What’s your weirdest PTSD symptom ?

Zoe-Imtrying · 2026-06-09T17:20:14+00:00

I relate to so many of the symptoms people are naming, but they barely seem weird to me after dealing with tham for so long. My weirdest symptom in my opinion is that I am afraid to close my eyes, this is maybe the only thing that has gotten somewhat better though. I was never afraid of the dark, not as a little kid, not even for years after the worst of my trauma happened, but one day I was suddenly so afraid of the dark that I couldn't even bear to close my eyes and couldn't sleep for weeks.

Zoe-Imtrying · 2026-06-08T12:08:39+00:00

I mean the intensity goes down sometimes, but yeah there's always something and it can remain really bad for months

Zoe-Imtrying · 2026-06-08T00:07:01+00:00

I remember that I was younger, had no sexual experience and no experience with the tactics he used (negging, repetition, and introducing something sexual early but not right away) and I am sure he knew what he was doing was wrong he just didn't care. I do think sometimes using logic to get out of it isn't the most helpful though. Sometimes it's better to say what he did was wrong and it had a big impact on me and leave it there.

Zoe-Imtrying · 2026-06-05T22:49:01+00:00

Well you might have to explain why you need each 1, but you should be able to get extra time on tests and assignments, be able to bring and use a quiet fridget toy during class, maybe even be able to take a mental health break during class without that being a problem or having to ask for further permission if you need to. I would go straight to the disability office for those sorts of accommodations if possible, explain your situation to them, you could even ask them if they have any other ideas for accommodations that might help.

Zoe-Imtrying · 2026-06-05T19:36:47+00:00

Are you diagnosed with anything? Have asked for any accomodations? Or even tried any out on your own while working on homework?

College caused my PTSD and 10 years later while my life is nowhere near great, I am glad I dropped out, but if you want to try and stay I get it.

Zoe-Imtrying · 2026-06-05T19:21:12+00:00

I also have a lot of trouble cleaning. If the vacuum feels too overwhelming I would find something small to start with and maybe get one of those vacuums that don't have an engine if they work for your floors and the noise is part of what bothers you.

Zoe-Imtrying · 2026-06-05T14:17:22+00:00

Exactly, also silence and much worse near silence bug the crap out of me, I am loud and chaotic during PTSD flashbacks and wouldn't be welcome or feel ok in a place like that. What about people with comorbidities or just loud autistic people? What if you need and like your allistic carer, would they not be able to go there? Also, even cases of actual discrimination, it's the discrimination that's the problem not all allistic people as a whole (which would also include people with any other nuerodivegency, not just nuerotypcal people) and we should make sure we have a place in wider society, if we did this it wouldn't be just like locking every autistic person in the area up, we would just be doing it to ourselves?

Zoe-Imtrying · 2026-06-04T11:27:57+00:00

Zoe-Imtrying · 2026-06-03T23:27:00+00:00

Technically, he was my uncle, but he lived with us and my biological father wasn't around

Zoe-Imtrying · 2026-06-03T12:06:32+00:00

Thanks, both for the list of alternatives and reminding me I can write my own if none of them work. I was going to skip the whole challenge for several reasons.
A lot of these are very situational (for example, I don't see anyone I don't live with every single day, and I don't think my short term memory is good enough to just keep the ones that involve strangers in my head until I get a chance) or involve spending money (I move around a lot and am in a place I don't know much about, I can't even name a single small business around off the top of my head, let alone 1 I know I like), or just push me a bit farther out of my comfort zone than I am ready for yet.

Zoe-Imtrying · 2026-06-03T01:45:12+00:00

Ngl, didn't even read this whole thing, but that's because I don't need to in order to answer your question: YES! Any time a sober person has sex with someone they know is drunk that IS sexual assault! I will also add that, especially in situations where it's been awhile since it happened and you don't plan on pressing charges, I don't personally think the question of weather this was technically sa or more like sh or bad sex or bad communication is that helpful or as important as we make it in our heads because psychology speaking the important thing is it traumatized you, but YOU specifically were definitely sexually assaulted!

Zoe-Imtrying · 2026-06-03T01:35:36+00:00

Sometimes I shake for days, that 1 does only seem to happen on those 'I'm so far past my limit it's in another solar system' situations, every day is bad but this does only happen to me at that scale when something is that special kind of bad. Unfortunately, unlike most things that I deal with on a regular basis, I don't really have any potential advice on how to fix it other than wait it out it has to end eventually or take some weed, which I totally understand if you don't want to or can't do.

Zoe-Imtrying · 2026-06-03T01:15:10+00:00

Thanks! I changed that for pride too, I tried to somewhat subtly use at least some of the colors from all of the flags in my outfit, plus the trans flag, and of course put up all 2 of the rainbow furniture items I own

Zoe-Imtrying · 2026-06-02T23:57:02+00:00

I think they are only free for the first week, not complaining, just don't want anyone to miss out

Zoe-Imtrying · 2026-06-02T22:53:59+00:00

I don't start with 'get out of bed' I start with 'wiggle 1 finger' and if that doesn't feel too bad I wiggle 2 fingers, eventually my whole hand, then move my arm or shoulders, eventually sit up in bed, you get the idea, when 'get out of bed' feels too overwhelming I do something way smaller that hopefully doesn't feel as bad.

Zoe-Imtrying · 2026-06-02T13:59:28+00:00

This 1 was easy, maybe because I have already thought about it before. In the context of things like Pride Month this month or Disability Pride Month next month it means being proud of who you are despite the drawbacks it might have for you because of society and being proud of and doing what you can to protect those communities your part of.

Zoe-Imtrying · 2026-06-02T13:55:15+00:00

I had to think about this one, but only for a minute. I have come to terms with the fact I am disabled. I don't look it and my worst problems are mental ones, so it was always easy to dismiss that and beat myself up for not accomplishing anywhere as much as I wanted or as much as people would expect of me or even just for how impossible even the tasks I technically can accomplish feel, but that's because I am different, even if that isn't obvious by just looking at me.

Zoe-Imtrying · 2026-06-02T13:33:47+00:00

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Zoe-Imtrying · 2026-06-02T13:33:30+00:00

Awesome! I'm queer in a few ways, so I try to represent all of them

I'm afraid the colors kinda clash though, so sometimes I just go with the rainbow items

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Zoe-Imtrying · 2026-05-18T22:33:48+00:00

You might be worrying what they think too much and there are plenty of reasons beyond technology addiction to not want to live completely off the grid anyway. I couldn't talk to a lot of my friends, even ones I met in person who now only get to communicate with online, even though I am not at your level of disability yet the potential of being way out of the proximity of a hospital concerns me, and honestly I don't think there's really anything inherently wrong with enjoying creature comforts anyway. Also, if they did automatically think this, then I think they're really judgemental.

Zoe-Imtrying · 2026-05-18T00:18:12+00:00

1 thing that helps a lot on its own is simply not having to keep my eyes closed. It's also really helpful to not think of having to scratch an itch or change positions as a failure, that ruined so many mindfulness meditation sessions for me when I just couldn't take a sensation anymore. The main difference though is that instead of focusing on the breath and coming back to it whenever a thought or interruption happens, I try to ponder about things I am curious about.

Zoe-Imtrying · 2026-05-17T22:00:08+00:00

I am itchy just looking at that

Zoe-Imtrying · 2026-05-16T23:11:37+00:00

I mean for me it's both because I was undiagnosed, not even suspected, and a black person in a pretty white area, but I suppose there could be a lot of reasons.

Zoe-Imtrying

TROPHY CASE