Self-Care Tips For Your Brain #AtHome [CC]

I have been at home and dealt with periods of isolation for a few years now as a chronically ill person and so I thought I'd share with you all the things that help me get by, be joyful, stay mentally healthy, and continue my personal growth. Check out a ton of info below!

Nice things to do:
Setting a mood; lighting, sounds, treats
Musicals
Horror movies (I’m a fan but definitely not for everyone)
Rewatching or reading comfort watches or reads
Learning sign language
Learning how to be more accessible to disabled folks online
New movies
New books
Painting/Coloring
Writing

Self Discovery:
--Birth Chart

Mental Health Check:

Relatively affordable counseling with video calls, phone calls, and texting as options:

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CHANNEL DESCRIPTION
Annie Segarra (Annie Elainey) creates mainly first-person videos on introspective topics, social topics, sharing her experiences and thoughts on disability, body image, LGBT topics, gender equality, etc, as well as creative content; a variety of music/artistic media and short films. Annie identifies as a queer disabled (Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome) Latinx woman and uses she and they pronouns.

[evelynkrull]

6 months ago my work said there wasnt the technology to work from home, now 70% of the workers are at home and they have a remote program. (I'm in a customer facing position and did switched to at home last friday because people are forgetting about the friggin PLAGUE and licking fingers when they count money that they give me). I'm so grateful to gave a work from home position now but a little frustrated that disability wasnt deemed an appropriate reason to start this program until a pandemic.

[KatrinaEames]

I've been grounding myself in fiction lately. I've read a lot of books during quarantine and it's been really helpful to just help me get through this.

[rainbowfire]

You're able to articulate this is in a much better way than I am. Mostly I just want to scream "this is what I've been saying!"

[lupitafigueroa]

Things I've learned so far:

-I started cooking
-How to take better pictures
-Painting rocks is actually really fun!
-taking time off my phone is important and enjoyable

[chaoscryptid]

This video was so calming? in a way. it is good to feel seen like that when everyone else seems to be ignoring (particularly young) chronically ill or disabled people. I'm currently not in a place to do productive things as my body is in flare at the minute and schoolwork is absolutlely destroying me. I've been focsuing on bullet journaling and trying to manage my brain while my body is struggling (even those are interchangeable, but i don't have the language to describe that yet). thank you for sharing this

[layarnesudborough]

This was just what I needed to hear. Thank you! I just had my first EDS specialist/cardiologist appointment on March 17. Three days later my Doctor called to say he may have been exposed to COVID19 (he was luckily not affected). The rest of my testing is now in limbo as is my likely diagnosis of EDS/POTS. I’ve had few people to talk with about it either. Listening to your words were very comforting and appreciated. Take care.

[yoshuareece]

Planning gardens on paper makes me happeh.

[minibus]

this is awesome, I am autistic and have been finding all this ver hard, mentally its been hard a lot of anxiety and self harm, lots of bad dreams too don't know if the dreams are linked to anything. Thank you so much, stay safe. Things I have been doing are my allowed exercise (checkout local/national laws about this for where you live), talking to friends online and reading. I have executive dysfunction which is hard also

[ashleystory]

This video has been incredibly helpful, and soothing to listen to. Also, I’m deeply in love with all the purple. 💜🔮🦄

[dylnpickl]

Self diagnosis and self therapy saved my life more times than peers or professionals. There needs to be more acceptance of these things, and more trust given to patients who have been forced into self management positions, since they have done a lot of work that people who don't have to do self management haven't started.


I continue to appreciate your balanced perspective regarding disability issues. I have struggled to find compassion at times for the non-disabled people isolating right now, and it helps to see you offering both valuable advice and reasons to be grateful for those who are isolated without chronic illness or physical limitations.

[sumbidyyannis]

This video was dope too. I remember hearing Kayne West speaking about a world where architecture and infrastructure was catered to the elderly because it helps minimize daily obstacles and because eventually we’ll all become old people anyway. He made a good point to me. In my situation I’m not able to walk or stand but have loud and rude neighbors across from my apartment, beside my apartment and above my apartment. I’m probably a selective extrovert because I feel brave enough to do certain activities but for most of the time I like being to myself and enjoying peace with multiple periods of quiet time. I’m trying to provoke negativity but I’m starting to think maybe start taking advantage of my situation. Maybe whenever I try to take out my trash I’ll purposely dump my trash on my neighbors door and say oh my if only I could…. Never mind peace. Best wishes to everyone, no matter what

[clocks]

Thanks for sharing your accumulated knowledge. Ive been spending my time reading. Last year i went through the grieving process after being diagnosed with my chronic illness. So being home for the most part hasn’t been difficult. However, it wasn’t easy at first.

[bean_sprt]

the part about grieving your body made me cry (14:09 and on) thank you so much for making this video and for putting these feelings into words.

if im not distracting myself from my pain constantly i will have a meltdown (im also autistic). it is so overwhelming to be in constant pain and no one understands what im going through so i just have to suffer in silence.

[xRiriRebel]

Thank you so much for this video! It was very encouraging to me. I have been doing most of the things you recommened already, but hearing someone else -- especially someone with experience in being homebound -- say all of this felt really good.

[fifty]

I have hEDS, and I am so SO glad I have found your channel, Annie! I've been coping remarkably well with the stay-at-home order in my state, because of all the practice I've already had with not leaving most days! :) I spend a lot of time watching other people play video games, on Twitch and YouTube, because watching is free - and it doesn't wear out my hands! Leaving me free to write and edit and upload my fanfiction to the web - I have a backlog of over 200 stories! I've been really enjoying the Tested YouTube channel, run by Adam Savage of Mythbusters; he's getting into middle age and is REALLY good at dispensing wisdom - while being criminally neglectful of his own health... XD Nobody's perfect! I don't know how far I'll get with fic-uploading, studying Japanese, watching a FULL Let's Play of FF7 Remake - I keep starting new ones and not sticking with just one - or any of that, but I have actually felt a lot calmer since the stay-at-home order started, since now? I have all the time in the world to do whatever I want, and nobody will say that it's 'laziness' - now it's my civic duty! :D

[AnekoFoxx]

I wish I had peace in my home. One neighbor blasts their TV and the neighbor above me drags their furniture across the hardwood floor every other day. Management basically doesn’t care as long as it’s not between 10PM to 7AM.

[gothafloxacin]

I love that you caption your videos cuz I cant hear shit.

[ella]

I rarely comment on videos, but I’ve been trying to change that lately. this was rad, thank you🌷❤️

[robinlynngillis]

Reference to being chronically ill and as a result, isolated at home often: I try and relish in creature comforts that are often only available at home. Access to rest and comfort are important to me, and being at home makes that so much easier and safer to do. Having my useful things and my pets close by is wonderful. I try and remember that "home" is an essential human place, and some joy to be at home are all completely okay. I love being out doing things & and being with people too! It's absolutely needed for many! But having to justify being at home (pre-pandemic) feels weird to me at times because it feels like we have created this expectation that we all are out consuming or hustling at all times, and anything other than that is wrong or needs to be explained. Thanks again for your suggestions!

[biberlin_]

This was such as lovely and helpful video to watch, thank you so much for sharing your experience!! I've been struggling with my anxieties recently, a few days ago I had the worse and scariest panic attack I haven't had in years and it shook me a lot. I'm now trying to take it one day at a time, trying not to get too overwhelmed and to get help when I need it. I hope you are well and stay safe