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Are You Listening???

by Charlie ~

Rated: GC · Book · Emotional · #2181458

A journey of self-improvement - or not.

Sup? I'm Char.
You may know me from timeless classics such as

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#2030442 by Not Available.

and

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I blog for things like

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FORUM

30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS

(13+)
WDC's Longest Running Blog Competition - Hiatus
#1786069 by FivetricksterTreats

FORUM

JAFBG

(XGC)
Because real life isn't always roses and sunshine...
#2094931 by Elisa, Stik-or-Treat

[Embed For Use By Upgraded+]
Believin' all the lies that they're tellin' ya
Buyin' all the products that they're sellin' ya
They say jump and ya say "how high?"
Ya braindead, ya got a fuckin' bullet in ya head

Show Recent Comments

10 Most Recent Blog Comments:

👀intu the Darkness

Jul 22, 2023 at 8:05am
In response to "Invalid Entry"

Hey Char, It's been a while since I've touched base with you. I'm so sorry for your loss. The last thing people should say is everyone loses their grandparents eventually, or it will get better with time. It's the last thing you want to hear when you're hurting. Death sucks, long-lasting illness sucks! Having to decide to let the person go to keep them from suffering REALLY SUCKS! I think the only ones who can understand truly just how much are those who have had to make that decision. My heart breaks for you.

I'm not religious, but I do have a strong faith in God. I call myself spiritual because I don't agree with all the rules and regulations of religion. I do know I will see my family and friends again, and this is a great comfort. I can only imagine how much more painful the death of loved ones is without this belief. But you're right, it can't be faked. But it is a beautiful thing.

Having mental health issues during times like this makes it even harder to go through. I know what you mean about seeing things that aren't there. I'd walk into a room, and say, "Where's Star?" and she would be sitting right in front of me. When I looked, I swear I saw an empty chair. The mind is crazy. It gives new meaning to a mind of its own

Some time has passed since you wrote this. I don't know when you'll see this but know that you are in my thoughts and prayers, and I'm sending good energy your way. I hope you're doing better. I look forward to hearing from you.

Aiva Raine

Mar 28, 2023 at 9:40pm
In response to "Invalid Entry"

I'm sorry for your loss. I know they are shitty sounding words that don't even attempt to fill or fix, but they're meant in sincerity.

Having lost several people the best advice I was ever given was when life gets too hard- take it at your own pace. If a day is too much- cope with an hour at a time. If that's too much, take it ten minutes at a time. If that's too much- then you deal with one minute at a time. Work through life and grief at your pace. And don't ever feel guilty because you feel sad. And if you can- find one positive in each chunk of time- even if it's something as little as the beauty of sunlight on a leaf or the softness of your shirt. And ask for help if you need it.

Elle

Mar 7, 2023 at 3:29pm
In response to "Invalid Entry"

Aw, Charlie, I'm so sorry. It's a shit thing to go through whether it's sudden or not. And just because everyone goes through it, doesn't make it easier. It also doesn't take into account that you were closer to them than your parents. Nobody says 'Oh, everyone loses their parents eventually' do they? Surely not. And that's what's happened here really. I'm actually glad you've got an appointment with a professional tomorrow, because they might be able to help you with getting through that initial devastation.

When my dad lost his mother, he really struggled with his own lack of religion. As you say, there is some comfort in believing they've gone to a better place, been reunited with loved ones, that you'll see them again, and so on. For most of my life, Dad would say 'Religion is a crutch for the weak', but I definitely saw him struggle with the finality of it when he lost his mother, the person he was probably closest to.

My thoughts are with you.

1 Like

~Minja~

Mar 7, 2023 at 3:21pm
In response to "Invalid Entry"

Crazy stuff, grief. If you want to talk about it, message me always.

1 Like

QPdoll

Mar 7, 2023 at 6:21am
In response to "Invalid Entry"

I understand what you mean about wanting to tell your grandmother something. I did the same thing after my grandmother passed. I was at home and the first thing I thought was to call grandma. I picked up the phone and realized that she wouldn't answer. It's so tough losing your grandparents, especially as close as you were. I don't have any magic words, but take care of yourself. It's what they would want.

1 Like

Waltz in the Lonesome October

Mar 6, 2023 at 10:31pm
In response to "Invalid Entry"

Take care of yourself during this difficult time.

1 Like

Anni Pumpkin

Mar 6, 2023 at 9:06pm
In response to "Invalid Entry"

I know it doesn't help any, but I'm so sorry for your loss. I can't imagine much worse than losing a parent or parental figure. They represent stability and safety, you grew up with them, and you've relied on them for most, if not all, of your life. You're right, the initial devastation will fade and things won't feel so fresh. But, as you know, grief never really goes away. It just becomes a permanent part of you.

