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Being medicated isn’t for everyone, but it is a powerful tool in our toolbox. and I am seeing way too many people giving up that option prematurely, because they are unware that:

there are different medication options. they do not all have the same side effects, and not all are amphetamines 

dosage matters. if you are discontinuing bc of side effects, consider trying a lower dose first

a good doctor will be willing to work with you to find a regime that works

I know that’s such a “duh” statement but so so many people assume the high they feel for the first few days on a stimulant that works is how it’s always going to be and it’s not. Once your brain gets used to the new “normal” on meds, you lose that high feeling and get to a “hey, I can actually get shit done, lookit that” kind of place.

It amazes me how many people never had anyone explain that to them. I’ve been on some sort of SSRI for the last 20 years so when I started Adderall I knew what to expect. I had so many people (in a group for ADHD) tell me that the “holy shit look at me go!!!” feeling would wear off and it would stop working after a week or two and I had to walk them through just how wrong they were and quite a few had no idea that that feeling isn’t supposed to last long term. 🤦🏼‍♀️

I explained it like this:

Your unmedicated brain is used to operating at a 4 on a good day. It sucks, you’re all over the place, a hot mess. Then you get on a medication that works (antidepressant, stimulant, non-stimulant, whatever) and the first few days are incredible! You can’t believe that this is how it’s supposed to be! Your brain is now holding steady at an 8 or 9 and you are one productive bitch! But then your brain gets used to operating at an 8 or 9 and it becomes your new normal. It’s harder to recognize that the medication is still working because there’s no noticeable high anymore. You get bummed because you assume it’s not working and you either request a med change or a bump in dosage. Then 8 months later you’re frustrated and depressed because you’ve maxed out on the dosage of whatever med it is and you think nothing is going to work but really you’ve unknowingly self sabotaged.

Because the truth is, the first dose worked perfectly, but your squirrelly ADHD brain is so used to searching for the next dopamine hit that you failed to recognize that you were able to get through the tasks you needed to just fine. You weren’t hyperfocused on researching the nuances of plant breeding, you didn’t spend 5 hours in executive dysfunction while staring at your vacuum, you actually remembered to thaw out chicken for dinner. You missed all of that because you were looking for that high feeling that you had at first.

So, how does one figure out if the med is working or not when you can’t tell because your brain is a dopamine fiend? Personally, I make daily “ta-da” lists. Not lists of things I need to do, but lists of things I did. Before meds, I’d have maybe 5 things on a ta-da list. After meds, I’d have 15-20 things on my list! So it does work, even if I don’t feel like I’m on cloud 9 when I take it.

“Who are you to stand so fearsome

With your wavy locks of auburn hair and eyes of emerald green?”

here’s the og h. Hh h h h

i wrote this webpage that walks u thru looking after yourself when you know a thought is making you spiral. deployed it publicly bc i wanted it on mobile and i thought other people might like it too

This took me 3 days which is honestly the fastest it’s taken me to complete an animation !

My mom had to be taken to the ER. We never really recovered financially and this is just another big hit. Her heart rate was severely high and it caused her to immediately throw up and unable to get off of the ground.

I hate to bother and ask for more help but I still have commissions open though I’m still working on the last batch. DM me here or email at [email protected]

I also have Ko-Fi if you want to support me there as well- https://ko-fi.com/raybuggybug

We’re still trying to get our own places and living with my grandma for 300 a week.

My mom is fine but she also didn’t get any work done. They found dead tissue in her heart but couldn’t do anything about it and she didn’t even stay over night.

At first I thought it was from 2010 because that’s when “Blogging for Dummies, 3rd Edition” was published, but then I noticed this smartphone ad:

Which looks really out-of-place for that period of time, so I realized I must have been looking at the wrong edition.

Then I looked at those trending tags up at the top of the screen. Computer, enhance image.

I didn’t watch house of the dragon but I knew it was a more recent show, so I could have used that to narrow it down. More useful however was the dual venice film festival tags, and the fact that one of them had “don’t worry darling” (which I surmised to be the name of a film) underneath it, so now I just had to find out when that film was shown at the venice film festival. Sure enough, it premiered on September 5th, 2022.

My next step was going to the post archive page for @important-animal-images, filtering the posts by “Photo” and tagged as “#cats,” and then flipping through to September 2022. Sure enough, the post was there!

And as one final mystery to solve, I looked up blogging for dummies by Amy Lupold Bair and found out that “Blogging All-In-One for Dummies, 3rd Edition” was published in April of 2023 and has this cover:

✧ Broken ribs suck. You don’t just “walk it off.” Breathing hurts. Laughing hurts. Existing hurts. Characters with rib injuries won’t be doing heroic sprints.

✧ Concussions aren’t instant naps. Dazed vision, nausea, dizziness, maybe even personality changes, but they’re not going to collapse neatly like in the movies.

✧ Blood loss is sneaky. It’s not just about dramatic pools of blood. It’s dizziness, confusion, and the body getting cold as circulation tanks.

✧ Adrenaline lies. Someone can take a serious injury and not feel it until the fight’s over. That “I didn’t realize I was bleeding until later” trope? Very real.

✧ Twisted ankles are brutal. One bad step and suddenly running is off the table. Even walking hurts like hell. Perfect way to ground a chase scene.

✧ Burns linger. Even small burns hurt more than most people expect. Blisters, infection risk, constant pain, it’s not just a cool scar later.

✧ Dislocated shoulders = useless arm. Characters can’t keep swinging a sword or firing a gun. They’re basically fighting one-armed until it’s fixed.

✧ Shock is a thing. Pale skin, trembling, rapid heartbeat, and eventually disorientation. A character might not even realize how bad their wound is.

✧ Stitches aren’t magic. Getting sewn up is painful and recovery takes time. They’re not instantly battle-ready after a needle and thread.