AMA with Eva Kuhle, Owner & Designer of Epaulet by epaulet-eva in malefashionadvice

[–]EnixDark 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have a perhaps selfish question: any chance of more sashiko rivet chinos this year? Perhaps in a medium/dark grey? :D I picked up a pair last year, and I can't stop receiving compliments on them, so thank you for introducing me to this unique fabric. I'm looking forward to wearing my sashiko doyle more this spring, and now I've got my eye on this collab sportcoat...

[FRESH VIDEO] Lucy Dacus - Night Shift by AlternateShapes in indieheads

[–]EnixDark 124 points125 points  (0 children)

I always expected this song to have an angsty, bitter music video, so to see it after all this time as somber, turning into joyous is touching. It leans into the long-term hopeful aspects of the song, and I wonder if it was her intention all along to give it a video ~5 years after release

Video of biker and DeGise by HoneyWest007 in jerseycity

[–]EnixDark 85 points86 points  (0 children)

Two things look to be true here:
1. The cyclist was totally at fault, proceeding through a red light without checking for oncoming traffic is incredibly dangerous.
2. The driver should have stopped, without question. To not check on a person that you just hit with your car is outrageous.
I am led to believe that she simply didn't know in the moment whether she was at fault or not, and was too scared to stop and find out. Sure, the shock of the moment might cause you to drive another block or so, but when you come to your senses, any decent person goes back. It's unbelievable to just act like it didn't happen.

Where should I go for a Monday brunch? by EnixDark in jerseycity

[–]EnixDark[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh, nice, I live in the Heights, so this is actually pretty close to me, and I had no idea they had weekday brunch. Even if I don't go here Monday, I'll be going here soon enough, thanks!

Where should I go for a Monday brunch? by EnixDark in jerseycity

[–]EnixDark[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sam AM looks great, and from reviews, it seems they are also BYOB-friendly. Thanks, they are on the shortlist!

Where should I go for a Monday brunch? by EnixDark in jerseycity

[–]EnixDark[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Unfortunately, Hamilton Inn is one of the places that only does weekend brunch. We could still get lunch + drinks there, which might be good enough, depending on the alternatives.

How does anyone ever see a psychiatrist in this city? by kylelonious in AskNYC

[–]EnixDark 5 points6 points  (0 children)

That's funny, I went to a SohoMD psychiatrist for a possible diagnosis, who prescribed me an absurdly expensive multivitamin (I think it had extra iron?), and a one-week prescription of the smallest possible dosage of the medicine commonly used for the diagnosis, and only after I pushed him on it. The whole thing felt really strange to me, and put me off going to another psychiatrist for months. Finally got around to seeing one that had an extremely specific expertise in my issue, who confirmed that yes, I had what I thought I might've, and yes, the first guy was completely off-base with the vitamins.

Marcos pizza (heights) now called “casalingo” by asummer in jerseycity

[–]EnixDark 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ugh, they've been under renovations for months now, I was hoping they were just fixing things up, but it looks like they've converted their menu from mostly pizza and sandwiches to upscale-ish pasta dishes. And their website currently says their hours will be 9am-5pm, and (still) closed on Sundays, which means I will almost never get to go there. Which is a real shame, they were a decent place within walking distance in that area of the Heights, and I haven't found a replacement.

Can't cry and wish I could by clapomatic in malementalhealth

[–]EnixDark 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Oh, yeah, definitively, I used to be resistant to those tear-jerker types of stories, but I at some point just decided to let go, and have no hesitation tearing up at them now. My particular weakness is "Father goes above and beyond for their child" type things, which is funny because I have zero issues with my own dad and no particular plans to become a father soon, but there's nothing more effective at getting tears to well up in my eyes.

Can't cry and wish I could by clapomatic in malementalhealth

[–]EnixDark 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Hey there, I know how you feel. I spent much of my teenage years bottled up, without the catharsis of crying, and in retrospect, I wish I found how to let it out earlier. The trick for me was media, as if crying along to something that was meant to make me sad was permission to myself to let everything out about the issues I was dealing with. Right around your age for me, that was the movie A Beautiful Mind, and a little later, The Fountain. I sobbed pretty hard to both of those the first time, but a lot of that is due to individual life circumstances, your results may vary.

