READ BIO! Good Morning, lovely! 💛

Thank you for taking the time to send an ask!! I will explain everything to the best of my ability! Please keep in mind that I am not a therapist, or a doctor, and everything I say will be from years of personal experience as well as personal research.

Ag regression comes in a few forms. For some people, it is an involuntary reaction (much like a panic attack) that forms as a result of trauma, and may be triggered by specific things or high stress situations. For others, it is a voluntary act (more similar to meditation; it's sometimes compared to age dreaming, which I will also discuss!) in which someone finds comfort in nostalgia or childhood.

Both states of mind (involuntary more so) the person who is regressed may need help performing certain tasks. When regressed, the mind believes it is a child. This disconnect from body and mind can make it difficult to do simple things like cook food. Because involuntary regression is a dissociative state, it's also often times not safe to let them do certain tasks, for fear of hurting themselves or making a mess.

Having a caregiver is a way for regressors to stay safe while regressed. There are plenty of people who age regress who don't want or feel they need a caregiver, and that's perfectly normal. I believe we're called independent regressors? My terminology may be outdated, there. Caregivers provide physical and mental support, and will often take on the role of a parent for a regressor, though I've seen big siblings and teacher caregivers, as well.

Caregivers may also act as a stand in for regressors who had absent or abusive parents while growing up. It's a way to relive what they missed as an actual child.

As for age dreaming, it's basically voluntary age regression without the body/mind disconnect. You may still find comfort in coloring books and cartoons and nostalgia, but your mind is still aware and grounded.

Now, is it "normal" to want to be babied? Honestly, I think on some level, all of us want to be a kid again. To live one more day of summer vacation, to go to one more elementary school Christmas party, to fall asleep watching cartoons on the couch. It's an instinctual comfort, to cry for our mom when we're scared. I do think it's normal. It's part of being human.

It is absolutely possible to engage in this community without it turning into a kink thing. I have been regressing involuntarily for over 13 years now, I'm well into my 20's and at no point has it ever been a kink. As stated above, when you're regressed, your mind believes you are a child, so it is unhealthy for age regression to be included during sexual activity.

Age Play is the community that is often mixed up with age regression, and likely what you're more familiar with due to its prominence online (and in agere spaces...). These are people roleplaying as children for sexual gratification. There are complexities to the community that I cannot speak on, since I am neither a member nor well educated about it, but it IS separate from the agere and agedre communities. Some age play accounts tag their posts with all communities, which doesn't help the confusion.

▪︎Break down your to-do list into smaller tasks. If you have ten things to do, split the list in half, then pick one or two that will be easy to complete. Sometimes when I feel stressed about everything I need to do, it helps to start small! Even if you only get half a task done before you need a break, it will make the list shorter overall!

▪︎Take a shower/bath. Getting clean and dressing in clean clothes after helps reset our brain, which can help us calm down when our brains are too loud.

▪︎ Turn off social media for a day. I cheat sometimes and still watch YouTube during the break, but if your feeds are stressing you out there is no shame in turning them off for a day! I promise you'll feel better without the constant negative posts.

▪︎ Talk to someone you trust. If you need a distraction, text a friend or loved one. It's easy to feel isolated when overwhelmed, but you are never alone 💛

▪︎ Take a deep breath and sit outside for five minutes. It's easy to spiral when our circumstances are out of our control. During these times, it helps me to take one, deep breath, then sit outside in nature for a bit. It's almost like meditation, watching the grass move in the wind, or following an insect in flight. Sitting and remembering that the nature around us, what we see and feel, is real.

We're going to be okay 💛

Count your fingers one by one. Start with a closed fist and slowly add each finger until you have all ten showing. Repeat to yourself (out loud or in your head) details about your location. For example, "my name is ______, I am in a small room with gray walls, the air is cold." Try to mention all of your senses, what can you smell? Is there any noise? Take a sip of a drink if you have one, what does it taste like?

There are lots of grounding techniques you can utilize when you feel disassociated or on the brink of unwanted regression, but this one has worked best for me so far!