Recent content by Amethyst

Rocking back and forth was the first thing I caught myself doing.

"Stereotypy or self-stimulatory behavior refers to repetitive body movements or repetitive movement of objects." I know that self stimulatory behavior (aka stimming) is most common in people with autism, but I've noticed myself doing it more and more. When I'm anxious or upset, I'll clap my...

My main trigger is the sound of gunshots, but any loud sudden "bang" type noise will make me jump.

Yes, an ESA is what I was thinking of, though I have had sessions with therapy dogs.

I've been tagged in this thread a few times and I just want to say that I am not @amethist but congrats to her! :)

I have depressive symptoms that come and go. When I'm in a "depressed" state, which usually lasts a week or two at a time, I could sleep for days and still be tired. I also don't have much interest in food and rarely feel hungry, but I make myself eat to keep my weight at least 100 lbs. When I'm...

I've had sessions with a few therapy dogs and I love them. I think it would be beneficial to have one, but I couldn't see myself taking care of a pet right now. Maybe something low maintenance like a cat, but I don't think I could commit to walking a dog every day and giving it the attention it...

There are tornado warnings all over Central Florida right now and it came out of nowhere. I hate it because the wind keeps opening and slamming my patio door and it's right outside my bedroom window (it's broken, so I can't shut it all the way).

Yes, I am a girl, but I still found your advice helpful haha. You're probably right that my coworkers are more concerned with their outfits than mine, but my supervisor is always very well dressed and I'm sure he notices what we wear. He even made it a point to tell me that I was very well...

I recently started an internship as a high school counselor and the only accommodation I requested was that my supervisor please let me know when the school is scheduled for a lock down drill. I can get through a lock down without having a panic attack or flashback, but I need to know that there...

I never thought of it as a decision making issue, but that actually makes a lot of sense! Thank you for this insight. Maybe I'm just projecting how I feel about it onto them, but I am afraid that they will think I'm dirty or that I don't care about how I look, when in reality, I care a lot...

I've noticed that since my trauma about 7 months ago I've been alternating between the same two or three outfits. I have one outfit for warm weather (a simple cotton dress) and one outfit for cold weather (an over-sized sweater and black leggings). I don't know why I gravitate toward these two...

Oh I've kept my diagnosis hidden. Most of the accommodations I needed were immediate and a direct result of the traumatic situation, not the resulting mental health issues (another reason why I went direct, rather than student services).

True. I guess my personal situation was different because not only am I a counseling major (the professor student relationship is a little more intimate than other majors and the class sizes are very small), but my trauma was extremely public and most of my professors and classmates knew what I...

I love video games, but I really only play "cute" games where there are no violent themes and you can move at your own pace. My current favorite is Animal Crossing. You get to run your own little town and you control everything about it and it's basically a virtual safe space.