Posts by Ashley Bishop7

So, I took a pretty nasty hit to the head, and honestly, almost immediately I could just feel that something was off. I can't tell if it’s like a literal dent in my skull or just some super intense, rock-hard swelling, but I'm low-key spiraling a little thinking it might be something more serious than just a bump.
Does anyone here actually have experience with this? Like, is this kind of thing normal, and if it is just a swollen lump, how long does it usually take to chill out? More importantly, how am I supposed to know if I've actually messed something up inside?
Thanks in advance for any info you guys can throw my way.

Honestly, I feel like being told things that way just totally wrecked my childhood...
As I got older, everything manifested exactly how you described it—just constant OCD and these intrusive thoughts that simply won't quit.
I’d always been leaning toward that kind of disorder, but during the summer when I was seventeen, I just completely snapped.
Words don't really do it justice, but even though it was "just" OCD, it was easily the most harrowing thing I've ever dealt with in my life. It was straight-up horror movie stuff.
That was the moment I realized a mental breakdown can actually be way more brutal than any physical pain.
There were so many nights that summer where I genuinely thought about ending it all, but I couldn't pull the trigger because I kept clinging to this tiny hope that it would eventually stop.
Time kept moving, but the OCD? Not so much... Once I headed back to high school,
it hung on for another six months, though maybe not quite as intensely, and then it stayed present through the rest of the year before things finally started to level out.
Nowadays, I basically describe myself as a recovering alcoholic.
I mean, I know I’ll probably never be "cured" or fully free from addiction,
but I can manage to keep things in a sort of steady state of homeostasis.

Between all that and dealing with social anxiety, connecting with people and building actual friendships is a massive uphill battle.
So yeah, I can definitely relate to what you're going through to some extent.
(Not that anyone can ever truly wrap their head around someone else's headspace or whatever.)

Look, narcissism isn't something you can ever really justify, but I get how people might feel totally unheard sometimes, and they end up reacting in ways that others mislabel as being narcissistic when it’s actually just pure frustration.
But if they have a tendency toward it, then yeah, they do...
Though, honestly, that whole mediocre upbringing plays a part too; most of the time you're dealing with people who aren't actually happy with themselves, feeling like they missed out on certain things in life, so they try to overcompensate by acting big and obsessing over one specific trait, like their IQ or whatever.

Just to throw my own two cents into the mix, I always feel like deep down everyone
these types of people basically just look down on everyone else, and when they don't seem to be doing that...
It’s really just a matter of some people being better at playing the part than others...

I’m dealing with the exact same thing, though honestly, my situation might even be a bit more intense than yours,
it makes me feel pretty lousy about how I look, and I don't think it's just some weird thing happening in my head.
The issue isn't even just my face; it’s my back too, which is easily the worst part. I’d love to actually wear decent tops this summer, but I have to constantly hide my back and shoulders,
but what really gets under my skin is seeing those girls who seem to have perfect, flawless skin looking totally effortless while I’m out here working ten times harder just to see zero results. It drives me crazy how people always assume breakouts mean someone is dirty, when in reality, I’m showering multiple times a day, using entire routines of specialized products, and being super careful about what I eat...
And yet, nothing works. I did just start on some hormone therapy, though,
which should hopefully finally kick in since it addresses everything from the inside out, so fingers crossed!