annyshay - compassion

[annyshay]

15 minutes ago, Sylvaa said:

 

This sounds like an ad for an MLM!..... 🤣 

 

But in reality, I'd be interested, particularly skin.

MLM?

[Sylvaa]

1 hour ago, annyshay said:

MLM?

 

Multi-level marketing - like ItWorks or Beachbody. (I am just teasing, but the way you said it make me laugh a bit). 

[Snarkyfishguts]

I'm interested!

[annyshay]

Hello nerds! Let's talk about my plans for a self care summer.

 

I'm not sure that I've put many pictures of how I look at the moment up on my posts, so it's probably a good thing to give you an idea of what I actually look like, hehe. Here's me at a typical day at work a few weeks ago. Never mind the headphones that are doing funny things to my hair.

 

 

 

So, my hair regimen at this time was washing my hair once a week with an organic shampoo that contained some mild sulfates and then using a drugstore conditioner that had a bunch of silicone in it. After that I would put a leave in conditioner in and then some mousse. I would let my hair air dry and hope for the best. It takes my hair a few hours to dry. In between wash days, I lived in a ponytail. 

 

My skin regimen was... non-existent other than washing my face in the shower.

 

So, I'm not sure what got me started thinking about it, but I think that it might have just been the increase in motivation and energy that I've had as this bout of depression has been melting away. I find myself wanting to do more to take care of my lovely body. I want to treat myself, but I also want to do it in a way that is sustainable for my crazy life. So, I thought it was time to do some research. 

 

I may have googled "skin care for newbs". Turns out it brought me to this article... https://greatist.com/live/skin-care-for-beginners, which was extremely helpful to me. I may also have googled "skin care for nerds" and found the Skin Nerd. There were a few articles on her website that were helpful, including this one https://theskinnerd.com/blogs/the-skin-nerd-blog/the-basics-of-skincare.

 

Then it was time to wade through lots of product reviews. Shiver. I spent a lot of time on amazon and bought things in waves. My last shipment will come next week.

 

So, I started really simple about a week ago. I started drinking an extra 8 oz glass of water as I took my morning medicines. Before I left the house, I put sunscreen on my face (SPF 50 from a fancy pants skin care brand). That was it for my skin at first.

 

A few days later, I started playing around with the idea of upping my hair care game as well. I think I was just looking for a deep conditioner, honestly. I stumbled pretty quickly on https://www.naturallycurly.com/ and fell down the rabbit hole. I ran across so many terms that I didn't know. I had to learn. This took me to the Curly Girl Method, which is similar to what a previous amazing hairstylist told me to do, but a bit more clear. This article was the most helpful to me - https://www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading/curl-products/how-to-do-the-curly-girl-method-on-a-budget-with-4-products. So, I bought those products and have been slowly switching things out.

 

So, that's how I got started on my self care summer. We'll see how these experiments go, and I will keep you posted on exciting developments. I'm curious what y'all do at this point if you want to share!

[Sciread77]

3 hours ago, Sylvaa said:

 

6 hours ago, annyshay said:

I haven't told you folks yet but I'm playing around with my hair and skin care routines, trying to take my self care up a notch. I'm wondering if you would be interested in details?

 

This sounds like an ad for an MLM!..... 🤣 

 

But in reality, I'd be interested, particularly skin.

 

Or an Instagram influencer. 
 

“A lot of people as me about my skin care routine.”

 

”Andrew, they really don’t.”

 

Seriously though. Good for you on the self care summer. A lot of times I think we gloss over it. 

[Sylvaa]

20 minutes ago, annyshay said:

A few days later, I started playing around with the idea of upping my hair care game as well. I think I was just looking for a deep conditioner, honestly. I stumbled pretty quickly on https://www.naturallycurly.com/ and fell down the rabbit hole. I ran across so many terms that I didn't know. I had to learn. This took me to the Curly Girl Method, which is similar to what a previous amazing hairstylist told me to do, but a bit more clear. This article was the most helpful to me - https://www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading/curl-products/how-to-do-the-curly-girl-method-on-a-budget-with-4-products. So, I bought those products and have been slowly switching things out.

