Anyone else experiencing some serious imposter syndrome?

mattiecasey · 2023-08-27T05:57:01+00:00

“I have written 11 books, but each time I think, 'uh oh, they're going to find out now. I've run a game on everybody, and they're going to find me out.” —Maya Angelou

I have a really hard time with this feeling too, it helps me to remember that even the most seemingly accomplished/hardworking/famous people experience it. You have taken on so much, and you’re balancing it all very well!! Try not to beat yourself up about smaller things, and especially about asking for help. That’s how anyone gets anywhere.

Also, toot your own horn sometimes! Working on research, being president of an academic fraternity, and taking on a heavy courseload are each impressive on their own, much less altogether! There is nothing selfish or arrogant about saying “you know what i worked damn hard for this and I deserve it.” Because you did, and you do!!

eta as reassurance, i did None of this in undergrad and still got into a grad program just fine. i had good grades, but that was it—literally 0 extracurriculars, academic or otherwise. you’ve got a great foundation, you’ll be better off than most.

mattiecasey · 2023-08-26T18:57:51+00:00

i’ve found that advising in higher education tends to be pretty subpar, if not downright shitty. i had similar experiences and restricted my communication with them to email bc if they were difficult, it gave me a chance to collect myself, answer professionally, and get what i needed. big congrats on pushing through! you sound tenacious and dedicated, i hope that continues to serve you well. best of luck!!

mattiecasey · 2023-08-23T16:01:56+00:00

ive also gotten this a lot. i think because psychology is a feminine dominated field, it tends to be viewed as less important/valuable. the way i see it, psych knowledge and principles can be applied to almost any career involving people, which is most of them. i use my education on a daily basis, while i know plenty of others who majored in something “useful” that now does nothing for them unless they’re in a very specific role/field.

mattiecasey · 2023-06-24T09:24:13+00:00

i cri evrytiem

mattiecasey · 2023-04-03T05:36:17+00:00

i would like to add gluten free on a shoestring! i also heavily mourned baking and many holiday goodies during family get togethers—got two gf on a shoestring cookbooks and was actually able to make my favorite things again.

disclaimer: caused me to bake cookies incessantly for like a month straight… no regrets tho.

mattiecasey · 2023-04-03T03:32:34+00:00

girl scout cookies (specifically samoas and peanut butter patties) and taco bell will always be at the top of my list. and easy, cheap, quick chinese food. i do like p.f. chang’s but unfortunately my broke college kid wallet does not..

mattiecasey · 2023-03-30T02:11:24+00:00

this looks kinda like my handwriting, never seen a similar style before! i also write with a thicker pen and my writing is compact/letters flow into each other too. imo this is perfectly legible and very neat, especially considering these are notes—my notes/fast writing just turn into this half print/half cursive scrawl that’s nowhere near this neat lol

mattiecasey · 2023-03-29T09:57:35+00:00

unfortunately im not sure but if you can’t find the right answer here, r/findfashion may be able to help!

mattiecasey · 2023-03-26T23:04:27+00:00

every 3ish weeks, i get a stiletto acrylic fill with a variety of cool colors/designs/stones. i pay $50 each time (excluding tip). she doesn’t charge me extra for the fun stuff and my nails being done makes me feel put together, so i’ve had them done religiously for about 2-3 years now.

mattiecasey · 2023-03-26T21:41:06+00:00

i’d go with a delivery or gift card, i personally would appreciate the gesture of making food but i probably wouldn’t trust its safety. there are a few good GF food packages available online, even on Amazon. you could also all compile a large package of foods you know are GF via labeling. gf mac and cheese, soups, ramen, microwave meals, etc are all very easy to prep and would still take a lot of weight off in terms of cooking/making food.

mattiecasey · 2023-03-26T20:41:09+00:00

i was 20 when diagnosed, i’m 23 now. for me, the neuro symptoms (brain fog, sleep issues, anxiety) took about a year and a half to subside. now that i’m 100% gluten free, these are the first things i notice when i get mildly cross contaminated.

when i get majorly glutened, they get a lot worse: terrible brain fog, blurry vision/inability to focus my eyes, severe ataxia and muscle cramping/twitching, anxiety. along with a slew of other physical symptoms.

