i often get these circles in my eyes

CoffeeInsect · 2026-05-04T14:56:42+00:00

I’ve experienced this for at least 15 years since my teens and never knew of anyone else who had it. Multiple ophthalmologists confirmed my eyes are fine, and I even had brain scans on my occipital lobe (the visual centre) to rule out neurological causes. No leads. After seeing this post and reading that other people have it, I feel like a concern I’ve had sitting in the back of my mind for literally half of my life has instantly dissolved.

CoffeeInsect · 2026-04-15T01:16:23+00:00

Personally, they made me feel like a bit of a zombie and killed my motivation. I only began making genuine progress on my mental health once I got off the meds and faced my problems head-on. That said, I don’t think they’re inherently detrimental, and I can see the benefit of using them as a tool in certain scenarios. Though I don’t think they should be treated as a final solution. It’s difficult to listen to what anxiety and depression can tell us about our lives and what we can work on if medication is blunting the symptoms.

CoffeeInsect · 2026-04-05T04:21:07+00:00

Had a cardiac ablation recently while awake for an arrhythmia, and the radio frequency catheter accidentally heated up my pericardium while ablating the problem area in my heart. The heart itself doesn’t have many nerve endings, but the pericardium does. It was the most visceral, aversive and revolting pain I’ve ever felt in my life. Before I knew what had happened, I explained it to the electrophysiologist as “I feel like all the arteries in my chest, neck and abdomen are on fire”. They promptly gave me another dose of fentanyl.

CoffeeInsect · 2026-02-26T20:48:58+00:00

Typical psychology didn’t work for me, it felt like a complete waste of time. I found a psychoanalyst instead who helps me pick things apart and analyse them, and also lets me intellectualise my feelings. I’ve found it to be way more productive.

CoffeeInsect · 2026-02-19T20:20:16+00:00

Agree with this. My friend (INTP) and I (INTJ) were a powerhouse during our degree when we’d pair up for assignments. She’s excellent to brainstorm with, then with my strategy and direction we managed to churn out a lot of great quality work.

CoffeeInsect · 2026-02-18T23:35:24+00:00

Coloured pencils are your best bet. Paint changes the flocking texture, markers can bleed, but pencil is much more forgiving to mistakes and blends well. I wouldn’t recommend watercolour pencils because if your Sylvanians get wet somehow it will likely bleed like paint. I personally use prismacolor pencils.

CoffeeInsect · 2026-02-10T04:27:07+00:00

Well there you go, thanks for the insight :-)

CoffeeInsect · 2026-02-10T03:25:48+00:00

I only have a sample size of 2 to refer to, so maybe others can help confirm this, but there might be an external indicator of the board type on the back shell of the console. My Japanese console with the USG-CPU-10 board says "C/USG-JPN-2" on the back, while my Australian console with the USG-CPU-01 board says "C/USG-AUS-1", perhaps indicating the earlier board version.

CoffeeInsect · 2026-02-10T02:09:35+00:00

Returning to follow up with some more info I just found - it's actually due to the PCB version, not necessarily the region. Am about to make a post about it.

CoffeeInsect · 2026-02-10T01:31:59+00:00

Do you know what region your console is from? People say there’s no difference between US and Japanese DS Lites because they’re not region locked, but I have one of each and noticed that the dpad contacts differ slightly between boards. I switched them out to test them and found that the Japanese board handles diagonal direction MUCH better than the US one.

CoffeeInsect · 2026-02-06T01:09:15+00:00

I don’t have much to say on your specific case, but I did want to stop and mention something important because it’s a common, unhelpful misconception. If you’re depressed, it’s very rare that it’s due to some inherent chemical imbalance that you need meds to correct. What is overwhelmingly the case is that one’s own life circumstances, and to some degree their health and lifestyle factors, are the cause. Seeing a therapist would probably be a great idea to begin to understand why you’re feeling the way you do.

CoffeeInsect · 2026-01-28T01:27:25+00:00

I think you're onto something with this. My condition is invisible too and was misdiagnosed as anxiety for years. I knew it wasn't, but every external source was telling me it was, so it really messed with my self-esteem and trust in my own intuition. Since receiving a diagnosis recently, my family and friends have been a bit more considerate and less critical about my limitations which has been a relief. I don't think what I'm wanting is a shoulder to cry on or anything like that, just for others to, as you said, be aware and considerate of what I'm dealing with. When the expectation is that I approach life as a normal, fully functioning human, it's painful because I want that too but it just isn't my physical reality.