It's horrible that you only got a couple days worth of bereavement! That's not even long enough for the shock to wear off enough to START grieving. I hope you have the support of someone else in your life to help you through this dark time. Take it easy on yourself in the mean time, that's all you really can do. Taking care of your physical self, eating and sleeping, is critical. Sleep deprivation and hunger will make things feel a million times worse than they actually are (which, for the record, is already pretty bad).

1 Like

Cinn

Feb 20, 2023 at 9:34pm
In response to "Invalid Entry"

I actually pretty much love this one. Nice, man...

Cinn

Feb 19, 2023 at 11:07am
In response to "Invalid Entry"

I'd say that more freedom for participants would attract more people. One obvious example that I've never understood is fiction vs poetry. If it's an activity, not a contest, why not allow people to explore whatever the theme of your activity is with whatever type of writing that want to do?

I've actually written for countless contests/activities over the years but never entered... because they inspired me, but I don't fit within the guidelines. Max rating too low, items required (book entries only over here), no poetry accepted, etc.

I know well why people restrict writers' freedom, but they're also restricting the number of participants they'll get. I still just take the inspiration where I can get it.

Elisa, Stik-or-Treat

Feb 19, 2023 at 10:26am
In response to "Invalid Entry"

I've had decent participation with Journalistic Intentions (even though I know my prompts are sometimes considered "difficult"). I do think that there's been a bit of a shift in regards to contests and activities, where people have been more open to admitting they find some setups too restricting or that they feel intimidated by contests. I would love to be in discussions to address those issues, but so far I haven't been invited.

November 15, 2019 at 12:11am

#969729

What's an attention span?

Artist: The Smashing Pumpkins
Song: Thirty-Three
[Embed For Use By Upgraded+]

Prompt via "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" : In your entry today, write about focus. Use the following questions to guide you. At what time of day are you the most focused? When you need to focus on a task, how do you prevent distractions? How do you manipulate your environment to keep yourself focused? How else do you practice focus in your life? Any tools or techniques you can share?

Ugh, I did really bad on my exams.

I guess that's what happens when you miss school for weeks at a time. It was impossible for anyone to foresee this outcome!

Oh, and by the way, I posted a request for other emoticon reactions for blog entries so that you could cry at my exam failure: "Additional Emoticon Reactions for Blog Entries"

. Anyway, I'm terrible at that whole focus thing, so this prompt should be fun. Fun fact: I'm so bad at focus that I take my exams in a separate empty room with extra time and I still use ear plugs because the tiniest of noises (muffled voices in another room, heater humming, proctor sniffling) distracts me from my exam so much that I run out of time.

At what time of day are you the most focused?
I don't really have a specific time of day where I can focus. I have specific days where my focus is much better than others, but it's not so much a time of day thing. It's just like sometimes I can write a paper in an hour and a half and other days that same paper would take me 7 hours.

Generally speaking though, I'd say afternoon is a good focus time for me. Anything too early or too late doesn't work at all from me, so I'd say maybe noon to 4p.m. would work best if I needed to pick a time to be focused.

When you need to focus on a task, how do you prevent distractions?
Ear plugs. Trying to completely block out sound is the only way I go now when I'm trying to focus. Staying away from sites like WDC - yes, it's next to impossible.

If I absolutely must focus to get something done, having a deadline is really good motivator. Once something is due in a few hours, the pressure usually pushes me to focus and just get it done. A line I use on myself is, "Just get it done, even if it sucks, at least it will be over." Usually, it doesn't even end up sucking that bad because once I'm in the groove of doing it, the quality improves.

How do you manipulate your environment to keep yourself focused?
I try to stay away from people when I need to focus. Throughout college I've had friends try to study with me for exams, and I just can't. I see them and start talking and then we basically get nothing done. I turn the tv off, turn my music off, empty the room, close the curtains so I can't look outside. Now that I'm describing this, I've realized that I basically turn my study space into a prison in the hopes of concentrating.

How else do you practice focus in your life?
I've tried to start reading more to quiet my mind at night. It's really hard to get through a novel when you're used to getting bits of information in a few sentences or less. I also do deep breathing exercises a few times a day to just try to ground myself in the moment, and it actually does help me briefly reset when I'm getting burned out on something that's going on.

Any tools or techniques you can share?
Don't lose sight of the reason you're trying to focus in the first place. My worst concentration moments are the ones where I've forgotten the endgame. Break things down into small tasks. Give yourself a specific timeframe to work on something. "I'm going to work on this task for 35 minutes." Set a timer if you have to and practice self control by not checking your phone, email, wdc, or whatever.

Tomorrow's just an excuse away

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