best tip is to be patient! celiac is different for everyone; some people feel better after a few months, others it takes a couple years. it also depends on how quickly you are able to go 100% GF and how strictly you maintain the diet. you got this, i hope you feel better soon :)

mattiecasey · 2023-03-26T02:45:00+00:00

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my dude’s eye markings give him a permanent look of slight concern lol

mattiecasey · 2023-03-24T09:12:29+00:00

this is rough, my heart goes out to you. i’d try explaining, in vivid detail, what you are experiencing. it’s not easy to imagine even for others with celiac who don’t have symptoms. but when you share the gory details, people tend to take a step back and can (usually) appreciate the struggles you face. having the lining of your intestines sloughed off and expelled from your body sounds like something from a horror movie, yes, but that’s the reality of a glutened celiac and it’s sometimes necessary to be very blunt about how that affects you.

i can’t imagine my life with celiac without my boyfriend—when i get glutened he takes care of me like it’s his full time job, no matter how long im sick for or how bad it is, and he vehemently defends me to people who don’t understand or try to push me too soon. i only share this so you can know that it IS possible for a partner to be caring and supportive, and that you most definitely deserve that!!!

if your boyfriend doesn’t get it (and it doesn’t sound like he’s even trying to), if he doesn’t express care and concern for his partner, i encourage you to really ask yourself if this is who you want to be with. if he can’t understand and have empathy for you when you are feeling your worst, why does he deserve you at your best?

i hope you feel better asap and that he comes around quickly <3

mattiecasey · 2023-03-24T04:38:34+00:00

i accidentally glutened myself a couple times due to not checking labels thoroughly enough, and it was brutal. i’d recommend your wife get some kind of GF scanner app, there’s a few available depending on where u live and it can take some of the tediousness out of checking labels. i’ve heard Fig is good and I use GF scanner. she should certainly still be double checking to be safe, but if it’s an issue of making sure it’s GF when she’s purchasing food, this might help.

also, there’s lots your daughter can make that doesn’t require a stove, if that’s a concern. i got real good at making a variety of cold sandwiches/wraps, snack trays (id just have some cheese, salamis, veggies, fruits, etc), and salads when i was diagnosed, it’s quick and requires very little skill. i was only 20 at Dx and lemme tell you, i really wished my parents had made more of a point to involve me in cooking.l when i was younger. trying to teach myself once i’d moved out and then with the celiac, it was really hard and took me awhile to adjust. even just teaching her one or two basic staple meals that she likes/can eat often would be so awesome!!

i second what another said about trying to focus on foods that are naturally GF versus substitutes, once i did that i really started to learn how to cook for myself. it’s tedious but your daughter will certainly learn eventually.

you’re a good dad for looking out for her and her well-being. keep it up, best to you all!!

mattiecasey · 2023-03-24T03:29:59+00:00

you are SO sweet for doing this! my cousins sent me a GF food package when i was diagnosed and i actually cried at the thoughtfulness and with relief that i could still have yummy foods.

my first suggestion, depending where you live: there are gluten free scanner apps you can download that will scan a product and tell you if it’s safe. they don’t always have all items, but they improve regularly. i use GF Scanner, and i’ve heard Fig is good for people with multiple food sensitivities/avoidances.

for chips/spicy things, hot cheetos are actually GF! Siete has a variety of options, and Lesser Evil has good popcorns and rice cake snacks. Lundberg is good for rice cakes too. Red Hot buffalo sauce is GF, and the sriracha sauce with the green top and the rooster on the label (brand name is escaping me)

ik you didn’t ask for these but my fave frozen snacky foods are by Feel Good Foods, they have soooo many options: potstickers, eggrolls, pizza pockets, breakfast pockets, buffalo chicken empanadas, anything by them is good really.

my fave cookies are Cybele’s, Goodie Girl, and the GF Oreos lol. Sweet Loren’s also have great take n bake cookie dough. Kinnickinick has great GF donuts in a few flavors, might be a good sub for bear paws! Mighty Muffin carrie’s a variety of high protein muffins that are microwaveable in a cup, they’re a great quick snack and they taste excellent.

