Life Tips - Blog Posts

Here’s the thing- you need to take care of yourself. When you don’t want to, when you don’t feel like it, when you don’t feel worth it.

Take care of yourself so you can take care of others. Take care of yourself to take care of others. Take care of yourself because no one else can, or will.

Maybe nothing is awful, but you feel kind of bummed, even if you can’t think of a reason you feel like this? Ask yourself:

Have I eaten lately? In the last 5 hours? Did I eat enough? It doesn’t matter if you’re not hungry, eat anyway.

When’s the last time I saw the sun for more than the time it takes to get to work/school/the mail? These things are shockingly important. It’s not just about vitamin D. You need to remember the outside world exists.

When did I last breathe fresh air? Open a window. Go sit on the sidewalk. Scream in the yard. Fresh air, even polluted city air, is necessary.

When was the last time I moved? Go for a walk. Dance in your living room. Sit upside down, or stomp your feet while sitting on your bed. It’s not about exercise. It’s reminding yourself you have a body. It’s grounding.

Best Advice I’ve Ever Gotten

Are you a stayer or a goer? Figure it out.

There’s no wrong choice, but it is a choice. Don’t waffle in the moment whether you should stick something out, or bail at the first chance.

My friend Cat stays. She likes the stability, likes working things out.

I’m a runner. First whiff of something wrong and I’m gone.

I’ve wished I didn’t have to run away from things. Work, friends, school. I was running away from home long before I recognized that’s what I was doing.

I’ve never regretted running away, though. I’ve always regretting staying too long.

*this is especially important: these days on Tumblr there’s a wonderful atmosphere of being able to talk openly about your mental illness or your struggle. And that’s great! But there’s a difference between sharing in order to help yourself and other people and sharing just because you have no other coping mechanisms. As much as you’re able, try to work on developing a different outlet. People aren’t qualified to be your therapist because they’re nice to you a couple of times. Please remember that they have lives too, and their job is not to make you feel better or pity you, no matter how difficult your life is. 

And last but not least: 

But… 

I really don’t have a way to better this. 

Your interests are your own. I can’t advise anyone to change their interests to fit in with a certain group of people - that’s stupid, and actually quite damaging to your sense of self. 

Instead, I would recommend that, maybe if you feel like your topics of conversation are falling flat with this group of people, you move on to other, greener pastures. There are bound to be places where your ideas mesh better with an audience. 

And of course - try to be considerate about what you say and how you say it. 

Sometimes, what might seem like a harmless comment to you might be a very discomforting thought to another person. I recently had a conversation on a forum with a guy who was telling me that his headcanon was that Pearl (from SU) would soon get a male love interest who loved mechanics and weapons next, and that would be her best arc, because she would finally get a ‘healthy’ love interest. 

His intentions were good, but he was entirely unaware of how cringey this kind of thing was to a bunch of (probably queer) people, who have spent their entire lives being told that the only ‘good’ character development for them would be to get a ‘male love interest’. No one wanted to be the jerk to say “fuck off, we don’t want that to happen” but everyone was answering him in a flat way, trying to discourage the discussion further. Instead of picking up on the hint, he bulldozed on, thinking he was having a ‘lively conversation’ which was, in fact, in its late stages of death. 

I know I’ll probably get a few messages to this saying: What about people on the Autistic Spectrum? Sometimes, people can’t pick up social cues or ‘hints’. And if that’s the case, it’s incredibly difficult to understand why you’re not having any luck communicating despite your best efforts. 

I feel that on a person level, please believe me. I made this infograph for THAT VERY REASON. Because I WAS that awkward kid who didn’t pick up on hints well. In fact, I still have trouble talking to people. If any of you have had the misfortune of being my conversational partner, you’ll know that I tend to be overly blunt and come off as very unfriendly. It’s something that I, myself, am working on currently in order to grow into a better person. It’s a struggle in progress, but I am aiming towards the progress side, and I just wanted to help out others while I was at it. 

collection of useful things tumblr has taught me:

even if you can't fall asleep, laying down with your eyes closed will still rest your body

you don't have to brush your teeth standing up

you don't have to do any chore standing up, from dishes to showering

you don't have to shower with the lights on

if you can't brush your teeth, flossing and a tongue scraper gets rid of plaque and bad breath

if you can't do that, mouthwash kills a lot of bacteria

eating "unhealthy" food is better than eating no food

you can make the same meal everyday for however long you still want it

some pills come in syrups or chewables if you can't swallow them

kids nutritional shakes can be a quick way to get fuel if you can't eat/don't have time

if walking hurts/exhausts you on a regular basis, canes and rollers are for you, no matter how young you are

we have free will—if doing something "out of the ordinary" makes life easier for you, do it

if you have even a dollar to spare, please consider donating to Alaikum's family.

they're a large family at only 10% of their goal to evacuate, and could use any help you can give!!