agertudici

This isn't me being a luddite. Machinery has massive potential benefit to giving humans more free time to pursue things that fulfill them and the internet is an amazing tool for disseminating knowledge and increasing communication, whether it's about art, science, or philosophy.

But I realized today, this person is just kneading different textures of dough and this person is just whittling. How many bakers and carvers loved what they did because it stimulated their senses in ways that humans have evolved to be fulfilled by?

I have another theory (that probably aligns with disability theory in some way or other) that people with autism aren't actually more common now, it's just that they're sensitive to bright artificial light and loud noises and weird smells and foreign textures the world we live in is FULL of those. And what's more, we have ever increasing attentional expectations in the midst of all that!

You used to just have a weird uncle Joe who doesn't talk a whole lot but man he can knead dough aaaalll day or thresh wheat or maybe he just makes cute little wooden toy horses all weekend and we sell them at the market on Monday. And it's weird how aunt sally hums like that but damn her lace embroidery is WILD. (we can discuss antiquated gender expectations at a different time).

This isn't saying savantism/special abilities should be expected of neurodivergent people either, just that a looot of people probably flew entirely under the radar that way for a huge portion of human history and we're only noticing them now because we're progressively putting people in more and more noxious environments where even people who could've coped in those environments can no longer cope in this one.

And now we have a whole industry of creating stimulation for people who never would have needed it if we just hadn't created an entire world without naturally occurring stimulation that they're "expected" to live in after humans spent hundreds of thousands of years learning to make tools out of wood and stone and cook over open fires, and crush and mix their own grain to make breads.

And because all these things occur on a spectrum, we're seeing more people everyday who would have had no need for the stim industry now suddenly require it because we're progressively pushing more and more people who could previously have claimed one of those coveted "normal" labels into being "different" as we steadily push them to accept less and less stimulation in their daily lives and steadily push them to stretch their attention span more and more beyond what it ever evolved to do.

TLDR; the ASMR/Stimming industry is only necessary because we created a world where those stimuli no longer occur naturally that people who need them have to live in. The concept of a "disability" is very intimately intertwined with expectations as to what environment any given person "should" be able to thrive in.

People don't wanna talk about it at all because it's too close to trans-ness being a mental illness but imma come at this from entirely the opposite direction:

The NO.1 predictor of a cluster B personality disorder is a consistently invalidating childhood environment.

What's more invalidating than spending your whole childhood saying "hey I think I'm actually a-" and every single person around you cutting you off right there and saying "no you ain't." Psychiatry ain't shit without social context but psychiatry is also coming to accept that being constantly invalidated as a child gonna do your brain the fucky-wucky.

It's ok to accept that trans ppl are at an increased risk of personality disorders due to our completely fucked societal norms. Accepting that we're at increased risk of mental disorders due to societal bullshit =/= saying being trans is a mental illness. If anything, it's an indictment of the society we live in.

TLDR; trans ppl are at increased risk of mental illness =/= transness IS a mental illness and we still deserve to acknowledge the trauma society done did to us.

Basically, whatever you were using done fucked your brain.

Think about what used to make you happy before whatever you were using. Think about it. Did you like Sports? Did you like Music? Did you like writing? ANYTHING. What did you used to love?

I'll bet you can get through withdrawal easy. That's just two days twitching and sweating. Withdrawing is EASY once you've done it enough.

But what're you gonna do after? How are you gonna cope with the next SIX OR MORE MONTHS of ANHEDONIA??? How are you gonna cope with the fact that for months at a time nothing you used to love will bring you joy without the substance you've been abusing?

Let's talk about PAWS, ok?

An image in the style of a childrens book cover, with the same title as above and picturing a young, anthropomorphized rabbit with the sub-title "...do my prayers mean nothing to him?"

What is a "Safety Plan?"

• It is a plan that YOU create for YOURSELF (and which only needs to be accessible to you.)
• It is a plan that addresses (and hopefully decreases) behaviors that:
  • You don’t like doing or feel bad after doing
  • Decrease your ability to connect with others
• Examples:
  • Self-injurious behaviors
  • Substance abuse
  • Binge-Eating
  • Gambling
• This plan may not continue working if you do not
  • Seek treatment for a known mental-health issue
  • Do not use the activities more often when you are calm than when you are distressed (THINK PAVLOV, a calming activity must continue being associated with a feeling of calm more often than distress to continue calming you).

What does a safety plan include?

• 3x ACTIVITIES to do instead of the behavior that disrupts your life
  • Listen to a specific song that calms you
  • Take a hot bath
  • Do a craft you love
  • Do a sensory activity you love like playing with clay or paint
  • Play with a pet that loves you
• 3x PEOPLE to contact who will always pick up the phone for you (as many backups as possible to avoid strain on any one person)
  • A partner?
  • A close friend?
  • Family?
  • A mentor?
  • Another associate from your socio-cultural or religious background?
• 3x Public SERVICES to Access in Case of Emergency
  • Your specific mental health provider such as a therapist, psychologist, or psychiatrist
  • Local Mental Health Board
  • Local Service for a specialty or minority background such as LGBTQ, POC, or Veteran.
  • National Mental health hotlines
  • National Specialty hotlines for the LGBTQ, POC, or veterans.
• OPTIONAL for people whose home is not a safe place, where can you GO to feel safe?
  • The library
  • A public commons like a statue or fountain
  • A national or state park area
  • A church or other charitable organization’s property
  • A friend or acquaintance’s property

If you DO come in contact with the involuntary mental health system, can you answer these questions? (You likely can't create these answers ahead of time so just write them out and leave blank spots for them)

• What behavior OF MINE did the mental health system concern themselves with? They usually worry about
  • Real or perceived threats to self
  • Real or perceived threats to others
  • PROFOUND inability to provide for one’s own safety (think naked in below-freezing temperatures or wandering into interstate traffic)
• What part of that behavior did I MYSELF have control over?
• What will I PERSONALLY do to prevent this problem behavior from occurring in the future?
  • Did I have a previous safety plan either formally or informally?
  • What safety plan could I develop to address this specific behavior?
  • How could I modify my safety plan to address this specific behavior?

Examples of places to keep a safety plan:

• fridge
• wallet
• phone home screen

HELP! THERE'S A THING I DON'T HAVE 3 OPTIONS FOR!

• Well I reckon you know where to focus your recovery now, don't you? Start with the first listed option you don't have enough items for and find some things/people.