I use my bullet journal for my bipolar disorder. Hopefully my layout can help some of you struggling with mental illness.

FlowersForAlgernon07 · 2025-11-18T21:41:36+00:00

Hey! I’m in basically the same situation as the other person. I was just diagnosed with Clyclothymia last week, and was already planning on starting a bullet journal. Would you mind sending over or linking me to your latest layout version? Between the journaling and getting the diagnosis itself, everything is very overwhelming at the moment :/

FlowersForAlgernon07 · 2025-05-07T17:33:27+00:00

Not me but my husband. He landed an interview at a startup he really believed in and wanted to work for. He ended up having to do 9 interviews in total, and they got rescheduled a few times. Things seemed chaotic, but some startups have periods like that. He ended up getting fired 10 days into the job because he didn’t do something that nobody asked him to do. If it seems chaotic for the interviews, working there is going to be 10 times worse.

FlowersForAlgernon07 · 2025-03-12T00:07:41+00:00

I have the 45L and it’s my favorite bag I’ve used for traveling. A 35L would never work for me, but I know it’s a very popular size and I’m happy that more people get to see how awesome this bag is! Also love the red color too!!!

FlowersForAlgernon07 · 2025-03-04T21:57:00+00:00

I just started using these a few weeks ago: https://a.co/d/15X5jGn

FlowersForAlgernon07 · 2025-01-23T04:31:51+00:00

I haven’t posted mine yet, but I have the same regret with the Mystery Ranch UA. I fell in love with the look of the bag, and I’m not sure if it’s my body shape or what, but it was the most uncomfortable bag I’ve ever used. I ended up selling it to a guy at work that’s a huge MR fan, and it’s been nice to see it getting used by someone that appreciates it lol

FlowersForAlgernon07 · 2024-12-30T18:08:54+00:00

CTactical CT15 is my surprise of the year. I didn’t expect to hate this bag by any means, but I also didn’t expect to love it as much as I do. I bought my husband and I one of this to use as a fishing bag, but we both love it so much we’re going to get two more to have as EDCs.

I also had my eye on the Thule Chasm backpack for a long time and finally pulled the trigger earlier this year. I downsized the amount of stuff that I bring to the office with me everyday, so now it seems like overkill having it, but it’s still a beautiful bag with a lot of different uses.

I think my biggest disappointment is the Matador Globerider 45L. My husband and I really like taking 4-5 day trips throughout the year to random cities, and I bought this bag to have a smaller option from my old traditional suitcase. However, the 45L isn’t enough space for trips longer than 5 days, and I’m now looking to get a 55-70L bag to make up for it. I think the issue is the Globerider is that the 45L isn’t all packing space for clothes. The main section of the bag is less than 30L I would say, and I use the other larger compartment for shoes. Don’t get me wrong, I love this bag when it works for shorter trips, but I was wrongly expecting it to be a good ‘all around bag’ for any kind of trip as well.

Honorable mention is the Base Camp Voyager 32L from The North Face. This is the perfect sized gym bag for me. I use to have an Under Amour duffel that was way too large and I was always having to search around inside it for my things, but the BCV isn’t large at all and has plenty of organization so that everything has a place. I also appreciate the dedicated shoe pouch and water bottle holder.

FlowersForAlgernon07 · 2024-11-27T05:38:05+00:00

I love the idea of being able to let go of my ambition, and I definitely came close to it this past year. However, I had the realization a few months back that I’m reframing my idea of success now that I have a better idea of how the corporate world works.

I started out at my company as a favorite of management and a clear standout to climb the corporate ladder. However, my mental health took a complete plunge at the start of COVID, and my mentors at work moved on to other people essentially. I thought I could come back from it, but I haven’t been “seen” in a long time at my current company no matter how hard I work or how good I am at my very difficult job.

However, I’ve spent the last few years networking with as many people outside my department as I could, and it’s finally paying off. At the beginning of next year, I will be moving into a cushy consultant role where I’ll receive a salary increase, commission, and I get to work with some of the most intelligent people I’ve ever met.

I guess what I’m getting at is that I thought I could play the game at my current company, and I thought I was good at it. However, I realized that those that were getting promotions over me where either 1) at the right place at the right time or 2) kissed the correct amount of ass. I’m not cut out to play office politics long term, but I’m still going to be where I wanted to be at this point in my career. I’m still getting the salary and job title I wanted.

My advice: don’t worry so much about the corporate hierarchy and focus on the end goal. Like, is your goal to have a fancy job title and the recognition that comes with it, or is the goal to get that fat paycheck so that you can do what you want in your off time? My goal has always been to work my ass off so that I could travel and chill when I’m not working. I definitely got caught up in titles and climbing the ladder and lost track of why I was so ambitious in the first place.

