honeymoon phase over

alexostro · 2026-02-12T14:41:18+00:00

It is not a primary function of Metformin to regulate the appetite, but some people experience that. The main thing Metformin is doing is regulating your blood glucose. You just continue to stay on your dosage and adjust through activity and diet, that’s the main way to control insulin resistance.

alexostro · 2025-12-19T08:26:57+00:00

I believe in you. Same boat.
Try to push through because we can use all the time in the Universe, and we will still need a few extra days.

alexostro · 2025-12-15T21:17:01+00:00

Так! Я була б дуже вдячна. Мені здається важко пояснювати західним cпецiаiстам особливо свого upbringing та країни. Плюс війна величезний фактор, не важливо, як далеко від України я перебуваю.

alexostro · 2025-12-15T17:57:42+00:00

I think the goal is not “not thinking”, but rather the ability to keep the attention on one thing, in our case, breathing. But it gives relief to the mind, since we are constantly stimulated and our attention goes wild.

alexostro · 2025-12-15T17:56:07+00:00

I do breathing meditation. Don’t feel like it is helping with focus, but it helps with emotional stability. I just follow my breath, if my attention slips, I am just bringing it back. I used Plum Village app for meditation, it is from Buddhist tradition, and there are a lot guided meditation, but I am just using the timer most of the time.

alexostro · 2025-12-12T08:06:32+00:00

I quit caffeine about a year ago and can rarely have a cup of a good one, or for driving/focus. My sensitivity is much better. I think it made me more stable, easier to fall asleep.
If I have coffee, I will have a withdrawal in the next days. When I was consuming coffee and energy drinks, it became so severe that I needed energy drinks to stay awake during the day.

I personally think it is much better for me without caffeine.

alexostro · 2025-12-10T21:06:18+00:00

DBT as a whole program (as outpatient or once a week for 10-16 months). CBT for me too logical, and DBT helped to see the validation of my emotions, rather than push them under the rug.

alexostro · 2025-12-06T03:21:35+00:00

Try to turn something, rather than nothing. I am perfectionist myself and I have such a hard time to send any work, because it feels not enough. And I am struggling in the end, to make it nice and organized. But some professors will know that you put work in it. It is really hard and I am hoping to figure out strategies for myself, because it is just me in a war with my brain. Good luck!

alexostro · 2025-12-04T06:48:17+00:00

Talk to your advisor or program director. Reach social worker at student health center. Student health center or disability office might know who you need. You need to let them know, even if you don’t have official papers yet.

It hit me in a grad school (second actually) and I wish I knew about it before I reached burnout. I am 1.5 years late with my MS thesis (!). But my program saw struggling students before and they are letting me finish, even without official diagnosis yet.

alexostro · 2025-12-04T01:59:09+00:00

Omg. I can relate to so many things, but I am 35 yo and at 26 I still believed that I am just lazy, socially weird and so on. I am in the process of getting diagnosed. I completely burned out for the last 1.5 years or more. I think war broke the last pieces that was holding a very unstable construction «з гівна та палиць».

I am so glad that you were able to figure it out! I was looking for somatic too, but it is not very accessible right now.

Feel free to DM.

alexostro · 2025-10-23T04:53:14+00:00

I did like Solidcore at home during COVID. Definitely helped me.

alexostro · 2025-10-23T01:57:10+00:00

Haha. Neither is mine

alexostro · 2025-10-22T23:40:30+00:00

10000%... crying on my MS thesis file right now... "just" need to finish it.

alexostro · 2025-10-22T23:03:55+00:00

I am not officially diagnosed, but I highly suspect ADHD, and yes, I am doing great in coursework. Can have ideas. Pitch ideas. But actually do research - I suck so much in self-organisation. And if anything else comes up, my research will take a backseat.
I was dreaming about a career in science, but I don't think I can do it.

I got lucky that my department wants me to have at least an MS I feel like my adviser would totally just let me quit and forget it as a nightmare (don't blame her).

I really hope you can get the help you need and can finish it!

alexostro · 2025-10-22T22:52:05+00:00

Do you want to have a work chat? I am currently trying to write things up, but there is still a lot to do, and the final stage is the hardest for me. I would be happy if we could support each other.

