So what if my self harm is attention seeking? Some people self harm to ground themselves, some do to express their frustration, some do to distract themselves from the mental pain, but some do it as a cry for help when words aren’t loud enough, which is basically attention seeking (or some people call it ‘support seeking’ to remove the negative connotation)
So what if i self harm so my family understand that my struggles are that bad? So they’ll allow me to get professional help and not say “it can’t be that bad, you can handle this alone”, or at least acknowledge that i am struggling. Yes this is attention seeking, but there’s no shame in it
[ID: A dark green background with white text that says “I am allowed to express myself.” Below that is smaller text that says “accessible-affirmations.”]
[ID: A dark red background with white text that says “I can express myself in healthy ways.” Below that is smaller text that says “accessible-affirmations.”]
[ID: A dark blue background with white text that says “I am not independent and that’s okay.” Below that is smaller text that says “accessible-affirmations.”]
I’ve decided I’m going to the swimming pool next week! If it goes well I’m going to try and make it a routine. My mental health is suffering at the moment and I can see it going downhill very quickly if I don’t get on top of it soon. Exercising within my limits has been incredibly helpful in the past and because of my mobility impairments, pain and injury risk it’s very hard for me to exercise in other ways, so swimming pool it is.
It should also be really good for me physically to use the muscles I still can and take the pressure off my joints for a bit, but honestly my mental health is the most pressing thing right now.
I am worried about covid, but I’m going to go in the evening when it’s a bit quieter. Hopefully the benefits outweigh the risks.
steadily recognizing that i’m allowed to exist in public spaces and not feel embarrassed about it… can you believe i used to feel weird about/too inadequate to sit on a bench in a public space. it’s ok. you’re allowed to be. just be. just sit on a bench. it’s ok
The trick to getting to this point is to just think of yourself as an extra in a movie.
I used to be so self conscious about existing in public but I’ve slowly realized that if I just saw some random fat guy in the background of a movie I probably wouldn’t even think about him.
This is why I’ve come to describing myself as just some guy. I’m just some guy! Nobody gets mad at just some guy for reading a nutrition label in the grocery store. He’s just some dude. He’s a part of The Public. The Masses. The Customers. That’s what this place was made for!
Oh good I’m going to get a good grade in Being a NPC, something that is both normal to want and possible to achieve
sure someone might have a better educational background or family background, but what really matters when interacting with people is your personality and attitude
If there is something that you don’t like about yourself, admit it, accept it, and change it. Changing something about yourself doesn’t mean you are loving yourself less, in fact you are loving yourself more
Respect others until they prove they do not deserve it. But sometimes for the sake of your future self, doesn’t disrespect them. Just because they don’t deserve your respect doesn’t mean you have to disrespect them or be mean to them. They are humans with mistakes too
It’s fine to not date in high school. Sometimes we’re just not ready. And the people we were might not have been ready to treat others the way they deserve to be.
Mental health is important. period.
HEALTH IS IMPORTANT PERIOD
If your back hurts do some yoga. If you need to de-stress do some yoga. Yoga calmed me before I did anything without a clear mind. 100% recommend anyone to try it out once
Take pictures. With you in them. Yes, you might cringe but you’ll regret not having photos with your friends. Especially nice ones if all you have are funny meme ones
Learn to text, you’ll need this skill when everyone is gone
It’s never too late to apologize
If you are disorganized I beg you to start organizing your stuff now, it’s not because I told you so or because your mum wants you to, it’s because your future self will thank you
Do everything with your future self in mind
Learn a few recipes even if you are terrible at cooking. Practice and master those recipes. They’ll feed you and you’ll have staples to bring to gatherings if needed (then slowly work from there and learn more recipes)
Yes school matters but it’s actually all about how you use the resources available to you
Start experimenting and find out what study techniques are for you. Grades seem much more important in uni than that quiz where you can cover up with extra credit
DO EXTRA CREDIT IF THERE IS AND IF YOU CAN
Learn to and always say no when you can’t. There’s a difference between being uncomfortable to go outside of your comfort zone and being uncomfortable while trying to swallow a panic attack
Learn about yourself. You are not boring. The inside world means as much as the outside world. If you see nothing, build something. try and see what you like or dislike.
here’s a little something my therapist told me that helped me out:
even people with the worst trauma tell themselves “it could have been worse”
even people with the most unpreventable trauma blame themselves.
every single person who has gone through trauma beats themself up over it.
those thoughts that you shouldve done something different or that you just need to “get over it”… they aren’t true. they’re just symptoms of real, valid trauma. what you went through was hard. no human being deserves to go through that. you are allowed to be upset. you are allowed to feel angry and scared. your feelings are valid, and it was not your fault.
Honestly sometimes you want things to work out and it doesn’t and time passes and you look back and understood why it didn’t happen then. The universe or whatever you believe in, is always looking out for the best for you so mourn but move on. There are better things ahead always.
If bras hurt your shoulders and make your pain worse, don’t wear them. If that itchy sweater your grandma gave you aggravates your sensory problems, thank her for it, but don’t wear it. If heels make your feet ache or make your dysautonomia flare, wear flats to parties. You shouldn’t follow any social conventions that make your symptoms worse, let alone ones related to something as insignifcant as the clothing you put on your body.
Even if you feel like you have nothing to offer, you’re still allowed to be here. Your existence and value are not dependent on what you can do for other people.
Some view the presence of confident, self-assured, brazenly unconventional women and femmes as a challenge, when they should find and view what they lack within themselves instead.