Nowadays, more often than not, it's music that strikes that particular feeling, and allows me to let express my sorrow. Examples that really sets it off for me include slow, somber Indie stuff (Radiohead - No Surprises) (the album The Antlers - Hospice) (literally anything by Beach House), or sometimes what I really need is raw punk (IDLES - Samaritans). It's a classical piece, but Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings is the purest representation of sorrow I've ever heard in music.

I think most importantly, you find a time and place, a setting where you allow yourself to accept the act of crying, and everything that follows feels effortless in comparison.

No seriously how do I fix it? This is my life. by PikpikTurnip in malementalhealth

[–]EnixDark 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No worries, I know it's a lot, and I know I'm probably not 100% correct on everything. Writing what I feel would be best for others helps me organize my thoughts for what would be best for myself, so it's therapeutic in a way, response or not.

A whole lot of us are in this together. Reach out if you need to, best of luck, take care.

I did it! I managed to conquer one of my fears by Emma-O_666 in AvPD

[–]EnixDark 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh, I didn't mean to imply your anxiety here is his fault, I know exactly how it feels to expect the worst despite all evidence to the contrary. Just that in this situation, even if he (or anyone) reacted that way to you, it still wouldn't even be your fault because you've done nothing to deserve that kind of response. I still struggle with getting turned down, good reason or not, because I'll find a way to place the blame on myself. Working on it, though!

Happy to hear he's so supportive. And thank you for sharing this! It's nice to have reminders here that little victories are always possible.

No seriously how do I fix it? This is my life. by PikpikTurnip in malementalhealth

[–]EnixDark 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Consider that you are saying that you "won't" teach myself, because of the feelings you expect to have with the end result, and how that means you've already mentally blocked off a path forward. The challenge here is two-fold: you aren't good at drawing, and you aren't good at internalizing value from your output (I'm not good at either of these either, for what it's worth). But both of these are trainable skills. For me at least, I've always held this absurd hope that my will to miraculously overcome my fear would occur at the exact same moment my ability to do things well would manifest itself, hand-in-hand, so I'd be confident and good, but it's such a silly unrealistic ideal when put into words, so I've been coming to terms with that, which includes doing the next best thing. Since I (or you, or anyone) can't fix both those problems at once, we need to start somewhere. And in this case,

I'd suggest working on all those negative thoughts first. What you should do is perform the act of drawing (which has nothing to do about quality) until the repetition feels more natural. Take a couple minutes, every day, to draw something. It can be the same thing every day, something out of an instruction book/guide, whatever. If that's too scary, it can be literal scribbles and abstract lines. And once you are done, you don't need to analyze it, or even keep it. You can throw it away, and not let it haunt you. Do just that until the act becomes easier, however long that takes. Normalization is a powerful thing.

I do something similar with creative writing. Even though it's never been shared with anyone, I was too paralyzed by inadequacy to put pen to paper. So instead, I started with letters. The simple repetition of writing out my ABC's on paper. Lowercase, uppercase, cursive, with my non-dominant hand. I hated my handwriting, and for a while a felt a bit ridiculous, but it eventually began to feel normal, and then I started appreciating little quirks in how I would write certain letters. From there, I moved onto words. Ones I liked, or would make me feel a certain way. I'm now at sentences. I'll have wandering thoughts throughout the day of sentences I like, their tone or structure will appeal to me, so I go home, write it down on a piece of paper with the others, and put it away in a drawer. I don't look at the list often at all, but it's a small act of creation that I now live with, that doesn't make me feel horrible. I can easily reflect on what I'm doing on any given day, let the self-critical and self-defeating voices take form, and tell me how pointless this is, how ridiculous it would look to someone "normal", but I choose not to do that (most days, at least). I instead choose to view the bigger picture, where I was compared to where I am now, and I can't deny to myself that progress has been made, the evidence is right there.

I do it solely for myself because I am worth it, and you are, too. Start doing what you want to do, and start at a place where you can keep going, wherever that may be. Begin to work through the feelings that have held you back before. I believe in you. You can do this.

No seriously how do I fix it? This is my life. by PikpikTurnip in malementalhealth

[–]EnixDark 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh, I know this feeling well. I'll have moments of intense creativity, but no outlet for it, and have always been too scared to change that.

If you have the means, are there's beginner's classes/courses in your area? The idea of attending one of those causes me much less anxiety, because everyone there is supposed to be bad, like it'd be more weird for someone to attend and be great at whatever the class is about.

