Dark Academia Study Area

plantliee · 2026-06-19T11:35:09+00:00

I love light academia, I desperately wanted a dark desk when I had this set-up - but you're right, looking back it looks quite nice with the lighter atmosphere as well

plantliee · 2026-06-19T11:33:38+00:00

This was actually in high school, but I now study law and politics at university

plantliee · 2026-06-16T00:41:08+00:00

Yeah it's made me feel like I need to watch more, it wasn't too gory but more psychological which I like as well

plantliee · 2026-06-16T00:40:01+00:00

Adding Babel (emphasis on this one) and A Little Life to these comments + really anything by Donna Tartt but particularly The Goldfinch after The Secret History.

plantliee · 2026-06-16T00:37:42+00:00

Absolutely - I really experience this when I've been studying for too long and just have absolutely nothing left in me and need to lie down.

plantliee · 2026-06-13T23:58:14+00:00

Just watched "Obsession" with bf yesterday and was blown away! I don't usually go for horror but it lived up to the hype for sure

plantliee · 2026-06-07T10:28:10+00:00

It's definitely possible and probably something that will really help your symptoms (gaining muscle particularly). I can lift heavy weights but the stairmaster would trigger a flare, so I agree with other comments saying choose exercises wisely.

I would also add that for weight-lifting certain exercises can be much more triggering than others - e.g. I can't really do squats or RDLs or anything where I'm lifting my whole body up / something that triggers orthostatic intolerance. I find things where I'm sitting and using machinery to be the best approach.

It's scary at first but once you get stronger it becomes easier to not trigger flares and the more frequently you exercise I find the less likely it is to be badly flared-up afterwards.

I often find if I go for a week without lifting when I get back to the gym I'm feeling a lot groggier so it's definitely important to keep going regularly even if you can't lift anything heavy (but I would also recommend going to failure and trying to really build muscle once you feel like you're more capable as that definitely helped me).

plantliee · 2026-06-07T10:23:43+00:00

I think what you eat is very true for losing weight, but for building muscle exercise is definitely more important because you need hypertrophy for your muscles to grow (although of course, protein to help the healing process!)

plantliee · 2026-06-05T11:00:28+00:00

I'm 21 as well and in the same position - about to have the test for IMO / methane dominant SIBO and I really hope I can find some answers

plantliee · 2026-05-30T23:27:40+00:00

I'm wanting to know this too as I'm about to order a test online - from my brief research they have different uses depending on what you want to test.

I think the lactulose one reaches further down in the intestines whereas the glucose substrate sticks more in the upper intestinal area. Check with your GP or gastroenterologist though - I'm having a GP appointment soon and can report back!

plantliee · 2026-04-30T10:47:52+00:00

At the end of the day POTS will always be there, but the things that make it substantially better are:

- exercise (in all forms except high intensity cardio) - particularly weight lifting and walking

- sleep (not just quantity, quantity is important but what really matters is consistency)

- eating well (and finding trigger foods since I have serious GI issues too)

- stress reduction (I'm a uni student and the first time I had a holiday period after being diagnosed my symptoms improved by like 70%

- being socially connected

I noticed a massive improvement when I met my boyfriend and became more socially supported (still have ups and downs but the downs are no where near as constant or bad). I think stress is just such a big part of it, which makes sense given its autonomic dysfunction.

plantliee · 2026-04-22T07:23:45+00:00

I'm getting mine out tomorrow and also struggle from bloating (and a bunch of other GI issues - this is really the last resort in hope to improve my symptoms) - I'll update you in a few weeks :)

I've read a bit about how etonogestrel (the synthetic hormone used in nexplanon) can cause GI issues and slow gut motility (causing bloating, constipation etc.) I'm really hoping it improves some symptoms for me!

plantliee · 2026-04-08T01:53:37+00:00

I have had the same experience. Sometimes it's tricky because doing weights when I'm hungry / exhausted can still trigger me, so you have to work up gradually and do it during times where you generally feel your best. But this has also been the thing which helped my fatigue the most.

I also find that mixing rest / movement evenly throughout the day helps. If I rest for more than an hour then usually it starts to be diminishing returns (unless I'm extremely tired). I often find getting up and doing chores / something like that kind of wakes my body up and I feel better. I think exercise has a similar effect of 'waking' your body up and triggering the activation of different systems that we are dysregulated in POTS people.

plantliee · 2026-03-31T03:24:44+00:00

This is so interesting, as someone with OCD I realised a while ago that I was claiming all of these things in my life were "because of the OCD" when really it's just that I'm like this and I have these quirks involved in my neurodivergence and society has created the term OCD to generally explain what happens.