 

My step-daughter has beautiful curly hair and went through a similar process to learn more about what worked for her hair. I can ask her about her routine also if you are interested - I don't think it's super difficult. Unfortunately, I'm out around curls 😞 but I do love your hair!

[Elastigirl]

When my hair suddenly started getting curly in my 40's, the curly girl method was super helpful

[annyshay]

Friday w1d6

 

Compassion

- three times

 

Log

- none

 

Did my morning routine and wrote a little bit, but didn't have time to do my noveling. Headed in to work and saw the follow up patients that we had. Took some time to talk with colleagues and chat with friends online. Signed out the patients in the afternoon. Went to a family meeting where we discussed how sick one of our kids is. Debriefed with the team and headed home for the day. Was really tired after this 12 day stint, so I basically flopped in bed, scrolled on my phone, did my evening routine, and went to bed. 

[annyshay]

So, I started the self care summer about a week ago with the upgrades that I talked about last time. Let's talk about what I've added more recently.

 

SKIN

 

Spoiler

 

Skin Morning Routine: glass of water, sunscreen (tinted to help with my rosy cheeks)

 

Next, my products came from amazon, so I started washing my face at night. I'm using Cetaphil gentle cleanser with a cotton washcloth and lots of nice warm water to get the sunscreen and other gunk from the day off of my face. I don't wear make up, so I've been avoiding washing my face at night for my whole life. Not sure that I noticed a difference other than that my face felt cleaner when I went to bed. *shrug*

 

I was able to start using a nighttime moisturizer a few days ago. I also got a silk pillowcase for both my skin and my hair. 

 

Not sure if I'm making it up, but I'm seeing a little bit less redness in my cheeks. It's not making a difference in my photos yet though, haha. 

 

So current routine...

Morning: Glass of water, Sunscreen

Evening: Wash my face, Moisturizer

Sleep: Silk Pillowcase

 

I'm planning on adding an antioxidant serum next, but I'm a little nervous because it's got vitamin A in it, and that can cause redness. So, I want to give my face about a week to get used to what I'm already doing before I jump in

 

.

HAIR

 

Spoiler

 

First Step Hair: no more sulfates or silicones

 

So, the products rolled in for this one and I've been working on getting through things. Let me tell you what I've done this week.

 

Monday Morning: Co-washed with As I Am Coconut Co-Wash, massaged my scalp for five minutes (damn my arms get tired doing this long), Squish to Condish with Silk 18 Conditioner, Leave in more Silk 18 Conditioner, Styled by scrunching with Eco Style Argan Oil gel. I plopped for an hour or so (accordianing my hair on top of my head with a T shirt, basically). Then I let it air dry. Around two hours later, I scrunched out the crunch to break up the gel cast.

Monday Evening: Put my hair in a pineapple (high ponytail), hoped for the best.

 

Tuesday Morning: My curls were still presentable, so I was able to wear them down without too much manipulation.

Tuesday Evening: Pineapple and pray

 

Wednesday Morning: Squished curls, so in to a low ponytail with a twist

Wednesday Evening: Just wore my hair down.

 

Thursday Morning: Co-washed with As I Am Coconut Co-Wash, massaged my scalp for five minutes, Squish to Condish with Silk 18 Conditioner, Leave in more Silk 18 Conditioner, Styled by scrunching with Eco Style Argan Oil gel. I plopped for an hour or so. Then I let it air dry. Around two hours later, I scrunched out the crunch to break up the gel cast.

Thursday Evening: Pineappled my hair with a satin scrunchie (ooh fancy), silk pillowcase came

 

Friday Morning: Squished hair in the front, so I decided to put it into a twist/bun. 

Friday Evening: Just wore my hair down. Silk pillowcase.

 

Saturday Morning: Co-washed with As I Am Coconut Co-Wash, massaged my scalp for five minutes, SheaMoisture Manuka Oil Masque for 30 minutes with a towel over top for deep conditioning, rinse, Leave in Silk 18 Conditioner, Styled by scrunching with Eco Style Argan Oil gel. I plopped for an hour or so. Then I let it air dry. Around two hours later, I will scrunch out the crunch to break up the gel cast.

