(no subject)

Sep. 30th, 2025 04:09 pm
camwyn: A white throated sparrow perched on a fence and looking at the camera. (sparrow)
[personal profile] camwyn
I hate. Hate. Hate. Medical terminology. So much sometimes.

if you have named a sleep disorder something that requires five out of six searchable sources of information to have something on the order of "Despite the name, the condition is harmless" as the SECOND LINE OF THE ARTICLE, then maybe, JUST MAYBE, you should consider renaming the disorder to something a LITTLE less disquieting than Exploding Head Syndrome!

(It's a parasomnia, a type of sleep disorder involving abnormal movements, behaviors, emotions, perceptions, or dreams. Sleepwalking, talking in your sleep, night terrors, etc. are all parasomnias. Exploding head syndrome just happens to have the worst possible name, because the diagnostic cases involved people waking out of a sound sleep from an auditory hallucination of a SUDDEN AND HORRIFYINGLY LOUD NOISE. From what I've read about the condition it's at least several hundred years old- the oldest recognizable description of it is in a 1691 biography of Rene Descartes, with the definition of the disorder dating to the 1870s and the official naming of the condition being done by a neurologist in 1989. No damage, pain, or other serious issues involved, just an incredibly distressing name.)

(... oh, yeah, long story short, I woke up ten minutes before my alarm went off because my brain decided I REALLY needed to hear the sound of somebody hammering on the doorbell as loudly as physically possible. I've had other cases of my brain doing this to me before, with all kinds of different, singular loud noises. It's been months since the last EHS incident, though.)

After the Secret

Sep. 28th, 2025 12:03 am
[syndicated profile] post_secret_feed

Posted by Frank

Hi Frank, 

In 2012 when I was 16 years old, I was date-raped by my then boyfriend at a party. A story not altogether dissimilar to the secret you posted this week from a person who was assaulted by a friend and was considering suicide. It took me 2 years to realize what had happened to me and what that meant, despite it being painful and causing bleeding for weeks. My brain had hidden the memory deep inside to protect me.

In my secret I wrote to you in 2015 I said that I was mad at myself for taking so long to figure it out and that I couldn’t forgive myself. I was considering suicide and felt too much shame to tell anyone about what had happened to me. I felt weak and that I had let myself down. But I was lucky enough to find a supportive community and was eventually able to talk to a therapist about my experience. It took time and a lot of work to overcome the crippling PTSD I didn’t realize I was struggling with. But I DID make it! 

These days, I don’t think about it and if I do, it no longer has any power over me. I have forgiven myself and now I have a wonderful partner who respects me and never makes me feel unsafe. Moving on wasn’t easy but it is SO worth it. EMDR saved my life and allowed me to see that I was in fact strong and that life was worth living. 

I guess I just wanted them to know that they are not alone. Unfortunately 1 in 5 women and 1 in 16 men in the US will experience sexual assault in their lifetimes. But, IT DOES GET BETTER! This is not your fault and that person was never really a friend at all. You deserve to be safe and loved. You are not tainted or ruined, you are so incredibly strong. I hope you are able to find the help you need and are able to give yourself grace. We are not victims, we are survivors.

Much love from one survivor to another,

J.

PS: If I submitted a secret today it would probably say something like, “I am not my past. I change everyday and I can’t wait to see who I become.”

The post After the Secret appeared first on PostSecret.

Neighborly

Sep. 25th, 2025 09:59 pm
[syndicated profile] questionable_content_feed

oh god I've been in Canada long enough that "neighborly" looks WRONG without the U

(no subject)

Sep. 24th, 2025 04:38 pm
camwyn: Me in a bomber jacket and jeans standing next to a green two-man North Andover Flight Academy helicopter. (Default)
[personal profile] camwyn
So, got COVID last week. Thought it was just bad cold symptoms, then I realized I was feeling my shirt against my skin the way I only do if I have a fever. Since I was supposed to go for an abdominal ultrasound (possible gallstones) last Friday I got a COVID and flu at-home test and spent fifteen minutes in the bathroom.

Fever never went above 100.6 for me, thankfully. Did not lose what little sense of smell I had to begin with. I no longer have to isolate but I am now back to my all-too-familiar state of 'sinuses full of snot, post nasal drip, HORK HORK HORK coughing'. I'm taking a store-brand severe cold and sinus pill every four hours for that and drinking so much tea I feel like the goddamn harbor. Could be worse so I am not going to bitch beyond that. I'm definitely grateful my boss's first statement to me when I logged in on Monday, after dealing with a tech support issue, was 'how're you doing? Plan on working from home this week'. I wasn't looking forward to mornings of trying to assess whether I was fit to haul my ass to the ferry terminal or not.

having said this I am trying to remember where I go to edit the quote at the top of my journal page because yesterday I found out about a species of water beetle in Japan that has been documented as surviving being eaten by frogs, but only so long as the beetle is able to keep moving. The scientists tested it by applying wax that immobilized two legs to several beetle. None of them made it out in any recognizable form, whereas the others managed to get through. Longest time documented was several hours, others made it through in 115 minutes, but one beetle managed to speedrun the frog in six, which... has to have been quite the experience for the amphibian.

Mostly I just like the sound of 'keep moving. there is light at the end of the frog'.

ETA: found the customization page.

September is Suicide Prevention Month

Sep. 21st, 2025 12:12 am
[syndicated profile] post_secret_feed

Posted by Frank

A scene from ‘PostSecret: The Show’.

Suicide is America’s secret. We keep it from ourselves, but not talking about it only makes it worse.

Suicide is the most preventable form of death in this country. We know what we can do to save lives. We know what works.

By lifting the stigma surrounding mental illness and attacking the stereotypes about suicide that can prevent young people from reaching out for help when they need it – that can save lives.

By sharing our feelings about anxiety, depression, and loneliness before those secrets wall us up – that can save lives too.

67% of students tell a friend if they are thinking about suicide rather than a parent, teacher, or counselor.

That sounds like a lot of pressure if you are that friend, but it’s really not. It just means doing the little things. Asking questions, listening without judgement, validating their feelings, and referring them to a professional.

You don’t need to be a trained professional to help a friend – you just need to be a good friend.

The post September is Suicide Prevention Month appeared first on PostSecret.

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