I've been coasting on SUB payments, enjoying the temporary freedom, and learning sooo much about myself. I've been applying to similar jobs, but the longer I've been away from that world, the less I want to go back to it. So much of me wants to run to a job I always wanted growing up - a barista, and restart my photography business which I had to drop as it was too much to balance with a full-time job. I've been mentally stuck the last few months trying to figure out what I want to do... it's nice to read something from someone in a slightly similar situation who is also considering a completely different path. I wish you the best of luck on your new journey, and I hope you find happiness in whatever work you decide on!
Anecdotally, most of my explore is lgbtq posts with plenty of comments and interaction. Some posts are many days old. I'm 100% sure there is and will be further censorship, but I've not really encountered it yet... I've also been seeing articles about there being a large amount of specific content (Luigi, guns, etc) that I haven't encountered at all.