 

So, it's been a busy week! My hair is super soft. My curls look great on wash day. I need to work on my second and third day hair. I've got a fancy continuous spray water bottle coming in the next week that may help with that a bit. 

 

 

Basically, this has been a ton of fun to play with!

 

 

 

[Stronkey Kong]

I have the same type of curly hair as you. As a baseline, I just don't shampoo it everyday. And when I do I use an curly hair based shampoo with argan oil, and follow up with a leave in conditioner so it doesn't frizz the fuck out.

[annyshay]

1 hour ago, Chris Tarly said:

I have the same type of curly hair as you. As a baseline, I just don't shampoo it everyday. And when I do I use an curly hair based shampoo with argan oil, and follow up with a leave in conditioner so it doesn't frizz the fuck out.

Yeah, argan oil seems to be a key ingredient that a lot of my curly headed friends appreciate.

[Snarkyfishguts]

OMG I love this. Thank you for posting about your routine!

 

I like cetaphil as a brand for skin. I get their face and body wash and moisturizer, because frankly my body skin is just as sensitive as my face skin. WHY AM I SAYING SKIN SO MUCH? But I do also like Lubriderm for lotion because they often have SPF which is awesome. 

 

My face tends to breakout with night time moisturizers. What kind are you using? 

 

 

Girrrrrrrrl lets talk HAIR. Yours looks so good! I like the curls and I love the terms you use like "squish and condish"  and "pineapple" that's so much fun  I still struggle with hair products because the back of my head is curly but the front is straight with a little wave. It's like "MAKE UP YOUR MIND, HAIR!" So I am taking copious curly hair notes here.  

 

I'm going to follow you on Instagram now. Thank you for sharing with us your lovely face!

[Mrs Van]

Glad you got a break after the 12 day work schedule.

Unfortunately I'm a no-brainer when it comes to curly hair or skin routine. I've tried things over the years, but constantly go back to wash my face in the shower, just with water. Use a little bit of cream every now and again (specifically winter), when it gets dryer. Hair-wise... I'm in the opposite category from you, straight, and now very short, with only curly bits around my face (hormones after pregnancy), so that won't help either. BUT I'm reading some of the articles and comments with interest, because I like browsing the shampoo aisle of the one specialised shop here. I've seen all the argon-shampoos, even caffeine ones now!

So... I can't help, but I'm here to support you as usual and to learn too.

[annyshay]

9 hours ago, Snarkyfishguts said:

OMG I love this. Thank you for posting about your routine!

 

I like cetaphil as a brand for skin. I get their face and body wash and moisturizer, because frankly my body skin is just as sensitive as my face skin. WHY AM I SAYING SKIN SO MUCH? But I do also like Lubriderm for lotion because they often have SPF which is awesome. 

 

My face tends to breakout with night time moisturizers. What kind are you using? 

 

 

Girrrrrrrrl lets talk HAIR. Yours looks so good! I like the curls and I love the terms you use like "squish and condish"  and "pineapple" that's so much fun  I still struggle with hair products because the back of my head is curly but the front is straight with a little wave. It's like "MAKE UP YOUR MIND, HAIR!" So I am taking copious curly hair notes here.  

 

I'm going to follow you on Instagram now. Thank you for sharing with us your lovely face!

Thank you for being excited! It's fun to play with, and I want to talk about it lol. 

 

I also like Lubriderm for lotion. That's what I use on my body. I'm using this for a night time moisturizer. It's not too greasy and seems to soak in. I don't get a lot of breakouts (so lucky), so your mileage may vary.

 

Thank you.  The terms are mostly what I've gleaned from various curlies on and off naturallycurly.com. I think my hair is technically wavy too. There are grades apparently. I'm a 2c/3a, I think. Sounds like you might be a 2a. Maybe? Hard to know without pictures, hehe.

[annyshay]

2 hours ago, ElizeElvinFoxRyder said:

Glad you got a break after the 12 day work schedule.

