Its a lively blend of colours. Nice work!

Gorgeous!

That moment when you realize something that used to trigger you doesn’t anymore is precious. Enjoy it.

Still alive, just busy. I’m giving more likes than words these days.

I baroque it
#KaleidoSaturday

this video only makes sense if you watch it 3 times YouTube video by Man Carrying Thing

I realize this is an algorithm manipulation video (I mean, he literally says it is), but also fuck the YouTube algorithm this is hilarious.

So do what he says (that means listening three times). It's actually funny.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUDz...

rock with lichen

listen, girls need pockets because we need a place to put cool rocks and shit

Mmm. Maybe I should take the time to make my own pizza from scratch. Its the toppings thing, getting to put as much pineapple as I want on it, along with whatever else. Maybe even paired with homemade pork meatballs.

Something is not less bad if it happened to you, than if it happened to someone else.

YOU deserve the same compassion & support that you'd extend to someone you love if the exact same thing that happened to you, happened to them.

It is not your fault that you were conditioned to believe that the truth can be poisonous or dangerous if spoken out loud.

That's an artifact of having been coerced into keeping secrets as the price of "safety."

Finished a #crochet double spiral chunky hat from some discontinued metallic yarn I had in my stash

It. Was. A. Box!!!

Our programming is not our fault. Most of us don't even realize it's there-- until we do. Reformatting our mental & emotional hard drive takes the time it takes, & requires us to be more self-aware than we were ever taught to be.

Give yourself grace. This sh*t's hard.

I had to have one of my cats put down this morning due to kidney failure last night. It's the worst part of pet ownership. But not letting them suffer is the last act of love you can do for them.

Oh boy if they are whining about delicious canadian pizza toppings i think they would melt down if I waved my weird canned No Name Six Bean Blend salad and rice concoction under their noses.

One of the most common experiences of trauma survivors is that we've felt like we're a frustrating mystery to ourselves our whole lives-- & we've been made to feel ashamed for not understanding or being able to "control" our feelings & choices.

That is: for being human.

"Taking responsibility" for our trauma recovery is not about "growing up" because we'll be "in trouble" if we don't. Bleh.

It's about getting realistic about what we do & don't control, inside & outside of us. It's about feeling grounded & empowered-- not stressed & exhausted.

Sustainable trauma recovery asks us to be unflinchingly realistic about media & entertainment that will retraumatize us without adding to our understanding of the world.

Remember that "they" want us hooked, scared, & outraged as much or more than they want us informed.

Spoiler: abusive people & institutions will get angry & retaliatory when you don't give them the obedience, fear, &/or forgiveness they feel entitled to.

Yes, their anger can be realistically dangerous & consequential-- which calls for a plan, not a surrender.

Looking for some advice from artists, if any should happen to come across this...

What would you recommend as a set of coloured pencils for a teenager who is trying to get better at drawing by hand?

There's so many kinds and things I know nothing about, I wanna help her but feel super clueless.

Macro photograph of a bumblebee with a pollen ball on it’s back legs coming in for a landing on a Pride of Madeira flower

Bumblebee with pollen ball comes in for a landing on a Pride of Madeira
#photography #art, #macrophotography
#flowers #bees

You & I were hurt. We had experiences we shouldn't have had, or should have been protected from or guided through w/ compassion & care. That wasn't our fault. Blaming & shaming ourselves for having been vulnerable won't change what happened-- or what we need to do now to recover.

If you’re seeing this post, take a sec; breathe; blink blink blink; focus, two, three, four; and remind yourself of your goals, values, and mission today.

Great job. Scroll on.

"Suck it up" is not a trauma recovery strategy. "You're more resilient & resourceful than you think, focus on your strengths" is closer to a strategy, but still isn't comprehensive.

Strategy realistically identifies a problem & envisions a sustainable arc for solving it.

Even if you want to shift how you feel & function, you don't have to fundamentally change in order to "deserve" love or safety. You're worthy right here, right now, having changed exactly 0% of who you are. Change if you want to & if you choose to-- but know you don't "have" to.

Trauma or addiction recovery might very well mean defying what your family or culture expects from you, in terms of your gender, your career, your lifestyle, even where you live. Remember that NONE of their expectations are as important as your safety & stability.

None.

You can't tell a trauma survivor by looking at them, or how "successful" they are in their career, or how "together" they seem emotionally. Most of us have worked hard for YEARS to fly under the radar w/ our memories & wounds. I GUARANTEE you know more survivors than you think.

There is no such thing as "trauma processing" in the abstract. There is what YOU, specifically, need in terms of managing & detoxifying YOUR trauma memories-- which is separate from, but related to, rewiring the emotional & behavioral conditioning AROUND those memories.

Validation & relating to ourselves w/ compassion & realism are ALWAYS front line trauma recovery tools. They're never the "wrong" tools to use, even if a situation requires additional self talk, focus, or physiology skills to effectively manage.

You don't have to believe the events of your life amount to "trauma" to benefit from trauma recovery tools, skills, & philosophies.

Don't let labels or categories-- which are rarely black & white anyway-- distract you from developing effective life management rituals.