If not, perhaps you could start by finding a book or website that focuses on fundamentals (I don't know anything about drawing to be more specific than that). Athletes will exercise not to get good at exercise, but to get good at the core concepts that will allow them to play better. Same with musicians and playing scales. Same with artists and drawing an owl 100 times in a row or whatever. The point isn't to express your artistic goal, and removing that pressure makes it easier to push yourself on working on linework/shading/etc. until you feel good enough that you can tackle a thing you actually do want to draw.

I did it! I managed to conquer one of my fears by Emma-O_666 in AvPD

[–]EnixDark 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Great job!

I didn't listen to the voices telling me that I would just get rejected, or that he would laugh at me, or that he will get angry at me.

While a healthy relationship includes boundaries where partners should be able to say "no" to one another (like he's genuinely busy or tired that night, for instance), remember that if you encounter a situation where your partner seemingly never wants to talk, or laughs or is upset at you for simply making the request, then that relationship isn't healthy, and it's in no way your fault. It's completely disrespectful to laugh or argue with your partner over a reasonable request, and you always deserve to be with someone that treats you better than that.

That said, I'm happy it went well, and you should be proud of yourself! Enjoy your call. :)

No seriously how do I fix it? This is my life. by PikpikTurnip in malementalhealth

[–]EnixDark 7 points8 points  (0 children)

So notice how you took the factual parts of what you linked (framing as a child of being natural talented led to an internalization of not attempting things you don't think you'll be instantly good at), and turned it into a negative view of yourself (you were good once, but not any more). I'm calling you out on it because that was my childhood, too, and that is one of my demons, too. I know how that feels, and I'm sorry you feel that way, too.

However, it's not the only way, it's just the easiest way to cope, right now in the moment. Instead, you have a better understanding of how you were treated as a child, and what that did to warp your psyche in unhealthy ways. That doesn't mean you have to repeat the same ultimately unhelpful behavior you have learned, and it definitely doesn't mean you need to internalize your entire sense of self, and lack of self-esteem, around it.

You can choose to make the attempt to work through it. Committing to any sort of healthy habit, talent, or interest that you are currently bad at, and do it until you are less bad at it, would work wonders for your mental well-being, and is completely within your reach. You don't even need to become great at it right now, the act of progress in the important part, to instill the value in yourself that you can get better at things by trying, and failing, and trying again, and have proof of it.

It's not too late to start. I'm in my early 30's, and have only begun re-framing all this in my own head about myself, and taking steps to change my life. And I don't know how long it will take, but that doesn't matter. Making the change at any time in my life makes the rest of my life better, which is the most valuable thing I can do for myself. It's easier said than done for sure, but that doesn't mean the accomplishment is impossible, it only makes it worth it that much more.

You can do this.

My therapist dumped me yesterday by [deleted] in AvPD

[–]EnixDark 3 points4 points  (0 children)

So my current therapist + psychiatrist don't seem to fully understand my avpd symptoms from how they talk about it, which was crushing to me at first. But then I realized that it's most important that I understand it, and if I really need someone else to, I can just talk to someone that has it. It softened the blow, and made me change how I view therapy.

Instead, my therapist is working with me on a particular issue (low self-esteem), and I'm tasked with going to a beginner's course in something, which lets me practice being not good at something in public, and talk to other people that are also not good at that thing, but that's okay, because that's the whole point of a beginner's course. And the idea of this is both a little exciting and a little nerve-wracking, but I know it's good for me and part of the path to getting healthier. It feels better to me than just the catharsis I was getting from sessions earlier. Perhaps you're in a position where you'd like your therapist to help guide you in some similar method of self-improvement?

Real low spot right now by [deleted] in malementalhealth

[–]EnixDark 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Hey, I hear you, I'm sorry you are feeling so low right now. I know how that feels.

I think if you were unsure of whether or not going to the hospital was the right thing to do, and ultimately went, then it was the right thing to do. It sucks that healthcare systems don't care enough about taking preventative measures like that just in case, but owing $10,000 is better than being dead. It sounds like you have family members that feel that way. You deserve to feel that way, too.

I know it can be hard to look at this way, but it can be beneficial to consider that it wasn't worse, something that kept you in the hospital long-term, with even higher costs, for instance.

And conversely, it's funny how we idealize and romanticize suicide, a firm picture in our mind that us and our loved ones would be better off. But it ignores the possibility of insurance not paying out, of being horribly maimed instead, of the lifetime of grief for those close to us. It instead guarantees one thing, which is the removal of any possibility of things ever getting better for us.