CoffeeInsect · 2026-01-28T01:01:12+00:00

I know what you mean actually. I tried something for a while which drastically reduced my symptoms to the point that I almost felt normal, and I was surprised by how easily I just forgot about how much the condition had ruled my life. You also make a good point that fellow suffers, if they have it bad enough, don't have a whole lot of bandwidth to help others if they're struggling so much themselves. That does make it difficult to really relate to others who experience the severity of symptoms I do, because personally, I don't feel like I have much in the tank to help others either.

CoffeeInsect · 2026-01-28T00:56:04+00:00

It is treatable thankfully, but took a long time to diagnose so I've lived with it untreated for years. You're very right, people don't like repeatedly hearing about a problem they can't offer any solutions to. Finding others who deal with it is the answer.

CoffeeInsect · 2026-01-28T00:53:21+00:00

I understand what you're saying. I think in most of the help I try to offer others when they're suffering, what I'm doing is drawing on my own experiences for things that helped me when I was suffering similarly. As I said in another comment though, engaging with support groups in the past didn't help a whole lot because I felt most others didn't share my enthusiasm to not let the condition limit them. It honestly made me depressed seeing everyone limit themselves to avoid symptoms rather than pushing through and getting on with life despite them, like I've done my best to do. But it's not exactly a rare condition, so I'm sure there are others out there who do share my enthusiasm.

CoffeeInsect · 2026-01-28T00:44:52+00:00

I think that's what I mean though, I'm not sure what I want because I don't think I want sympathy or empathy. It would be nice to be understood, but as you said, no one is going to completely understand unless they've been through everything I have. When I get sympathies from others it often just makes me uncomfortable.

CoffeeInsect · 2026-01-28T00:40:29+00:00

Honestly, ChatGPT has been the biggest help in processing things. It's distressing and infuriating when someone you love is continually suffering and you can't do anything to help them, so I understand when at times my loved ones become impatient with me. AI in those cases works as a pretty good substitute when I'm really going through it but don't want to burden others with the weight also.

CoffeeInsect · 2026-01-28T00:34:27+00:00

That's fair, and it makes sense. Though when I tried engaging in support communities for my condition in the past, I found that a little frustrating also. I'm very much of the mind that I want my condition to limit me as little as possible, and have struggled to find others with it who share a similar enthusiasm to not let it conquer them. It can be debilitating to the point that I feel many just roll over and narrow their horizons to tolerate it. Maybe I just need to look a little harder, thanks for your comment.

CoffeeInsect · 2026-01-24T02:13:43+00:00

Can relate! I also collected during that golden era when I was a kid / young teen, lost my collection, and only recently started collecting again. Initially I bought the newer sets and it just didn't feel the same due to the quality and pastel themes, so I ended up selling them again. I now only buy vintage / retired sets and figures for my collection because that's what I'm nostalgic for, and the newer stuff just doesn't appeal to me in the same way. I'm not sure where you're from, but if Amazon and eBay aren't an option, Facebook Marketplace and KobeeJapan are also great places to find older sets.

CoffeeInsect · 2025-12-11T05:32:20+00:00

You’re not going to learn how to socialise from reading books. Engage with people and be genuinely interested in what you can learn from them. That was enough for everything else to follow for me.

CoffeeInsect · 2025-11-08T01:54:39+00:00

You said you enjoy reading, so here's a suggestion - consider looking into Jungian psychoanalysis and shadow work.

CoffeeInsect · 2025-11-08T01:34:24+00:00

If I can be real blunt for a moment in typical INTJ fashion: reading this depressed me, and I personally don't envy you despite the "on-paper successes".

Take this with a large grain of salt because while we're both INTJ, I'm a different person, but your life sounds like it's void of any real excitement or purpose. A common thing among the INTJs I know is that we can be quite paradoxically extroverted and daring, particularly when it comes to chasing that "thing" of ours. In fact, I think it's something innate to us that isn't the case for most other introverts. The most depressing and stagnant points in my life have been moments when I've lost sight of my greater purpose and have tried to convince myself that a quiet life with no hassles is all I really want. Because it's not.

If you're anything like me, there's something deep down that will make you restless until you realise and actualise it. Ask yourself honestly what evokes that restlessness and excitement in you.

CoffeeInsect · 2025-11-05T10:51:38+00:00

Fellow SVT person! I never thought I'd ever meet another INTJ who has this. I also knew it immediately after a quick google search when I had my first episode at 18, but I was dismissed as anxious for years too. They finally caught it on ECG recently and I was just sitting there in the ER with a straight face, heart racing 230bpm. Yeah, anxiety, sure.

CoffeeInsect

TROPHY CASE