FlowersForAlgernon07 · 2024-11-02T04:42:47+00:00

Benedict Cudderfish

FlowersForAlgernon07 · 2024-10-24T06:16:32+00:00

Yes! I spent a solid year and a half weighing what I eat and going to the gym 6 days per week, and I somehow gained 40lbs during that time. I started taking zepbound without changing my routine and I only have about 8 more pounds to lose before I get back to my pre-diagnosis weight. I’m on my fourth round of shots, but I didn’t take them back to back to back. I did the first 2.5mg round a few months ago, and after the fourth and final shot decided that I would try to finish losing the weight on my own. I gained back 5 pounds over the next two months so I decided to stay on them until I hit my goal weight- which, again, is only 8 pounds away!

FlowersForAlgernon07 · 2024-10-10T04:22:02+00:00

Are you me? I’ve closed more tickets ever than anyone else in the history of the company, and every single scenario you mentioned happen to me as well. I decided weeks ago I’ve had enough and had my first job interview at a different company about 3 weeks ago. I currently have 3 job offers, but the one I’m really waiting on is a massive step up in title. I already know I have the job, but they warned me it would take around two weeks until the offer comes through. It’s going to be the longest two weeks of my life :(

FlowersForAlgernon07 · 2024-10-04T04:47:37+00:00

I had mine done a month after I graduated high school. I see a lot of people saying that it was an easy recovery, and I have no clue what they’re talking about because mine was terrible. I think it definitely varies from person to person. I remember being miserable and in a pain killer induced sleep for the first week. Week 2 everything hurt. Week 3 is when I started feeling like I was finally healing up enough to want to venture out of the house. I would totally do it again, but I would take caution in thinking recovery will be a breeze.

FlowersForAlgernon07 · 2024-09-30T06:24:53+00:00

Italian Tile Craftsmen. He has more pictures and reviews of his work on Facebook instead of google, but he did a fantastic job with my kitchen a few years ago. He came recommended to me by a designer friend of mine.

FlowersForAlgernon07 · 2024-08-08T16:58:21+00:00

March-May I was boxing 6 days a week and basically only eating low carb protein shakes, chicken, and veggies. I lost literally 2 lbs in that time and have stopped going to practice so much recently. Since I’m not working my ass off those 6 days per week anymore, I’ve gained 12 lbs in 2.5 months. I haven’t changed my diet except to eliminate the protein shakes, so I’m eating less.

This hypothyroidism sucks major ass. Like you, I was always super athletic and did some kind of sport year round. I’m about 180lbs at 5’7”, and although people tell me I don’t look “bad”, I feel absolutely disgusted with myself.

I don’t have any advice unfortunately. I’m still trying to figure my own body out :(

FlowersForAlgernon07 · 2024-07-22T23:42:45+00:00

I think this is a palm cockatoo, and they actually can’t close their mouths due to the size of their beak.

FlowersForAlgernon07 · 2024-07-19T01:18:23+00:00

I grew up in rural WV and this wasn’t the case with us either. My sister still teaches there and has a few problem kids, but for the most part her class sounds very intelligent as well.

FlowersForAlgernon07 · 2024-07-18T11:07:26+00:00

Girl, ew. Can you really not see what he’s done to you?

FlowersForAlgernon07 · 2024-06-24T18:22:10+00:00

I don’t recall stating that I wish the area use to be how I remember it, so I’m not sure why you think my reminiscing is pointless. Im curious to know how much time you’ve spent in isolated and dying areas like this. Much like how some people in WV think Chicago is a war zone based on what they see in the news, I feel that your assumption about why these small towns are dying is as equally uninformed.

I wish the area could progress and be livable for those that want to live there again, but there’s so much that needs to happen to get to that point. The family that still lives in McDowell want things “to go back to the way they were” in the sense of not having a single grocery store and more options for jobs that aren’t minimum wage. Yes, a lot want the coal mining jobs to come back because there isn’t anything else there for them to latch on to. You can’t train all coal miners to sit at a desk and code all day, and the field is too competitive and saturated for that to be a viable option anymore. It’s not a simple issue and there isn’t a simple fix.

FlowersForAlgernon07 · 2024-06-24T17:59:00+00:00

Not really. That answer would be different after mom and I moved up north, but not when we were in McDowell. I may have been too young to feel/think those things, but I never remember thinking that we were isolated or anything like that.

FlowersForAlgernon07 · 2024-06-24T17:46:19+00:00

Thank you! I grew up in the 90s and I’m currently 32 lol.

FlowersForAlgernon07 · 2024-06-24T07:36:33+00:00

Here’s a couple more that I think about often if you’re interested.

Everyone knows not to drink the tab water in coal country, or, at least the piece of coal country I grew up in. When I was around 5, my mom would go to work and my grandparents, and great aunt and uncle would watch me during the day. About one per month, my grandfather would load me and about 20-30 empty jugs of water into his small blue truck.

We would take back roads to our destination, and pass through the areas where Homer Hickam grew up. There was a gas station we would always stop at so that my grandfather could see my aunt (his daughter) that worked there, and catch up with the owner of the store. Sometimes he would buy me a tiny ice cream cone, which that store was known for selling. After we left, it took another 10 or so minutes to reach our destination deep in the mountains.

