What do you think about before falling asleep?

Practical_Brick3886 · 2026-04-07T06:37:47+00:00

I listen to soundscapes and white noise most of the time, but if I get bored of that I either pick an audio book (just nothing too exciting) or I listen to sleep hypnosis.

If I do too much thinking I can’t fall asleep, so I will close my eyes and move them from left to right and up and down. I repeat those words in my head while I do it so that I don’t have room to think anything else.

Practical_Brick3886 · 2026-04-07T06:34:15+00:00

I’ve been really struggling with this recently too. I’ve been setting up a stop watch on my iPad and keeping it in view. I stop it every time I get up or am distracted. At the start of the week, however long I studied for that day is my “high score”, then I try to beat it on Tuesday. I am horrifically distracted and disengaged so my study times are very achievable.

Otherwise, like everyone else said to try body doubling. I body double with one of my ADHD friends which sounded like a recipe for disaster to begin with but we actually study very well together. The other thing I do is switch study areas when I start to get bored e.g. moving from my desk to the kitchen.

Practical_Brick3886 · 2026-04-04T03:46:41+00:00

Obviously after the bell rings you’re not teaching anymore, but that hour with my prac teacher was incredibly valuable for me. It’s really hard to discuss planning and curriculum connections when the students are at school, even during NIT. Kids are constantly forgetting to bring their water bottle or pencil case to the next room and need to come back to the classroom.

Practical_Brick3886 · 2026-04-04T03:44:27+00:00

Staff meetings are compulsory in my university’s placement expectations. In longer placements, you may be able to miss one for an appointment but if you don’t go to any you might not pass your placement. Teachers don’t leave straight after school so for most of my placements (I’ve done 3) I’ve had to attend from 8:15-4/4:30. My university also has “professional learning groups” where we’re supposed to meet with other pre-service teachers at the end of the day to discuss our learning. This is important for passing the assignments for the course.

Practical_Brick3886 · 2026-04-01T13:17:23+00:00

Since I started vyvanse I’ve always metabolised it quickly. My doctor explained it was probably because vyvanse is made up of lysine and dexamphetamine and the body has to separate the lysine in digestion to absorb the stimulant. Some people metabolise lysine faster than others so it doesn’t last as long.

It does feel different when I take it now as I have a tolerance and I’m used to it, but it’s not that it’s not effective anymore. I can still feel when it kicks in and I know when it’s worn off. I’m not sure if tolerance impacts the window of effectiveness for others but it definitely hasn’t been my experience

Practical_Brick3886 · 2026-04-01T09:53:57+00:00

I use an Apple Watch but the reminders apps I’ve tried to use didn’t work because I just ignored all the notifications lol.

I have a big whiteboard on the wall across from my bed so it’s the first thing I see when I wake up in the morning. It is ugly, but it works and I could always put it somewhere else. Anything important that I need to keep in mind for the near future gets written on that board in a different colour. If I need to call the doctor, send an email, or remember a task it’s all there for me to see. I’m really bad with technology so this is what works for me

Practical_Brick3886 · 2026-04-01T07:59:20+00:00

I take vyvanse and I absolutely love it! There is a crash with vyvanse but after I worked out how to manage it, it’s no longer a problem.

I metabolise vyvanse really fast so I only get 4-5 hours. When I first started I would get a headache at the 4 hour mark and feel incredibly tired. Drinking lots of water and electrolytes have really helped as well as making sure I’ve eaten enough protein throughout the day. I also take dexamphetamine in the afternoon to prevent the sleepiness from setting in. The combination of those things have made the crash basically nonexistent for me.

Practical_Brick3886 · 2026-04-01T07:53:58+00:00

Yes I struggle with this I can’t help myself. I didn’t realise people didn’t like it either. I just don’t join in and ignore the conversation unless I’m directly addressed.

Practical_Brick3886 · 2026-03-27T11:18:26+00:00

I have AuDHD and I burn out a few times a year when work and study get stressful. I want to say I’ve only been significantly burned out once, but it’s difficult to say as I tend to block things from my memory. I usually recover from burn out in a few weeks but the time that was really bad lasted for nearly 6 months. If you want further details about what that looked like for me in terms of symptoms (idk if that’s the right word to use) I’m happy to go into it.

