Published on 12, July, 2020
I’m wondering if anyone has found a good balance between maintaining good mental health while doing lifestyle kink? Basically what I mean is if you are the sub and have mental health issues how do you let your Dom know? Also Doms how do you react to being asking for a mental health day?
I used to do lifestyle with my Alpha but this was the biggest set back. He never could tell if he should punish me or not for not completing tasks. Was I just being a brat or was a having a debilitating depression day?
Just wanting to see others experiences. We no longer do lifestyle except on special occasions and it works. But I do miss the 24/7 of it!
I got a bunch. in no particular order:
Seek out whatever kind of regular interaction you can. Whether it's virtual movie nights with a friend, or hanging out on discord, or going outside and walking past other pedestrians. Try to at least see another person's face or hear someone's voice every day or every other day.
Spend time listening to music. Pull up albums from those artists you thought about trying out but didn't get around to listening to yet. Good music makes you feel less alone.
Yoga. It's cheesy, and kind of cliche, but when quarantine first hit, I'd use the Down Dog yoga app most mornings. It's really calming and centering.
Try to make your space comfortable and cozy. Maybe print pictures or art to put on your walls, light candles, get string lights... your space can almost become a living thing in and of itself. Being alone in a dreary room = depressing. Being alone in a cozy room = pleasant.
Background noise helps. Whether it's ambient sounds like rain or fireplace crackling or coffee shop noise, or videos of people talking, it's one thing that gets me feeling like time's actually passing.
Trying new hobbies. Not only do you have something to occupy your time, but in the process of learning about a new hobby, you're probably going to end up on new forums or sites and maybe meet new people online.
Work on some self-discovery. Not necessarily like, working out every day and journaling, but it's a good opportunity to figure out what works for you and what doesn't. What you like and don't like in the long run. Try different wake-up times and bedtimes, try out different habits, see what makes you feel good and what doesn't.
It's tough! there are definitely days where nothing seems to help for me, but these things have helped me a bit.