u/Its_Blazertron

Just before this post I did a set of 50 bodyweight squats, which was mentally hard, and my quads were burning, but I could tell that I was still no where near failure, probably could've done at least 10 more reps, maybe more.

Is there any benefit to doing sets like this? I know it's probably not a complete waste of time, since just moving around is good for you, but good in what way? What is actually happening to the muscles? Do they just get tired, but aren't stressed enough to actually gain anything? Do you gain endurance, so if you kept doing 50 reps over and over, even without going to failure, it'd eventually get easier, or would you have to surpass 50 to get that?

I want to try out a simple minimalistic routine, just aiming for a hard set everyday of push ups, pull ups and squats, but I don't see myself being able to consistently do it for squats, because it gets mentally difficult, but I also don't mind doing a decent amount until I feel like stopping and my muscles are burning. I suppose I want to know, am I 'wasting' my time doing this, or is it still beneficial somehow, just not optimal?

I've been having a weird problem, and I don't know if it's just me or not. I've been getting a notification every few days from amazon, saying "You have (1) reminder - The item you looked for is in the stock" (the incorrect grammar is in the notification.) When I press on the notification, it opens chrome to a shortened tracking link, which redirects to an advert. I saved the link, right now it's opening to opera.com, but before it was opening to some sort of scam dating website.

I thought maybe this was a fake notification coming from a compromised app I had, but when I long-press on the notification, and go to app settings, it's coming from the Amazon Shopping app.

I have a xiaomi redmi note 9 pro, if that's helpful. Has anyone else had this problem?

I hadn't left my house more than about 5 times in the past 8 years after leaving highschool, and those 5 times were with a family member. But recently, I started working more on myself, and working on anxieties/insecurities that were deeper buried, negative beliefs about myself etc., and that freed up so much energy, that I've had a breakthrough on working on my social anxiety. I no longer feel paralyzed, and can see the light at the end of the tunnel for the first time since I was a kid. I'm not as worried about bad things happening because I feel like I can get over them by just thinking through them and caring for myself.

I went on a 30 minute walk, about 2km, started around the block, and then decided to go to the park, and walked a decent distance. It was fairly empty at around 9:30am, just people walking dogs. I had earphones (open back,) with peaceful music playing. It was lovely! I felt nervous, but I just kept breathing and telling myself I'm safe.

It was great! I'm excited for it to rain so it'll hopefully be even more empty and I can go for a walk and decompress and think through things.

edit: Thanks for all the nice comments! I plan on going for another walk today, and my anxiety will hopefully reduce if I keep doing it. update: Went on another walk, about 45 minutes this time, and I really tried to breathe and show my body that I'm safe. I think it will take a while for my nervous system to adapt and feel fully relaxed, though.

I've got pretty bad anxiety, I've left my house maybe 5 times in the past 8 years (lockdown didn't change anything for me.) I'm finally starting to build up some self-esteem and be more able to face my anxiety, speaking on the phone, answering delivery drivers more, etc. I haven't had a very good summer since probably 2014 (when I was 12), and I don't want to waste this one.

I want to get out of the house. I've wanted to get out for a long time, and I feel like I'm finally close, I just need something to do, but I can't figure out what. Ideally something I can do multiple times a week. I live in a somewhat rough area in the UK, so there's chances of running into groups of kids that'll shout insults at you. (Years ago when I was a kid, me and my mum were walking near a skatepark, and a random kid like 100 feet away started shouting insults at my mum, calling her fat.)

I just want to be able to get out of the house and do something safe, where there's not many chances to have to socialize. I want to take baby steps, and going out and having to talk a lot isn't a good first step for me. I need something fairly solitary, but something that will get me out of the house, consistently.

Any suggestions?

I've been trying to get my first photo ID set up for a while now, and thought I'd finally got everything together. A provisional license form, a birth certificate ordered from GRO, a passport-style photo, signed by someone I know who has a license and a job, and an NI number letter from HMRC.

Today I double checked everything, and realised that the Gov.uk site says 'original documents, no certified copies'. But my birth certificate says 'certified copy of an entry'. Does this mean they won't accept it? I don't have my actual original birth certificate.

From what I've read, it might be fine, but I want to know, has anyone applied for a provisional license, and given a copy of their birth certificate, rather than the actual original? Did it work out fine?

TLDR: Unless this feeling goes away for me, I think a big missing thing from people's life is self-love. The ability to genuinely care and feel feelings of love for yourself the same you would for a friend you deeply trust and love uncondtionally. Hugging my pillow has helped me develop this after a long time of feeling completely unloveable and lonely. The chemicals and hormones that get released in your body when hugging really clears up your mind and allows you to focus, similar to taking medication for anxiety (at least I assume this is what it feels like.) Just give it a go. Keep doing it, don't just try once. Keep trying. Process your emotions that you might've packed down for so long without crying, and let yourself cry. Just give it a go.

I started hugging my pillow recently. I just kind of accidentally stumbled into doing it, liked the feeling, and my body kept thinking it was a good idea, and after a week or so, I genuinely feel content with just existing for the first time in maybe 14 years. I've basically been a shut-in since I dropped out of high-school about 8 years ago, but after hugging my pillows, I'm feeling insanely better. I truly feel self-compassion for literally the first time in my life. I realised I have deeply set beliefs since I was an older child that I didn't deserve love.

