I heard an interview, can’t remember the psychologist, but he was explaining this idea and encouraging people to stop and take a deep breath and literally drink in small moments like you’re a dryass plant when something is ever satisfactory, positive, mildly successful, randomly joyful so your brain can code and integrate that experience because our natural lizard brain will quickly tape over it with mostly unnecessary negative survival shit. Sounds dumb and dorky but sometimes I remember this when I’m feeling good about a moment because our cave brains are still catching up with modern life without sabertooths. I like that it’s not just a pollyanna gosh just be more positive thing but more of a legit brain wiring phenomenon can be gradually hacked through small behavioral changes.
Another super important one: Take the time to tell yourself, when something you did or bought or decided works out “That was a good decision and I’m glad I made it! Go me!”
Seriously, it can have a huge impact. suddenly you go from remembering nothing but bad decisions to adding in a series of Excellent Choices You Feel Good About, and it makes things so much better.
there’s nothing purer or better than how much kids enjoy being picked up and then hurled at soft surfaces
anyone who’s ever been around kids for ay meaningful amount of time should know exactly how much kids long to be hefted up and then just fuckin tossed! it’s so good! they’re so excited to get fucking tossed around like a sack of potatoes it’s so pure
Why do kids love it so much? Like I remember when I was a kid at diving practice during the summer, the best part was when one if the coaches would toss you into the deep end. And in gymnastics coaches would toss us into the foam pit. Do kids just have a evolutionary urge to die?
“Vestibular sense provides information about where the body is in relation to its surroundings. This is the sense that helps you understand balance, and it connects with all the other senses.
When the vestibular system does not develop properly all other senses will struggle to function properly. Without a strong vestibular sense, kids will have no choice but to fidget, get frustrated, experience more falls and aggression, get too close to people when talking, and struggle with focusing and listening. Because they literally cannot help it.”
“Here are a few ways to support your child’s vestibular sense:
Spinning in circles.
Using a Merry-Go-Round.
Rolling down a hill.
Spinning on a swing.
Going upside down.
Climbing trees.
Rocking.
Jumping rope.
Summersaults or cartwheels.
Using monkey bars.
Skating.
Going backwards.
Swimming.
Dancing.
Wheel-barrel walks.”
Yeeting kids, spinning them, flipping them upside down, tossing them in the air, and otherwise disrupting their balance temporarily, is Important For Their Development, specifically for their vestibular sense.
Kids love this because they NEED it.
In other words: Don’t forget to calibrate your child’s GPS!
YEET THE CHILD FOR THEIR HEALTH
Hi! Paediatric Occupational Therapist here who yeets children into pillows for a living. It’s actually more than the vestibular system! It’s also giving them proprioception, which is the feeling of your joints and muscles / where your body is in space!
We all seek proprioceptive input, leaning against walls, pushing against the steering wheel when driving, giving your body a squeeze to wake yourself up, the list goes on! When we ‘crash’ kids into soft things like pillows or beds, we’re waking their bodies up AND calming their bodies down! In other words, getting them into this super nice zone of “just right” regulation.
When I see a child who is bouncing off the walls and can’t seem to stand still for more than a few seconds? I start wrestling with them, crashing them into pillows, giving their body the right amount of input they need to feel good and organised. And suddenly, this kid is able to sit and play attentively or do their handwriting practice. It’s amazing! If you want to know more about why the vestibular and proprioceptive systems are awesome at making your body feel good, google those two words (and sensory processing) and read through some occupational therapy websites!
Side note: As adults, does your body ever feel jittering/jiggly/wiggly/like it needs to move or calm down but you just can’t figure out why? That’s your sensory system saying Hey! I need to feel differently in order to function better! Here’s what you can do:
Jump up and down (vestibular and proprioception)
Give yourself big squeezes (proprioception)
Place your hands on a wall and do push ups (proprioception)
Do cartwheels (vestibular and proprioception)
Get someone to give you the biggest bear hug for at least 10 seconds (proprioception and social connection, also proven to help regulate your sensory system into just right zone!)
Get a drink of water and drink it through a straw OR blow bubbles into the water (way more fun!) (oral motor input and respiration)
Have a shower or a bath (tactile)
Stretch and do exercise (vestibular and proprioception)
Eat something crunchy or chewy (like chips or gum) (oral motor input)
Listen to some music that suits your mood (auditory)
etc etc etc! I’m sure you already have a strategy that your body has figured out works for you. I personally like to chew gum when I feel like i need to eat something but I’m not actually hungry and just need that chewing sensation in my jaw.
Long story short, everyone has a sensory system and we all use regulation strategies like the ones listed above to help make our body feel better. So if you ever see someone (especially kids!) fidgeting and having a hard time focusing, maybe suggest something from the list above!
[[Description: Image of a phone screen that says “Calibrate your blue dot’s compass at anytime
Tilt and move your phone three times like this”
With an image of an infinity symbol below it, and below that image, the words, “compass accuracy: high”]]
I almost blurred out this guy’s name but he was proud enough to post on twitter and seems to be enjoying all the comments. If you never understood tipping, let me help. Tipping is just…a thing we do. And because it’s a thing, the government likes it and dips their fingers in it. So pretend you’re a server. You bill the table $100. The government and their taxes, goes, “Okay, $100 to the restaurant eh? And the server must’ve gotten, what? $10-$20? THEY POCKETED IT?! PWAAAAA? I DONT THINK SO! TAX EM!”
Basically Uncle Sam assumes you were tipped. Those tips are taxed. So let’s SAY you make $120 a shift, just working your shift. Now, if you pull in an additional $100 from tips alone…like I said, Uncle Sam wants some. If you pocket the cash tips and pretend you didn’t get tipped, or get stiffed on a tip, you could OWE MONEY come tax time. Why? Uncle Sam wants some of that tip money baby.
So when you have a shitty night and only get X amount of tips, it can hurt you if it keeps happening. Uncle Sam assumes you’re stealing money (“How do you keep not getting tipped every night?! You must be pocketing it and not telling anyone grrrrrrr!!”). Pretend you serve a huge banquet—$1,000.00 bill. The party pays $1,000.00 cash and dips, no tip. The server is fucked because it’s hard to believe they didn’t make a dime in tips—again, Uncle Sam would assume the greedy server pocketed $100-$200 for themselves.
Anyway, if you can’t afford to tip—stay in. This asshole had a $10.67 bill. Even a measly 10% would’ve been a fucking dollar. You’re paying for food, yes. But you’re paying for service too. Refills, making sure your food comes out, offering suggestions, setting and clearing the table…it’s a service. Pretend you’re paying someone to cook, do the dishes for you, and make sure you don’t have to stand up for anything. Otherwise, stay the fuck home or go to a buffet where you can feel you’ve won something by not tipping. Which even at a buffet you should drop a few bucks for the folks making food.
Sorry. I hate this mentality of showing off your ignorance with humor. And the comments backing this asshole are gross.
