🚨FUNDRAISER🚨 Let's talk mental health & moving your body!

CW: many specific mental health issues, neurodivergence, chronic illness.

Auntie Lore time! You already know I'm late diagnosed AuDHD with all the things that go along with multiple neurodivergence, like rejection sensitive dysphoria, dyscalculia, internal hyperactivity, hyperlexia, hyperverbalism, hyperfixation, dyspraxia, fissure and synesthesia, chronic insomnia, weak digestion, joint hypermobility...

What does this mean, practically?

Internal hyperactivity + the constant influx of information from the hyperlexia + rejection sensitive dysphoria = severe anxiety, that turned into OCD and violent intrusive thoughts by around 7th grade, and a panic disorder by college. I tried cutting briefly around the time the intrusive thoughts started, but quickly discovered the payoff was miniscule compared to the pain and healing time. I've had suicidal ideation, but never attempted... I knew full well I'd regret it either way, so those stayed intrusive thoughts and nothing more.

Hyperfixation + hyperlexia + hyperverbalism + dyscalculia + dyspraxia + rejection sensitive dysphoria + obvious stims = intense bullying, from peers and school staff. And if you think I'm exaggerating, my father ran into my elementary school principal just last year, and his response was "I'm surprised you'll talk to me after what I did to your daughter."

That wasn't the only external influence on my mental health. For instance:

Hyperfixation on the Holocaust as a person of Jewish, ethnic Ukrainian, & Romani descent + internal hyperactivity + hyperlexia + being raised in an "End Times" cult, that not only restricted your diet and activities, but preached that we were actively living out the Book of Revelations and that believers needed to know survival skills for the times of persecution = massive religious and cultural trauma, contributing to the anxiety, OCD, and intrusive thoughts, as well as severe depression.

And I did this all without a lick of psychological care, because it was the 80's and 90's, I was a girl, and as far as my parents were concerned, mental healthcare was lobotomies and shock treatment, nothing they wanted to subject their child to. Not to mention, that was during the Adderall over-prescription epidemic, and my parents weren't about to put their daughter on "child crack."

Did this contribute to my disabilities as an adult? My Fibromyalgia specialist confirmed it's all the root of my fibro/central sensitization disorder, aka without the CPTSD I wouldn't have the condition at all.

The good news is, when I did finally get into a psychologist's office, I was graduated out very quickly, because I had somehow developed healthy coping skills on my own. I know this is rare, and I'm lucky.

Which is why I signed up for Monte Mader's Move For You Challenge, which is a fundraiser for To Write Love On Her Arms, an organization that's been providing gap mental health services for a number of years now, I first learned of them when I was in college in the late 2000's. I've seen mental health resources in my area expand greatly in the years since they started, especially psych ER's and Urgent Care centers, and I believe it's TWLOHA's activism that lit the fire.

The challenge is perfect for me: 10 minutes a day of movement for the month of May. Perfect timing, perfect challenge for me right now, as I'm to the point in surgery recovery where muscle building is needed.

I'll be using the Greasing the Groove method I learned in Fibromyalgia Pain Clinic nine years ago now to do this, likely starting with leg pumps and squats, and moving on to some more focused core work once I have those locked in.

And yeah, it's a fundraiser for TWLOHA, here's my personal donation link: https://www.gofundme.com/f/10-minutes-for-hope-move-with-me-62rky?utm_campaign=fp_sharesheet&utm_content=amp17_tc-amp20_t1&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=copy_link&lang=en_US&ts=1777301650

I do my 10+ minutes per day, you support me/TWLOHA with a donation, everyone's health improves all around!

Even better, commit yourself to your own fundraiser and 10 minutes of movement a day for May, you'll only feel better by the end of the month!