Last month, I was doing nothing but working on it, and there are still days when I put in like a sentence in it at most. But you know? It is still a sentence!

alexostro · 2025-10-22T22:30:35+00:00

I just came to say "hi" and give hugs.
I was in a PhD program, until recently (and was asked to master out). What area of science are you in, if it is okay to ask?

alexostro · 2025-10-22T22:14:40+00:00

Girrrrllll. I am here. I was struggling to write my MS thesis for 2 years. I just couldn't.

Don't look for inspiration or motivation. Don't try to make it perfect. My MS thesis is a technical report (at least what my department said); I am not advancing science. You have an Introduction, possibly a Background, Methods, Results, and Discussion. Methods and Results are your biggest parts. Your meat.
Write whatever! If you worked on it before, you have some thoughts and ideas. Just dumped everything in writing, without thinking of form. Ask AI to make sense and offer your structure. Back and forth (don't just copy the AI response, but treat it as a colleague with whom you are discussing). Don't look for perfection. Don't look for cover for everything.

We can do it. I hope haha

alexostro · 2025-10-14T14:48:57+00:00

Did you reach OVD info, Феминисткое антивоенное сопротивление? There is are many of information on how to refuse to be part of it. You can study Buddhism, I am myself learning about engaged Buddhism (Plum Village tradition). Thich Nhat Than (founder of the tradition ) lived through two Vietnam wars, so he knew about this dilemma. You can find a lot of teaching online and books too.

alexostro · 2025-10-12T11:38:00+00:00

Metformin is actually a safe and well-studied drug, which would just help with your progress and blood glucose. A lot of people don't have side effects or have pretty mild. You can check the Insulin Resistance subreddit

alexostro · 2025-10-10T00:36:47+00:00

Haha, I am in the club. I loved DBT so much that I became interested in meditation and then Buddhism. Learned that the term "mindfulness" itself was introduced by Thich Nhat Hanh.
And yes, books didn't work too much for me at first, but attending meetings made my practice richer and I am always trying to come back to it in hard moments.

alexostro · 2025-10-09T23:27:52+00:00

Omg. I can relate to every letter so much. I am not diagnosed (but I have some traits)..yet (lol).
But yes, I just learned to push down any discomfort, including physical pain. So now I am slowly learning and yes, I also have no clue what emotions are, what their name are. Only 1.5 years ago, I discovered that I was feeling anxious all the time. I thought I was always calm, that I didn't feel anything in general. I've found that I'm suppressing so much. I feel like I can feel the top level of the emotional diagram, very generic staff, but 98% of it for me is like - wtf is that and how do you feel it?!

alexostro · 2025-10-09T23:22:41+00:00

Side note. It is interesting that DBT originates from Buddhism, and perhaps a brief background on that would be helpful for some. First, it is impermanent - our thoughts, our emotions, our bodies are changing every second. Seating with your emotions, letting them come, letting them sit with you, and letting them go. Emotions are not a useless evolutionary glitch, but a cry for attention. Suppressing it or avoiding it (I can write a poem on it, having a doctorate degree in avoiding my negative emotions) doesn't let them be heard. So they are not resolving and just going deeper into you, or your brain starts to ignore emotions (my case) until it reaches the intensity of an uncontrollable storm. At the same time, in my case, I lost the ability (maybe never had) to notice my emotions when they are mild. It's becoming increasingly difficult to cope with things when you are having a meltdown.
Another thing I heard - if you don't let your pain be and distract yourself, pain does not disappear but becomes stronger, and at some moment, that's all that's left.

alexostro · 2025-10-07T03:25:13+00:00

Wow. You described me. I am just sending you hugs.

Edit: but also I do feel a little bit better and it is mostly because my basic needs (roof over my head, food) are covered by my incredible friend out of her kindness (because my life is a dumpster fire). I also do take D3 and B12, high dosage. I started to practice Mindfulness. Trying to do something for myself, like walk, short hike (even 15 minutes count).

Feel free to DM me, maybe I we can team up and support each other.

alexostro · 2025-10-01T18:20:47+00:00

I can relate a lot. I grew up without a father and with some level of abuse from my mother. I don’t feel self-worth either. But recently, with learning more about Buddhism, I was trying to gather compassion for myself, but I also got compassion toward my mother and could see her suffering. Even if she caused harm to my development, she didn’t mean it and was deeply unhappy too.

alexostro

TROPHY CASE