#mental health breaks
Hey folks ❤️ I took a brief pause from the tumbles for my mental health as I adjust to a lot of life change. I’ve got a slew of asks in my inbox I’m going to be working through today. I’m also poking around in Butterfly Effect this afternoon Just wanted to thank everyone for their kind words and for sticking around.
Here’s a Thor picture!
So please don’t badger, spam, or call your friend who might be MIA or even just not texting you - yes, maybe even specifically only you - for a few days. They might need a break to themselves, and they don’t want to show their vulnerability because ‘normally’ they aren’t like this. They specifically don’t want to burden you.
Or maybe they just need a few days to themselves. People have boundaries and we need to respect them. Something might be happening in their personal lives, and if they don’t want you to know, let them be.
Don’t text them every few hours asking them whether they’re mad at you.
Don’t spam their inbox of every social media account you share/know and ask what’s happening.
Don’t call them. Don’t email them. Just let them be, there’s no need to apologize for something you’re worried you might’ve done (especially if you have anxiety - your fears of them hating you because they haven’t contacted you is understandable, but that friend might be having a bad episode also).
If you spam their inbox every three hours you’re not helping the situation. Let them be after contacting them once or twice, and wait until they’re comfortable with coming back online.
Because you demanding an answer, or apologising might be overwhelming for that person, and might make their personal struggles worse.
So just relax, and wait for their response. Maybe send them a ‘I hope you’re doing okay since you haven’t been online for quite some time’. They’ll appreciate it.
If your friend has something they want to tell you, they will.
(Note: This only applies if you know your friend well enough to know that their silences aren’t them being mad at you. If they’re giving you the cold shoulder because they’re annoyed that might require methods to tackle.)
(If you’re worried they might be in some kind of actual danger, just ask. ‘Are you having a mental health break? I haven’t heard from you for a few days so I hope you’re safe.’ This relieves them of the need to explain where they’ve been while letting you know they’re alive and safe.)
(Additional PS: I know this isn’t along the usual line of what I post since dark academia is usually about the aesthetics, but I consider topics like mental health, LGBTQ+ Issues and social issues part of academia as well)