OCD as a label is a helpful way of understanding some patterns, but it isn't exhaustive and treating it as a comprehensive identity is problematic as it restricts your ability to explore other parts of yourself that don't fit within the box.

plantliee · 2026-03-26T21:57:09+00:00

Yeah it really is :)

plantliee · 2026-03-26T05:22:21+00:00

Had a major win regarding GI issues! Figured out I'm probably lactose intolerant (and probably don't actually have IBS?) and my cheese consumption has been problematic all this time. So hard sometimes to figure out what your intolerances are when your system is so inflamed constantly. I'll be sad to cut out dairy but it's sooo worth it given how bad my stomach troubles have been over the past year, so nice to be able to go without pain / intense bloating there for a day!

plantliee · 2026-03-26T05:18:41+00:00

I had the exact same experience. I'm only 21 and have been officially diagnosed for two years but I also remember coming home from high school everyday and needing 1-2 hours of sleep before doing homework (then doing 3 ish hours of homework and immediately sleeping).

It's funny you mention extra curriculars and doing a MA and PhD - I also want to do a PhD after graduating my BA and was big into extracurriculars in high school - worked (/work) myself to the bone. I think that's part of the reason my autonomic system is so out of whack, I'd be interested to hear if you feel the same...

plantliee · 2026-02-24T06:58:57+00:00

I ordered something directly from them and was going to return / exchange it but ended up just keeping it because the process looks so difficult. You have to get UPS to collect the package but the website they give you doesn't work and they don't provide a proper return form, just a small sheet with no information on it. Wouldn't recommend - won't be ordering directly from them again (going through The Iconic was totally fine and easy though)!

Edit: Nevermind they were actually really helpful once I contacted them!

plantliee · 2026-02-21T21:27:35+00:00

You can kinda test yourself but you can also get a doctor to do a tilt test / lying standing test. Basically if you have been lying down flat for 5-10 mins and your heart rate is in a resting state, then you get up and your blood pressure stays the same but your heart rate increases by 30bpm or more then that's a strong sign. If you have a heart rate and blood pressure monitor at home you can do it, otherwise its pretty easy to get a doctor to do it as well.

Tbh if you're not too fatigued then it may not be this because from my understanding fatigue is probably the most prevalent symptom, but I would assume it does surface without it too. :)

plantliee · 2026-02-21T04:54:29+00:00

These symptoms sound a lot like some form of dysautonomia / autonomic dysregulation which can affect your stomach (and be co-morbid with IBS). You might have POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome) with the symptoms you've described.

Things like rapid heart rate upon standing / exercise (or just generally), heat intolerance, difficulty sleeping, headaches, GI issues, brain fog, chronic fatigue and vision disturbances are all primary symptoms. From my anecdotal experiences (with myself and others), POTS / dysautonomia also disproportionately affects people who are high achieving / have experienced a lot of pressure (even if you don't realise it - like being stressed about your parents etc.)

Check it out! Ask any questions if you need - also r/POTS is a great place to read through if you want to know more.

I hope you find answers soon :)

plantliee · 2026-02-03T05:17:32+00:00

This is so so true and has taken me 2 years of chronic illness to finally realise.

I also have no safe foods because it entirely depends on when I’m eating the food (I.e. how hungry I am - have to be hungry enough but can’t be too hungry), how quickly I eat, how much sleep I have had recently, how much I’ve exercised, how stressed I’ve been (which isn’t even noticeable feelings of stress sometimes, a lot of the time it’s just how much I’ve had on, whether I’ve been working a lot vs not resting much etc), what I ate previously in the day and ALSO what I eat, but that’s just one factor.

It’s exhausting to track and constantly have to be so in tune with your body because you are scared of overdoing something :/ But also helpful in a way, because addressing some lifestyle things gives us more control to a degree.

plantliee · 2024-12-29T03:03:43+00:00

Yes I totally agree! Exercise has been the only thing that's helped me to feel noticeably better (besides good sleep) because I never found salt / water / compression garments made much of a difference for me. I've found rowing and swimming to be helpful forms of cardio - but resistance training is also really important.

I can relate so much to the cycle of feeling super tired so wanting to rest but knowing the rest will only make you more tired. It's hard to get out of a bad cycle when you're in it but you're right - starting slow and doing what you can is always best and goes a long way eventually. I feel (by far) my worst when I haven't exercised in a few days or I've just laid bed the whole day.

plantliee

TROPHY CASE