Unfortunately I'm a no-brainer when it comes to curly hair or skin routine. I've tried things over the years, but constantly go back to wash my face in the shower, just with water. Use a little bit of cream every now and again (specifically winter), when it gets dryer. Hair-wise... I'm in the opposite category from you, straight, and now very short, with only curly bits around my face (hormones after pregnancy), so that won't help either. BUT I'm reading some of the articles and comments with interest, because I like browsing the shampoo aisle of the one specialised shop here. I've seen all the argon-shampoos, even caffeine ones now!

So... I can't help, but I'm here to support you as usual and to learn too.

Thanks Elize!!

 

Well, you are absolutely lovely so everything you're doing is working.

 

I'm curious to see whether or not I keep this up, honestly. So far it's not that much effort for my skin. The hair is taking a bit more effort, but it's stuff that I want to do anyways. I'm hoping that I can use all the excitement now to troubleshoot some good routines that will stick.

[annyshay]

Saturday w1d7

 

Compassion

- one time

 

Log

- none

 

I had a glorious day off. Spent a lot of time online doing more research for my skin and hair regimens. Played Stardew Valley with my buddy. Went through my bathroom and cleaned out all the expired things and stuff that I don't use any more, organized, and made everything look nice. Hung up my earring holders. Took a nap. Meditated. Generally relaxed and took care of myself.

[Snarkyfishguts]

2 hours ago, annyshay said:

Thank you for being excited! It's fun to play with, and I want to talk about it lol. 

 

I also like Lubriderm for lotion. That's what I use on my body. I'm using this for a night time moisturizer. It's not too greasy and seems to soak in. I don't get a lot of breakouts (so lucky), so your mileage may vary.

 

Thank you.  The terms are mostly what I've gleaned from various curlies on and off naturallycurly.com. I think my hair is technically wavy too. There are grades apparently. I'm a 2c/3a, I think. Sounds like you might be a 2a. Maybe? Hard to know without pictures, hehe.

My hair in the front is a 2a, then graduates to 2b with a couple 2c sections in the back.   I'll have to take a photo sometime. I'm experimenting with leave-in conditioners that I can apply a little to the front and a LOT in the back  

 

I definitely get breakouts. But I like not-too-greasy. I'll have to do some investigating because my skin hates me right now It always does when the seasons change!

[annyshay]

1 hour ago, Snarkyfishguts said:

My hair in the front is a 2a, then graduates to 2b with a couple 2c sections in the back.   I'll have to take a photo sometime. I'm experimenting with leave-in conditioners that I can apply a little to the front and a LOT in the back  

 

I definitely get breakouts. But I like not-too-greasy. I'll have to do some investigating because my skin hates me right now It always does when the seasons change!

All the twos! Sounds complicated. More conditioner is always a good plan in my book.

 

Poor angry skin. I'm lucky that mine mostly behaves. I just want to keep it that way, haha.

[Mad Hatter]

I have similar hair to yours I think, please let me know if you find a good solution! I've tried variants of the curly girl method twice but gave up both times. My hair just started to feel greasy and weird and got worse with time, not better. 🤷‍♀️

[annyshay]

3 hours ago, Mad Hatter said:

I have similar hair to yours I think, please let me know if you find a good solution! I've tried variants of the curly girl method twice but gave up both times. My hair just started to feel greasy and weird and got worse with time, not better. 🤷‍♀️

Oh that's sad to hear. I hope that isn't how it goes for me. I feel like hair can be so fickle. I'll keep you posted for sure.

[annyshay]

Sunday w2d1

 

Compassion

- one time

 

Log

- none

 

Had another lovely day. Spent a lot of time learning various things about skincare, makeup, meditation, and decor online and on pinterest. Hung up my triforce shelf! Did laundry. Played more Stardew with my buddy and her step five year old. Fun times. Cleaned the rest of the bathroom. It was a good balance between getting some stuff done and relaxing!

[annyshay]

Monday w2d2

 

Compassion

- two times

 

Log

- none

 

Did my morning routine and enjoyed enough time to get some good writing and internet scrolling done. Work was pretty tame in the morning, which was good because I snuck out for my appointment with the sports medicine doc (more in a separate post). I got back to the office in time for lunch with my buddies. Then I recorded a lecture on COVID-19 for the first year medical students. Then I had a patient. Spent the rest of the afternoon chatting with various coworkers and finishing up a lot of stuff from my email. Came home and put heat on my leg because it was still achy from the treatments. Meditated a bit and scrolled the internet some more. Had therapy at 6, during which we mostly went mining for other memories of my father screaming or me feeling ashamed or scared for various reasons. Hopefully this will give us some more good targets for EMDR on Wednesday when we have our next session. After that, I played Stardew with my group then headed to bed. 