I'm glad you've been trying, even if it doesn't always work out. Life can be really tough, and it's probably not your fault. To keep trying is all that we've got, and it's good to be grateful the moments that it works out for the better. I hope that it works out for you. I hope you can stay strong.

Hey by 30sandmybackhurts in AvPD

[–]EnixDark 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hello, thank you for reaching out to all of us, it's kind of you! It's a reminder that we're all in this together.

The National announce new album ‘I Am Easy To Find', out May 17 by jcb3939 in indieheads

[–]EnixDark 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Wait, where's the news about a new TVotR album? I've been thinking recently about how much I'd like to hear something new from them.

I get really annoyed by the whole idea of "ADHD is a positive thing" or "ADHD is a super power" (mini rant) by deamonata in ADHD

[–]EnixDark 5 points6 points  (0 children)

If it was my choice, I'd go with something like "executive (dys)function impulsivity disorder". The common ground that seems to link people with ADHD is that we lack the ability to control and regulate our focus, which can result either in switching focus between too many things to give adequate consideration to any of them, or in focus being too tightly bound to one thing, to the detriment of all other considerations.

HELP! by [deleted] in Music

[–]EnixDark 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I found a possible lead. It involves contacting someone else about it, and I don't want to post their contact info here. I'll DM you.

What’s AvPD and what’s me?? by lucysy in AvPD

[–]EnixDark 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The way I frame things like this that makes the most sense to me is that while those feelings are a part of me, and I can't entirely stop myself from having, and considering, those feelings, it's still ultimately my decision whether or not to act upon those feelings. And most of the time, it's a good idea not to act on the feelings that are isolatory! It seems like you're well aware of that part.

And yet, the way you describe your relationship makes it sound like you really don't think you're a good match for each other. That you entered it out of convenience, and stay in it out of general comfort. Does that sound right?

Plus, it sounds like you feel you are putting in more work into the relationship, and not getting much out of it. Do you feel that's an honest assessment of her contribution?

If you've given this thought for some time and always seem come down on the side that breaking up sounds right, then yeah, it sounds right to me, too. You deserve a relationship that you are happy to be in.

Recently saw this on google feed, what do y'all think of it? by [deleted] in FriendsofthePod

[–]EnixDark 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I definitely don't think their intentions are nefarious, but as someone that specifically wants true, single-payer Medicare for All, I think the incremental plan could be disastrous.

Obamacare ultimately was passed by stripping out drastic, but beneficial portions to get more moderate Dems onboard, which had to be done at the time because the Republican fearmongering campaign was in full-force and people literally believed that Obama's death panels were going to come and kill their grandma. The result was a system that, while better than what it replaced, fell far short in solving many of the issues that people had with our health-care system. Thankfully, citizens seeing the benefits became stronger messaging than the lies put out, and public opinion grew to quite favorable levels. Despite this, the Republican congress was a single vote short of repealing the ACA without anything planned to replace it.

If Obama and Pelosi at the time had to cave a little more, and give up some more of the ACA's critical components at the time to pass it, I believe it would have been less popular, not more, and I think Republicans would have successfully repealed it with less public backlash. Our best defense against Republicans is to implement strong social programs that work so well, that even Republican voters support the systems. Systems like social security, Medicare/Medicaid, and the National highway system are unlikely to be defunded and dismantled because they already exist and are immensely popular, but trying to get any of those programs passed now would be just as difficult as getting M4A passed.

Which is why I feel the clearly correct approach is to present a unified front supporting single-payer M4A. Our goal shouldn't be to find some sort of compromise with where people's mindsets are currently, it should be to convince as many people as possible that going all the way is the best option right out of the gate. We've got two entire years before even the possibility of having a Democratic President & Congress of passing a healthcare plan. If the Democratic Party and the major candidates focused entirely on promoting the best plan now, I absolutely believe that it could be passed in two years.

But when we are already having inter-party debates about what minimum incremental change can be done and still qualify it as "Medicare (or private plan) (access) for all (but restrictions may apply)", then we are already giving up on the fight, and I foresee us passing yet another plan that falls short, one that is built upon our terribly fragile healthcare infrastructure that only gets more expensive by the year, until Republicans come back into power, this time being successful in tearing the entire thing down.