It genuinely feels like I've taken a medication or something, my mind has completely flipped. I think this is what happens when people "discover God", they're discovering genuinely, unconditional self-love. I'm starting to figure so many things out. I've started self-soothing for the first time in years, hugging myself, deeply breathing etc. I've started dancing to music and having fun, and really enjoying exercise. It feels like I've lived my entire life with horrible eyesight, and thought everyone else saw that way, but now I've finally found glasses, lol.

I think my body has been so deeply touch-starved for such a long, long time, with only small moments where I'd feel loved, have a cry etc., but I never realised that I could keep doing it, over and over, and work through so many of my problems with a clearer mind. It's crazy.

Seriously, if you have never tried it before, grab a pillow, maybe two, and just hug it tight. Maybe caress it. Imagine that it's yourself, maybe your younger self. Maybe yourself before you struggled. Imagine yourself as your own friend, always there for you until the day you both die. Keep talking yourself through your emotions, and hopefully you'll start crying. Keep going. I've done this every day for a week or so and I'm so much mentally clear. It really helps to put on some music that makes you emotional, too.

A few days ago I sat out in my back yard, put some music on, and relaxed for the first time I think since I was a kid. I'd have moments of relaxation, but they'd be interrupted quickly by negative thoughts. I went up to my bedroom after making 20 minutes of just feeling great, and genuinely cried tears of happiness for a good few minutes. For context, I have left my house about 5 times in the past 8 years, and I'm genuinely in a spot now, just from hugging a pillow, crying and reflecting on my life, I feel like I can start going out of the house. I really don't think I'd have a problem going for a walk. I'm sure I will still feel anxious, and I want to take things slow, but I feel like I have the tools to work through it that I never had before. My brain chemicals were just completely out of whack.

It sounds silly, far-fetched, maybe childish, but keep doing it, and it might work. Just do it and see what happens. It probably won't do much initially other than make you feel a bit cozy, but keep doing it. I feel like for me, I kind of had to jump-start these feelings of love like a chain saw. If you pull the cord once, nothing will happen, twice? Also probably nothing. I had to keep doing it, and now that I've got it started, I feel amazing.

I genuinely feel self-love for the first time in my entire life. Since I could have opinions on how I looked, I never liked what I saw, but I can finally see myself as a person. I can laugh at myself, in a positive way. I can actually feel love for myself, because I understand the things I've gone through and done. I don't need to seek validation from others, because I am my own person, and I'm allowed my own opinion.

Obviously, this might not work for anyone, but I realised that my big issue is that I was never taught or--at least remembered when I needed it the most--how to regulate my emotions. I would just take bad things that happened to me, and internalise them.

Got randomly told by a girl in school that she couldn't imagine anyone would ever love me (I was fat). She felt bad and said sorry afterwards (she was the type of person that just said mean things that came to her mind,) but the damage was probably already done. I just internalised it. I didn't even feel anything at the time. Didn't cry about it. I think I believed it. Things like that happened so often to me throughout high-school. People would take my pencils, hit me, insult me, undermine every opinion I had.

When I look at each individual bad memory, neither one is particularly bad on its own, but when they all add up, coupled with the fact that I never really processed my emotions properly, no wonder I felt like shit.

Occasionally it'd be so bad that it'd spill over and I've cry after getting hit in school or whatever, but that only happened twice, and would only solve that single issue, I wouldn't go home to my bedroom and cry and process the emotions, I would just try to escape, playing video games, eating unhealthily, watching porn, spending money on things to try to make me happy, doomscrolling for hours a day etc.

I never deliberately went out of my way to solve my issues. I realise now all of those compulsions were my brain trying to find any little bit of the chemicals/hormones that it needed, and it noticed that I'd feel a little bit when eating tasty unhealthy foods, for example, so it kept pushing me toward that. But it was temporary, the bodily effect of those things were never that much. It was like I was starving, but my brain was telling me to each dirt of the ground to get some tiny amount of nutrients.

I still have a lot of work to do in terms of anxiety and fixing my life, but I feel like I have the tools to do it now.

I know I'm coming on strong, but I feel insane (in a good way) right now. I was a little bit worried I might be bipolar or something, but I just feel very clear and able to fully relax and see all my problems from a different perspective, and this is only happening because of a decision I keep making. Hopefully this helps someone!

I used to play Just Dance on the Wii when I was a kid, but someone in my family laughed at me, and I never played it again after that. Recently, after like 15 years of basically never dancing, the idea popped into my mind, that dancing would be a good alternative to things like riding an exercise bike, which I don't completely love. And so far it has been amazing. I've just been kind of walking around my room (in private, curtains closed!) while listening to music, and letting my body do what it wants to, not judging myself, not worrying about how silly and embarrassing it would look if someone saw me, and it feels great. I can easily do an hour of it if I'm up for it. I've never done an hour on an exercise bike before. You've just got to put on good music that really makes you want to move or sing along with the lyrics.

I haven't been fully letting myself do want my body wants, because I dance in my bedroom, and if I was jumping around too much, it'd be pretty loud downstairs. So I stay kind of light on my feet, but let the rest of my body feel it. According to my fitness watch, my heart-rate is consistently around 120BPM, which is light cardio, sure, but it's hell of a lot more fun for me than walking. My calves are sore, and my neck too from the head-banging, so I need to rest up!

I don't know, this probably won't work for everyone, and maybe I'm just in a kind of honey-moon period with this, since I haven't danced in such a long time, but I thought I'd share just in case it works for anyone else! Don't force yourself to do anything intense, just let your body respond to the music naturally. Sometimes you'll just be standing there or slowly walking, and when it picks up, you might find yourself moving quite a bit.