Annie

@paul2016 Where can I read more about this?

I found this, perhaps it's of use for those of you with children: https://positivepsychologyprogram.com/mindfulness-for-children-kids-activities/

There are many different kinds of love. The kind of love you feel for a friend, for your parents, your children or your partner and of course self-love. But I simply assume you're referring to the romantic kind of love. I like this explanation: "We're all a little weird, and life's a little weird. And when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love." — Dr. Seuss

@Principium Nexus Have a blast and enjoy every second of this life changing experience!

@Loreena Are you taking iron supplements? I had an iron deficiency post-partum so I took supplements for a few weeks until my levels were normal again. Since I have a more active sex life my periods have become less painful and usually aren't heavy anymore. I don't know why but that's what I have experienced. I would not take birth control pills because of this, their side effects are far worse than anything you might try to fix. Of course everyone reacts different but I suffered from immense mood swings and depression while on the pill so it's a no-go for me and I wouldn't recommend them to anyone.

@5driedgrams That's one hell of a story! Thank you for sharing it!

Why did you decide to get your tattoo(s) and what and where is it? Do you have any regrets? Do you want to have more?

@MsNobody I like it that you chose your tattoos for their meaning. If I would have ever gotten one I would have liked it to have a special meaning as well but since I can't have one (massive skin problems and I'm afraid what the ink might do to me) I chose meaningful names for my children

"One year from now, everything you're stressing about won't even matter."

@Epiphany_Inspired interesting that you mention "ritual", a couple of other people have told me something similar as well. Some have called it addictive as well. I don't know, I don't have any. I think tattoos can be beautiful works of art, however they can also look quite terrible but, then again, it depends what you like.

@egoeimai What do you have inked? And why did you chose that in particular? No, I am not planning on getting any. I guess behind each inking there's a story to tell and those stories are what I'm interested in. What makes you decide to have something particular inked. For example a friend of mine lost her baby daughter so in order to always "have her with her" she got a tattoo of the footprint and name. Actually, now that I think about it, many people I know have tattoos with names of dead loved ones or of those they would be afraid of losing, be it pets or people.

She clearly has some issues with herself and possibly doesn't know how to deal with them herself. But she's just human after all and we all have our faults. I bet it wasn't easy for her that you were not growing up by her side so if you then, on top of everything, would cut her out of your life it would be a horrible thing for her. And for you - even if you may not see it right now. I agree with @HikiNEET : ignore what you don't like and that's it. The same way a child wants and needs affection and love from his mother, the mother wants and needs affection from her children as well.

I have observed countless times how people appear seriously addicted to their smartphones. Do you find yourself checking your phone all the time? What do you do about it? Are you even aware how it affects you? Children using smartphones or other devices become younger and younger. What's your opinion on this? I found this spoken word film you may want to check out:

How to improve sleep? Easy: make sure you have no children around. Done! Just kidding. Sort of. Get a lot of fresh air during the day and relax before going to bed.

I never had the necessary support of my parents either. Neither financial nor emotional. They have failed me in many ways. But who said you need to have your parents around you to have your back? It must be nice I guess but hey, you're 26, it's time to take your life into your own hands now. If you feel the need to talk to your parents and point out where you think they screwed up do so but I don't think it's a must. It may help you feel lighter but keep in mind that it doesn't solve the actual problem because the damage has been done already. Also understand: your parents are also just human beings. And human beings fuck up. Sometimes they are aware of it, sometimes they are not. Normally a parent will never have the intention of harming their child in any way, trust me, I'm a mother myself. But it happens. Usually because the parents have issues themselves which they often don't know how to deal with themselves. I try to be aware of my own traumas so I don't inflict any on my children (or at least try to keep the damage to a minimum because I don't believe it is 100% avoidable). Maybe if you understand your traumas you can better deal with them and help yourself. "Running on empty" is a good book which I hereby recommend.

You say you seriously consider suicide. Simply by the fact you're posting this here tells me you're actually screaming for help NOT to do any self-harm. So you're on the right track. If you manage to get out of this hole you will come out as a stronger person. You need to identify the true core of your problem(s) and find a solution. Nobody said life's always fun and easy but it's a learning process and learning sometimes brings us to the brink of collapse, wanting to give up. I guess we've all been down that road at some point in our lives but the show must - and will - go on.

@kieranperez I agree with @egoeimai you must learn to let go and love yourself, no matter how hard this may be or how long it may take but it is the only way. And I don't think you really hate her, it's rather immense disappointment.

@sheenp24 I don't look at him like there's something "wrong", just different. Is there any way that I could help him? To focus better? Should I just ignore the fact he starts a billion things but rarely follows through on one and becomes frustrated sometimes? If he procrastinates shall I just take some tasks off of him and into my own hands? I'd like to make things easier for him without him becoming so annoyed at me for reminding him to do certain important things (deadlines, etc.). Is there anything I can do?! I don't like to just "sit and watch", I would like to help him.

Someone very close to me has been diagnosed with ADHD. I'd like to help by understanding him better, how he thinks. Does anyone here have it, too and could give me some insights? Thank you!

Absolutely yes!

I found this and thought it might be helpful to some: http://iheartintelligence.com/2017/05/31/treat-depression-without-medication/

@Edvard I honestly didn't read through all the comments here but if you are interested in my two cents about the topic: A couple of years ago I had considered joining the military because I was offered a good office job there but it would have required me going through the entire combat training process so I did the introductory part of that (seeing if you are physically and mentally fit enough which I was and pass some exams about the particular job I would have worked in which I passed as well) but I decided in the end I'm not interested. It's a personal decision whether you believe all the stuff about "defending your country" and kill on orders, to kill because you are being told to do so and not because you decide so. I don't believe self-actualization and military work together.

@OnceMore May I ask how old you are? If you force things you just put too much pressure on yourself which, as you know, results in disappointment if you can't reach your goal (yet). I personally have come to the conclusion that sometimes it's better to let things be for a while (not giving up, just resting your mind) and let go. That gives you an opportunity to clear your mind and relax and open your eyes to other possibilities. And this works quite well (for me):

@OnceMore What happened that caused your life to turn around so dramatically? It probably didn't happen out of nothing over night but was a process. Something happened. What was it? First you have to know and understand how/when/why exactly things went wrong, then you can tackle the problem and try to fix it.

Like @jjer94 said, make sure you get the right one! I supplement a relatively high dose of B12 daily because I am also very deficient and it helps a great deal. I take about 2.000 I.E. Vitamin D3 a day during the winter months, it's best absorbed when you have a decent Vitamin K2 intake as well (I don't supplement, I get enough of that through food).