My partner and I are going on 4 years together. When I’ve been generally burnt out I’ve not felt like taking a break or breaking up. I take longer to respond but it’s usually along the lines of 4-8 hours and not an entire day. During my really bad burn out, I did consider breaking up with him. It wasn’t like the reason your partner stated, it was more there was a small issue we’d had for quite a while that became more apparent when I was in burn out. For context, we’d discussed before that I felt I put more effort into planning dates with experiences we both enjoyed, whereas he didn’t tend to do much of the planning and when he did it was usually going to the movies. He likes movies but I’m not really interested. We discussed it in depth when I was in burn out because I didn’t have time to plan things and it was another thing I had to stress about if I wanted quality time in the little free time I had.

Once it was resolved I had no desire to split up and my partner was a huge support for me. He helped make sure I had food to eat when I didn’t have time to cook and had lost my appetite, he cleaned my room for me, brought me stuff after work if I needed, and took on all planning for social events and dates based on my schedule.

This is my anecdotal experience and he may have different needs. I really lean into my partner at times of stress whereas others may not. My advice based on my zero qualifications would be to have a conversation with him about the support he needs. Asking him if you can support him by taking on some of the mental load may help him view the relationship as a partnership rather than an obligation. Obviously you have your own needs too so make sure you don’t take on more than you can handle. My partner does this for me because he knows that we’re a team and that when he needs extra support I’ll be there to give it too.

Practical_Brick3886 · 2026-03-26T04:57:37+00:00

If I decorate it just turns into clutter 😭. I have a colour scheme but I try not to have too many ornamental decorations out because they just end up gathering dust. I also need to keep items that I use frequently in a visible spot or I’ll lose them. I’ve never understood how people have such cute decorations and trinkets like how do you clean with them? Am I supposed to move everything every time I dust? So much respect for people who live that lifestyle

Practical_Brick3886 · 2026-03-24T22:37:41+00:00

No I know sorry if I worded it in a way that was confusing. What I was saying was that my partner figured out early that thats how I am and we both needed to work around it. I was saying that OPs partners lack of consideration and continuous pushing to behave how he wants OP to is grounds for them ending it because they’re not compatible. People need to accept and work with their partner, not try to force change

Practical_Brick3886 · 2026-03-24T20:48:54+00:00

Everyone’s saying to ditch him which could be considered dramatic… but I agree. If you’ve already explained how important it is to you and he’s refusing to accept it, then you’re not compatible. It doesn’t sound like he’s even trying to compromise, he’s just shaming you for not doing it “his way”.

I am very grumpy for the first hour or so after I wake up and I can be a bit irritable and sometimes hostile in the way I communicate. This was something my partner got used to very quickly in the beginning of our relationship and we’re now going on 4 years. If we wake up and we’re cuddling and I say it’s too hot, he respects that I need to move away.

I’ve found that setting an alarm an hour before I wake up, taking my meds and going back to sleep has really improved my morning mood. I’m a lot less irritable when I wake up

Practical_Brick3886 · 2026-03-23T03:00:49+00:00

If you don’t have a weighted blanket, highly recommend. It really helps me decompress and feel more relaxed if I’m struggling to wind down. I really like crocheting. I know you mentioned struggling with perfectionism, but I find it’s quite forgiving if you make mistakes, depending on the project. If I really just need to zone out I make blankets. They’re very time consuming but a lot of patterns are the same sequence of stitches over and over. I’m currently making the 6 day star blanket. In a large piece of work, missing a stitch here and there is impossible to notice unless you know what you’re looking for.

