ACKNOWLEDGE THE PAIN AND DAMAGE. Others will try frequently to avoid these feelings and the thought that they’re hurt or hurting. However, it is a massive roadblock to starting your journey.
You have to truly confront yourself. Journal, vent to someone, draw or however you feel is best to truly express how you feel, you do.
EXTRACT TRIGGERS. Don’t let your physical environment encourage triggers that resurface your hurt self or continue to hurt you. E.g. friends, social media, family, bad habits etc.
DAILY REFLECTION. You have to start to confront your feelings and experiences, but I know, it’s scary and we don’t want to revisit bad times. Please try to do some self-reflection daily about personal feelings and experiences, as it gets easier when it’s so frequent.
ESTABLISH ORDER & ROUTINES. Start putting in good habits in your life and slowly improve your mental and physical well-being. Healing is going to be all over the place and messy. So when we have a routine to fall back on when needed, it just makes us feel better.
ACTUAL SELF-CARE. Everything showers and face masks are nice and all, but they are not the only aspects of self-care. Self-care is doing the things that are good for you, disregarding how you currently feel. E.g. cooking and eating a healthy breakfast instead of eating takeout.
BE PATIENT AND PERSISTENT. Healing is going to be hard regardless of what hurt you. There will be days when you feel like giving up. However, I encourage you to fight those feelings of hopelessness and continue.
REMOVE SHAME FROM YOUR MIND. Another roadblock, it limits you from all the help and lessons you get in life. It isolates you, from everybody else who does care about you and wants to help. Asking for anything is not embarrassing.
RECONNECT WITH YOURSELF. Start doing hobbies that you love, learning about things you’ve been curious about, and reading books on your favourite topics. Reconnection is so important because it brings emotional and mental prosperity.
My biggest flex is my privacy. I don't feel the need to let everyone know what I'm up to. Whether I've been doing well or not, I choose only one to three people to tell my stuff to. Other times I don't even tell anyone about how I'm doing at the moment unless someone asks. I value my privacy and it's one of the most best gifts I provide myself.
The sun will always come back.
what to do when someone compliments me, seemingly genuinely, but then someone else points out that they're probably only/also saying it because they want x. so now instead of feeling happy/grateful, i just feel used.
here’s a shout out to all the students who pulled through during this chaotic year - and whether you are satisfied with how you did or not, please know that grades do not define you or your worth and that you should feel proud of yourself no matter what <3
and on some random thursday afternoon i realised that life isn't so bad after all. there are so many beautiful things i haven't experienced yet, so many places i've never visited, so many people i haven't met. i realised life is too short to hate myself.
— Richard Siken, from “Straw House, Straw Dog.”
i am just a girl i should not have to “fulfill my course requirements” to get a “degree” what kind of a society is this anyway
in an era 💭📓