Helth (from someone who's never had it)

Mental Health

Urge Surfing: Helpful for overcoming the urge to doomscroll.

My Experiences on Different Mental Health Medications:

• Buproprion XL 150-300mg/SR 100mg: My first and longest medication. I took it for 5 years. It helped me focus on my digital art and pull my life back together during a very difficult time. This plus special interest allowed me to draw for hours at a time. Reduced my appetite, which was dangerous for me at that time. However, eating became easier when I wasn't stressed from other factors. After a few years, the muscle spasms and jerkiness set in. I'm sensitive to that sort of thing, so I stopped. Switching to a lower dose of SR gave me annoying blurry eyes, presumably because SR gives you more medication at one time than XL does. Increases anxiety, but makes it easier to get up in the morning.
• Hydroxyzine 15-25mg: Eepy. Reduces anxiety, increases drowsiness, but not in a way that's immediately noticeable. Incompatible with other antihistamines like cetirizine, as combining antihistamines can lead to antihistamine toxicity.
• Mirtazipine 15-30mg: My beloved! Helps me eat, helps me sleep, even at my larger dose of 30 mg. I noticed few antidepressant effects. Unique in that a smaller dose makes you sleepier, but a larger dose works better for eating and antidepressant effects. First starting on it felt like there was lead in my legs.
• Quetiapine 25mg (?): Don't remember the exact dosage, but I suspect it was low, as I'd just started it. Lead-in-legs. It made me too sleepy, all the time, and for that I stopped it pretty quickly.
• Adderall IR 5-10mg: Named as such because the generic name is too long. Instant release made me feel blessedly normal and quiet in my brain for 20 minutes or so. Almost tired. My body stopped twitching, and I was able to listen to a friend's story without staring around or shifting too much. Felt it less the second time I took it.
• Atomoxetin HCl 18-25mg: Helps me focus, although it doesn't help with energy.
• Gabapentin 100mg: Prescribed since I can't take hydroxyzine anymore, and I find it about as effective. More euphoric. Easier to feel, and quicker to set in. A higher dose will send me to sleep and make me loopy when I wake up, but this hasn't been true for smaller doses.

Physical Health

Physical Therapy Exercises

I went to physical therapy for 6 months for sciatica caused by a disc herniation, a rotator cuff strain, a bicep tendon strain, and ulnar nerve pain. The rotator cuff pain has resolved. The bicep tendon strain only flares occasionally. The ulnar nerve pain has not resolved, but has lessened. The sciatica no longer hurts during internal rotation and squatting, but it still hurts when I lay on my side, although I can tolerate it more now. According to all my PTs at my last clinic, I need imaging of my back or to go to another clinic, as no significant reduction in sciatic pain after 6 months of 2x-a-week PT is unusual. Nevertheless, I want to share what I did.

Lower Body

These I do every day. They're for lower back mobility and back extension, which takes strain off the herniation.

• Lower Trunk Rotations
• Book Opener With Cervical Spotting
• Prone Press Up with Bilateral LE Extension

These I do three times per week.

• Sciatic Nerve Glides
• Foam Roll TFL

These I do once a week. Group them up how you like--strengthening stuff with kettlebells and bands could be one day, and stretches another. Don't start with more than five exercises a day.

• Bird Dog with Resistance Band
• Donkey Kicks
• Core Marches
• Seated Hip Internal Rotation with Resistance Band
• Prone Swimming
• Standing IT Band Stretch
• Hip Flexion - Runner's Stretch
• Reverse Clamshell (Towel Roll)
• Single Leg Balance on Foam Pad
• Side Plank on Knees
• Plank on Knees
• Goblet Squat
• SL RDL with Kettlebell
• Bridges
• Transverse Abdominis Activation
• Single Leg Sit to Stand
• Seated Hamstring Stretch
• Piriformis Stretch
• Modified Piriformis Stretch

Upper Body

I do these three times a week, alternating with lower body days.

• Isometric Shoulder Internal Rotation
• Isometric Shoulder External Rotation
• Bilateral Shoulder Extension with Resistance Band
• Wrist Flexor Stretch with Elbow Extended (Supinated Palm Up)
• Bicep Stretch
• Ulnar Nerve Glide

The below are guides to tasks that minimize sensory and psychological damage for me.

Brushing your teeth is more about brushing your gums, and any amount of plaque buildup disruption is good. I get by on brushing once a day. You can use a softer/smaller toothbrush, more mild toothpaste I use the hello dragon dazzle toothpaste because the flavor is mild enough not to upset me. Try for something that has fluoride. You can also use a wet washcloth alone or with toothpaste. Focus on the gumline and flicking the toothbrush down to get plaque away from the gum pockets.

Washing your face sucks because the water gets on your arms. Don't wear long sleeves or take your shirt off, then let the water run until it's a good temperature. Wet a towel or washcloth and use that to get your face wet (technically not necessary). Then rub the face wash between your hands so that it covers more area, so then you can just slap it on and rub a little bit. You can skip this step if you have a bar--just scrub it on your face. Wipe it off with a wet washcloth.

If you can't get out of bed, keep a spray bottle for washing needs. It's preferable to a normal water bottle for me because my hands are unsteady and I'd rather not spill water everywhere. I just spray my face directly and wipe it off with whatever cloth is close. Can also help with smell in the critical areas of pits, crotch, hands and feet.

I sweat at night and my clothes hold it against my body, so I wake up with painful zits. To help, I don't wear a bra or underwear to bed and try for loose clothes. This is also good if you have a vagina or anything that needs to breathe.

Waterflossing is more effective than regular flossing, according to my old dentist. I use warm water, as cold water on my back teeth feels like dying. The back teeth are highest priority, so I spend the most water and time on them, especially the area between my overgrown back gums and teeth. When I floss regularly, I wrap the floss as loosely as possible around my fingers, then start at the back. Pulling hard will make the floss tighten around the fingers, so I do a gentle sawing motion to work it up between each tooth and gum.