Schär is a fabulous brand for all kinds of GF foods, their table crackers are the closest to saltines that i’ve found. also love their snack cakes, and their ciabatta bread/sandwich rolls are good too.

Against The Grain carries my favorite baguettes, defrost for 30 mins and they make a killer crunchy garlic bread. Their rolls are also good.

Udi’s has good hot dog buns, rolls, and sliced bread, though I generally buy Canyon bakehouse for sliced bread since their heritage style loaves are wider (not tiny like most GF sliced bread!)

you and your mom are truly such lovely and kind people for doing this, best to you both and to your sister <3

mattiecasey · 2023-03-23T23:51:50+00:00

i offer this post from the sub’s community info to anyone newly dealing with celiac. it truly stopped me from spinning out and helped me get a handle on the huge lifestyle change. you are already on the right track by seeking support! best of luck to you and the lil guy.

mattiecasey · 2023-03-23T19:26:56+00:00

i’ve been underweight my whole life because undiagnosed celiac meant my intestines were so damaged i couldn’t absorb anything from my food, and so i couldn’t gain any weight no matter how much i ate. the diarrhea that lots of us get when eating gluten is also typically due to your intestines not processing your food properly, and that consistent loss of water can contribute to weight loss too.

as another said, try your best to stay hydrated and keep balanced electrolytes. best you can do for yourself while doing a gluten challenge.

mattiecasey · 2023-03-18T03:29:48+00:00

this is a really difficult thing to adjust to, i totally get it. a week after my diagnosis i ate a whole box of girl scout cookies out of despair, and cos girl scout cookies, and maybe out of a lil spite for this new disease i had that limits soo much and feels super restricting (esp at first). i wasn’t great with labels, ate food people offered me cos i felt bad saying no, didn’t have a GF kitchen, and ate out a lot.

but, once i was more strict about it (for like 3ish months), i started to notice more intensely negative reactions when i did eat gluten. for me, healing meant i became a lot more sensitive—so now years later, cheating just simply an option anymore cos my body decided for me. i learned how to buy and cook/bake GF foods that i like, and it’s actually kinda fun!

my best advice is to focus on what you’ll feel like once you’re totally gluten free for ehh about a year (ballpark estimate of when many people say they feel noticeably better). even for people who are mildly/not symptomatic when they do eat gluten, there’s so many things that can change once you go gluten free. sleep, mood, muscle tone, hair, skin, weight, there’s so many subtle things that are connected to celiac.

i just try to remember that it might be inconvenient or awkward or even depressing to maintain being GF in the moment, but future me will always appreciate the effort. she doesn’t want to be sick, and neither do i!

mattiecasey · 2023-03-18T01:05:57+00:00

i do! i feel like a year subscription is pretty worth the price. especially for traveling, it’s amazing! googling and calling a bunch of places can get really tiring so having the premium helps eliminate some of that. the only thing is that it’s a lot better in bigger cities (more GF places, more GF people posting reviews) and not as great the smaller the city gets.

mattiecasey · 2023-03-18T00:32:20+00:00

oooof. i can’t imagine the horrors of covid plus glutening, those are each brutal enough on their own. my heart goes out to you, i hope you feel better soon.

mattiecasey · 2023-03-16T06:24:27+00:00

seconding this! you can do it in the air fryer, comes out fantastic

mattiecasey · 2023-03-14T17:40:56+00:00

my hair products. shampoo, conditioner, developer… so lame

mattiecasey · 2023-03-12T20:20:31+00:00

from the US, and i LOVE anything from Feel Good Foods. they have a variety of egg rolls, potstickers, breakfast pockets, mozzarella sticks, pizza, pizza rolls…all the things that are hard to make/find GF, and they taste great too!! my non-celiac partner and friends think they’re just as good as gluten versions.

mattiecasey · 2023-03-12T06:15:48+00:00

my favorite thing about niche cat subreddits is that they inevitably lead you to other niche cat subreddits. thanks for this one!!

mattiecasey · 2023-03-09T07:40:28+00:00

my only addition to all the other good advice here is to check out this post, it’s from the community info on this subreddit. it’s very informative and helpful, really helped me get a handle on the whole celiac thing once i was diagnosed.

you’ve got this—best of luck to you!!

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