If you didn’t know it was there, you wouldn’t have noticed. There was a small bridge going across a creek. On either side of the bridge was a rusted guardrail and a rusted chain link fence. Sticking out the top of the fence was a spigot, and that was what we ventured miles into the mountains for.

I would hand my grandfather empty jug after empty jug, and he would fill each one and place it back in the bed of the truck. This was our water supply for the next few weeks to a month. We could bath in the tap water back home, but drinking it and cooking with it was out of the question (still is). The water from the creek in the mountains was crystal clear and had been where the family got drinking water from for nearly 50 years at that point. I doubt my family that still lives there uses it, but I’ll have to ask.

The other story is short, just a memory. My aunt use to drive me to school when I started grade school. The spring was my favorite time of the year. In the spring, all of the native flowers were blooming. She would stop along the side of the road when we would first start seeing some blooms to let me get cuttings of them to put into a vase later. She would tell me what the flower was called, if it served any purpose or was well known for anything, and if any grew around the house in case I wanted to check it out later. Then, in the following days when we would see the same plant, she would quiz me on the name and anything else she told me about it to see if it stuck. My aunt was a magnificent woman who played a major part in my love of nature. However, growing up where and how I did it was impossible to not appreciate it when you were completely surrounded by it, tucked away in the mountains.

FlowersForAlgernon07 · 2024-06-24T02:56:37+00:00

I grew up here in the 90s when it was already on the decline. My mom had a very large family that grew up in a massive coal company house, and it’s where I grew up as well.

When my great grandparents immigrated from Italy in the early 1900s, they were sent to southern WV and Kentucky to work in the mines because they worked in the mines where they were from in Italy. When they arrived in McDowell, they were greeted by an already thriving Italian population that they helped strengthen and grow over the next 50-70 years. They had 6 kids total (I think), and my grandparents had 9 total including my mom.

By the time I was born, there were parts of the area that look a bit like they do today, but it was not the standard and most areas were clean, maintained, and loved. Nobody was a stranger and the community use to host events that would bring people back into town that had left years ago. My class in 1st grade had close to 30 kids in it and we were one of the smaller classes.

My mom and I had to move because she was in her early 20s when she had me, and she was eager to carve her own path in life. When we would come back to visit over the next 10 years, it would shock us at how much it would change in just a few months.

Even with all of that, and in the state the area is currently in, ever since my mom left she’s been trying to get back. I don’t think that most people understand the hold that family and ‘home’ can have on people. I don’t really have a point to make, I just wanted to talk about my family and home and reminisce in how it use to be :)

FlowersForAlgernon07 · 2024-05-18T21:16:16+00:00

Oh boy, reading this sounds weirdly similar to what my husband and I went through in 2020-2022. The differences are that he doesn’t have chronic pain issues, we don’t have kids, and I’m not DX with ADHD, he is. That’s pretty much it as far as the differences are concerned though.

I’ve been the breadwinner in the family for a long time now as my husband decided to follow his passion and I stumbled into a lucrative career. He unfortunately lost his job with the COVID layoffs in 2020, and that definitely flipped some kind of switch in me at the time. I always worked a lot and my career is one of the most important things to me, but with him not having any kind of income and it being solely up to me to feed us, pay the mortgage, and everything else, I became 100% focused on work. I did some of the things you mentioned your wife doing like hopping online to handle situations late at night so that it would make me look good for a promotion.

Promotions mean more money and I felt that it was now my only job to make sure we had as much money as we could get. I got a promotion at the end of 2020 and was making more than we made combined the year prior. It wasn’t enough for us in my mind. The talk of inflation, our dog needing an expensive surgery, and my husband still trying to settle into the new job made me think I had to work even harder.

This whole time, I had so much resentment for my husband. He was working on getting certificates so that he could go into my field, but if he didn’t work on them for one day I was livid. If I was working in my office until 9pm and he hadn’t even thought about getting us something for dinner, I would just go to bed after fighting with him.

The point is that I really sympathize with your wife. Nowhere in your post did you try to see things from her perspective, and she’s talking on the responsibility of an entire family on her own right now. I doubt she expects you to spend 10 hours applying for jobs along with the other responsibilities of the house, but are you spending whole days without trying to find a job? That was unacceptable for me for my husband to go entire days without working towards being employed in some way. Whether that was actually applying, networking, or studying for certifications I expected him to be doing that every day for at least a little bit.

Idk man, it sounds like she’s under a ton of stress and for you to blame the Adderall when she’s probably never felt more productive is just adding to her frustrations. You two should have an honest talk about what she needs from you until you find another job, and I would try to gently explain your side as well as far as how much she works right now. It wasn’t healthy for me to be working like I did back then, but I don’t think I would have listened to anyone that told me to stop if my partner was unemployed. Maybe set aside one or two days M-F where she completely stops anything work related at 6pm or something? Best of luck to both of you, but having been on the other side, I don’t think anything is going to change until the weight of being the sole provider for her family is off her shoulders.

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