ashes, ashes, dust to dust

• Keep a steady flow of contact. Don't expect them to initiate conversations or hangouts. Social withdrawal is a common symptom, and it is probably a lot more difficult for them to keep in contact. Just reach out as often as you feel comfortable. It can be as simple as sending them a meme, or asking what they've been up to lately.

• Take notice of how they are acting. If it's normal for them to talk during a hangout, but this time they are mostly silent, take that as an indicator that something is off. If they normally love drawing, ask them what they've been drawing lately to make sure they are still taking part in activities they enjoy. They might not tell you outright that they are declining mentally, so try and gage their behavior and compare it to their normal.

• Make sure that they have other people to support them. Ask if they've talked to their family, friends, or therapist lately. Isolation exacerbates psychotic symptoms, so check in to see if they are being social or connecting with people. It's also important for them to have a safe person to turn to in case their mental state gets worse.

• If you are aware of what treatment methods are effective for them, make sure they are still utilizing them. If you feel comfortable, ask them if they are still taking their medications, going to therapy, journaling or whatever else they are using for treatment.

• If they share that they are struggling with getting basic tasks for living done, offer to help. You can text them reminders and encourage them to do things like brush their teeth. You can offer to go grocery shopping with them. You can come over to help clean or even just stay on the phone with them while they clean.

• If they share that they are struggling mentally, take the time to listen without judgment. Don't give reality checks unless you are explicitly asked to. Just be a safe space for them to open up about their experiences and how it affects them. Try not to look shocked or treat them like they are "acting crazy". Just be as neutral as possible and sympathetic to their struggles so they can feel safe to tell you these things now and in the future. You don't need to find solutions right away, you can just be there to listen, that is a huge help on its own.

Updated the archive with the Darkstalker Novel ! Will eventually find a pdf for A Guide to the Dragon World too if I haven't already, once it is done then I'll also include it

nnnnn-…

ummm…his cat’s name was uhhhh…

oestrogen tracker is here.

testosterone tracker is here.

if you experience any disability or neurodivergency please fill out this form. it is equally important to me to have data that says progesterone doesn't affect autism or testosterone doesn't make you hard of hearing or whatever, as it is to document changes. so if you have any health condition. please fill it out. even if it to say "no change". i am begging you all.

And sometimes I think, “Well, two hundred is technically less than four hundred.” And I have to stop myself, because - I am writing half as much as Terry Pratchett. Terry fucking Pratchett, who not only published regularly up until his death, but published books that were consistently good. 

And this has also been an immense help as a writer with ADHD, because I don’t feel bad when I take a break from writing - two hundred words works up quick, after all. If I take a break at 150, I have a whole day to write 50 more words, and I’ve rarely written less than 200 words and not felt the need to keep writing because I need to tie up a loose end anyways.