NightShift

problems I've encountered so far:

-my pets aren't being fed in the Neolodge :/

-I auctioned items that should have ended before the Neopets switch, but it says they are still being auctioned. When I go to the "my auctioned items" link, it says the auction is over O___o So, my items are stuck. Booooo :(

-everything is running a bit slower, as several people have mentioned

I'm down for tattoos, piercings, implants, hair dye, plastic surgery, whatever... it's not my body. If it makes someone feel better, more creative, prettier, more comfortable in their own skin, whatever... cool.

 

The only moment in time that annoyed me involving tattoos is when I realized people were 'forcing' meaning into their tattoos. My friend got a tattoo and then said it was in memory of someone she didn't even know. I knew this person very intimately and was very offended by this. Another guy who kinda/sorta knew this person got a giant cross tattooed 'in memory' of this person, and I couldn't stop laughing because said person 1) hated religion, especially Christianity, 2) wasn't fond of tattoos, and 3) barely spent any time at all with this guy. So, I felt it was pretty insensitive in that regard.... These two people just wanted tattoos and got random images (that meant nothing to the deceased person) and then tried to make it sound meaningful and it didn't make any sense at all. I guess the main reason it irked me was that they decided to tell anyone and everyone about it (Facebook included), and it felt like they were exploiting the death of a person they weren't close to to get attention. Kind of like, "LOOK HOW MUCH THIS PERSON MEANT TO ME!" (Not enough to actually know that person or spend time with them, though....) But yeah, this is the only time I've caught myself being quite judgemental about others' tattoos, and have tried to chill out about that as well :P I try to be as non-judgemental as possible, but still catch myself being harsh sometimes.

 

I also have brutal chronic depression so I would neeeever get a memorial tattoo simply for that reason. It'd make me so sad everyday.

 

If you get a tattoo because you love the way it looks, embrace that. You don't HAVE to have some earth shattering deep meaning behind it. It's YOUR body, for god's sake. I have one tattoo that meant a lot to me when I got it, and the other was impulsive and it's pretty random. I don't regret either one of them and it has been several years. (Actually, I kind of like the impulsive one better. Funny how that worked out.)

 

I think I'm a masochist because I always get tattoos in the most painful places. :P Go figure....

 

P.S. Making any comments to someone (you are not close to) about their appearance, in general, is a pretty bad idea. Expect to get a black eye....

Hi Rymoka, welcome to the forum :)

I am also new here (but like you, I'm not new to Neo).

Hi Hannah! Welcome. I'm new to the TDN forums as well. :)

Right now I'm listening to Deep Purple... just recently added to the music library ^__^ I'm a huge music nerd....

Hey CurlyFreys. I'm sorry to hear you're struggling. I have complex PTSD (with a plethora of other junk) and definitely know what excruciating anxiety and hyper vigilance feel like :( It is terrible, and I greatly sympathize. It can be very hard to make sense of such strong emotions. But know that you are not alone!

 

It is too bad you can not afford medication right now, but that may not be a bad thing. I've experienced serious complications with medication (and I've tried many, many different kinds) and regret taking them. So, I am also focussing on non-medication approaches. The gym sounds like a great place to start, good for you. As you try new things, It'd be great to hear what works and what doesn't for you, if you don't mind. For me, music can be very healing, however, I have not found any 'solutions.' I do believe that strength comes from pain though, and that everything in life is about perspective.

 

Something I am learning is to always be my own best friend (which is very hard) and to always question EVERYTHING, thoughts and emotions included. I can't make my anxiety go away forever right now, but I find that when it does pop up, I need to take time to really analyze the emotion, the situation, what the healthy emotion SHOULD be, why am I feeling an exaggerated emotion, etc. This has helped me because it has taught me that not everything I feel is real (in reality, I mean, I'm not trying to minimize your experience). Just as a basic example, just because you feel you're in danger, does not mean you are. Many people think (and until recently, myself included) that what they feel is real. It is not. Your emotions are real, but that's different. Your emotions can exist and not be supported by reality. This can be OK if they are positive emotions, but nobody wants to experience persistent negative emotions. By checking the facts and comparing them to your emotions, you can see there are discrepancies between your emotions and reality. And that can actually be very comforting with repeated practice. Once you have checked the facts and thought the situation through, the best thing is to distract yourself from all the chaos in your mind by participating in the present moment. If you're riding the bus, read your book and focus on the words. Look out the window and focus on the things you are seeing. A hint is to engage your senses when participating to make it harder for your mind to wander to the default PANIC mode. It gets better the more and more you practice it. Don't be discouraged if it's hard at first... I find it very hard! Look up mindfulness if you struggle.

 

Something I learned from the trauma unit: If you're in the middle of a panic attack and you feel like there's no saving you, hold ice with your bare hands and keep holding it. This will break the harmful emotional cycle because it is impossible to ignore physical reality in this situation. I have found this extremely helpful. No matter how fast my thoughts are racing, this will snap you into the present.

 

I hope some of that makes sense and is helpful! I wish you luck!

Thank you everyone for the welcomes!

 

Anonymouse, in regards to majors, you seem to know what's good ;) Welcome to you as well.

 

Wolfponies, I have a hard time falling asleep at night, and am always up 'til strange hours. Although I do shape-shift on occasion :P In regards to my avvie, that is indeed me.

 

Venerian, hello! I'm glad we can be new together. I too agree that alternation is key (but whether we do that is another story altogether....)

Hi everybody!

 

I'm NightShift and I just joined this lovely community (although I will admit to lurking for quite some time). I am a university student (studying English and Gender Studies). It is, of course, exam time, and as a result I am on Neopets more often that I should be :P I started playing Neo as young kid with my neighbour, but all we pretty much did back then was play Meerca Chase. Sometimes I stop playing for a while, but I can never keep away! I love Neopets, mainly because it's a safe place at the end of the day with bright, happy images. Even though it's a great way to relax, I still find it mentally stimulating with all the different activities, games, puzzles, plots, etc., which I think is a better use of my time than many other down-time activities I've tried! What can I say... I love Neopets! (Well, who doesn't?)

 

I look forward to meeting some new friends!