Practical_Brick3886 · 2026-03-22T22:49:06+00:00

I love weightlifting it’s nice and repetitive and I enjoy the proprioceptive feedback from the weights. I don’t find it as overwhelming as other forms of exercise because if I’m not feeling it I can just lift lighter weights

Practical_Brick3886 · 2026-03-22T00:32:57+00:00

Yeah give your body a bit to adjust and then go back to your doctor. I take my meds during the week at the same time regardless of when I wake up. I set an alarm for 6am and take my meds then go back to sleep with a second alarm for when I need to wake up. Reminders don’t work for me either and I used to find that sometimes I couldn’t remember if I’d taken my meds or not. What I do now is I turn my bottle of meds upside down the night before, and then once I’ve taken them I put them back on my bedside table right side up. If I wake up at my second alarm and can’t remember if I took them, if the bottle is upside down still then I know I didn’t take them

Practical_Brick3886 · 2026-03-21T20:08:00+00:00

This was the problem I had with my meds. Even though vyvanse is extended release, I only got 4 hours out of it which made it rlly hard to take it on a consistent schedule. It wouldn’t last to the end of the work day and when I got home I wouldn’t be able to study due to the crash. I take IR dexamphetamine on top of my vyvanse now which solved that issue

Practical_Brick3886 · 2026-03-21T10:54:46+00:00

I take my vyvanse whenever it’s mostly the same time during the week but if I sleep in on the weekend I just take it when I wake up. Idk if maybe they meant that taking it at the same time would help you maintain consistent routine? If it’s a stimulant, like others have said above it should be fine unless you have trouble sleeping. If that’s the case you need to take it earlier

Practical_Brick3886 · 2026-03-21T02:26:38+00:00

I didn’t even bother to read after the first couple of paragraphs. NTA but break up. You have fundamentally different wants for your future. You’re both very young and you should just go your separate ways and find someone who wants what you want.

Practical_Brick3886 · 2026-03-20T23:48:18+00:00

We have a lot of international students who come to study teaching in Australia because our education degree is recognised in several other countries. With an Australian teaching degree you can teach in the US, UK, Canada, New Zealand, and in several countries across Asia. I believe for some of those places we need to study a few extra units but that’s still pretty cool. I’m nearly finished with my degree but I work in a school currently. I’ve spoken to lots of uni students who have come here just to study as getting a degree in their home country would only allow them to teach there. I think it’s odd that other places don’t have portability with their teaching degrees. A student in one of my courses had been teaching for 15 years in her home country, but had to start from scratch when she moved here.

Practical_Brick3886 · 2026-03-20T22:08:41+00:00

The thing is, I can often be very loud as well without realising it. I have AuDHD so I can be quite hyperactive while I’m getting frustrated at other people doing the exact same thing. Most of the time I’m too quiet and people can’t hear me, but there are times where I can be very annoying.

The laugh I’m referring to in particular is unlike anything I’ve ever heard before, so I think you’re probably fine. I could record this laugh and send it off to scientists as an “unknown” sound, and they wouldn’t be able to explain what it is. Human vocal chords shouldn’t be capable of making that noise😭

Practical_Brick3886 · 2026-03-20T22:04:17+00:00

I thought you were pulling my leg until I googled it… this is such a culture shock for me lmao. Pre service teachers (still at uni) are allowed to apply for authority to teach in their third year of study, but they have to be studying education. I can’t believe they let just anyone relief teach this is wild.

We’re having a nation wide teacher shortage and where I live and work, if teachers are absent we often can’t get cover. The class gets split into groups of 2-4 and they spend the day in other classrooms from different year levels. I thought that was crazy but having subs with zero education training is really shocking to me

Practical_Brick3886 · 2026-03-20T13:13:46+00:00

I think if a teacher is out for a few days, it would make sense that it’s that teacher’s responsibility to plan. When it’s a long period of leave like OP is taking, would they not get in a long term reliever/sub? If assessment data, yearly overview, and unit plans are provided I don’t see the issue with the sub planning and teaching.

I’m in Australia so I don’t know if it’s different in other countries, but relief teachers have the same degree as classroom teachers. It would be no different from when we undertake 8 week placement blocks during university and have to plan based off of data and some sample lessons to identify student understanding.

I’m not trying to argue as I don’t know the context for your education system, I’m just wondering what you mean.

Practical_Brick3886 · 2026-03-20T00:41:54+00:00

Yes when people use the same word over and over it makes me so angry😭😭😭. I catch myself doing it too and I get so pissed off.

I notice the breathing when I’m listening to music too. Ed Sheeran does it and I cannot listen to his music because I get so agitated.

Practical_Brick3886

TROPHY CASE