[annyshay]

So, this was my first appointment with the sports medicine doctor at a large orthopedics group to talk about the years of pain I've had on the inside of my right foot. He was a great doctor who listened and explained really well, so I'm glad that I took the time to get a second opinion. I think there are things that he can do that will complement what my podiatrist is working on, so we will see if we can get me back on the trails. 

 

Diagnosis wise, he encouraged me not to focus on the extra bone in my foot as the only cause of my problems. He thinks that it's related to everything - my flat feet, that bone, the tendon, and some spasm in my muscles going up the inside of my calf. I had no idea that those muscles were spasming until he pushed on them, and then it was abundantly clear. Ouch.

 

So for treatments, he offered a range of options. He said that I could just work with my new shoes and PT (thank goodness someone will refer me to PT!!!!). He said that a simple surgery was unlikely to fix my problem. He thought I would need a whole midfoot reconstruction, which is a very big deal and doesn't always work. (This is what I suspected, and what I want to avoid if at all possible.) He also talked about wet needling.

 

Spoilered for the squeamish.

Spoiler

 

So I've heard and asked about dry needling before, and was told that it would be unlikely to help my problems. Wet needling is dry needling plus the use of a small amount of lidocaine to try to numb the area and make it easier for them to... stab your muscles. So, this doctor does it and thought it might help with the muscle spasm that I have up the inside of my calf. He asked if I wanted to try it, and I agreed.

 

He had me lay on my side and then put a needle deep into my inner calf muscles (posterior tibialis and soleus for those playing along at home). It was a pinch and then when he got to the right spot the muscle would contract with a little zing that was sort of uncomfortable. All the while, I'm trying to stay relaxed. He did this five times up and down the muscles in question. 

 

 

Then he gave me a script for PT and sent me on my way with his business card and the promise of sharing future patients.

 

My only critique is that he recommended weight loss at the same time acknowledging that losing 50 pounds probably wouldn't actually make the problems go away. Um. Ok, no thanks. For those that don't know, I follow a Health at Every Size approach and have sworn off diets forever because they don't work over the long term for the vast majority of humans and come with risks that are too great for me to continue engaging in them (weight cycling, eating disorders, etc.).

 

Afterwards, my calf felt like somebody had punched it repeatedly, hehe. He seemed to think that I will know when it's working and when I need another treatment, but we made an appointment for six weeks. I'm supposed to call him if I need the repeat treatment sooner. 

 

I called and made an appointment with the PT at my work, so I will be going to see them a week from Wednesday. My next appointment with my podiatrist is on Friday, at which point she will fit me for a custom ankle brace. 

 

Fingers crossed that I can get moving again without pain or further injury. 

[Mrs Van]

On 5/17/2020 at 3:12 PM, Snarkyfishguts said:

I definitely get breakouts.

I'm probably a lot older than you girls, but breakouts (skin) for me is when I eat too much chocolate, and PMS time. Otherwise my skin is ok. When I was younger (30s) I got it at times when I tried make-up and foundations. Might have been too oily too. Long time ago, can't clearly remember anymore.

7 hours ago, annyshay said:

He also talked about wet needling.

 

Spoilered for the squeamish.

Yikes! 🙀

Well I truly believe something is going to work. Good on you for going to see the dr. and making the PT appointments. Good luck with all these.

[annyshay]

41 minutes ago, ElizeElvinFoxRyder said:

I'm probably a lot older than you girls, but breakouts (skin) for me is when I eat too much chocolate, and PMS time. Otherwise my skin is ok. When I was younger (30s) I got it at times when I tried make-up and foundations. Might have been too oily too. Long time ago, can't clearly remember anymore.

Yikes! 🙀

Well I truly believe something is going to work. Good on you for going to see the dr. and making the PT appointments. Good luck with all these.

Thanks love!