[femtenn]

Found this in a plant catalog and couldn’t stop laughing

[gremlininho]

[tanaquilleclercq]

Maria Kochetkova and Joan Boada in San Francisco Ballet’s Romeo and Juliet. Photo: Erik Tomasson.

[stuckinapril]

I think part of getting better is complete ego death. Like you’re not above setting a timer for 5 minutes and focusing on a task. You’re not above doing a very simple 3 minute workout to start. You’re not above reading for 10 minutes a day when you first get out of your reading slump, even if you used to read for hours. You’re not above starting slow and then building up to where you want to be/where you once were. What you are above is total inertia. Doing something really is better than doing nothing. Radically accept where you are, radically accept your limits, and go from there. Don’t let your ego get in the way.

[alongtimealone2]

Andrew Wyeth, Jupiter, 1994

[fairycosmos]

when avoiding the task doesn’t even free you from the obligation of it because youll still be thinking about it fucking constantly

[bedbugbiting]

My face is having uncontrollable spasms. Great. It hurts really, really, really bad.

I think part of why I have trouble explaining pain to the doctor is when they ask about the pain scale I always think “Well, if someone threw me down a flight of stairs right now or punched me a few times, it would definitely hurt a lot more” so I end up saying a low number. I was reading an article that said that “10” is the most commonly reported number and that is baffling to me. When I woke up from surgery with an 8" incision in my body and I could hardly even speak, I was in the most horrific pain of my life but I said “6” because I thought “Well, if you hit me in the stomach, it would be worse.”

[bomberqueen17]

I searched and searched for the post this graphic was from, and the OP deactivated, but I kept the graphic, because my BFF does the same thing, uses her imagination to come up with the worst pain she can imagine and pegs her “10″ there, and so is like, well, I’m conscious, so this must be a 5, and then the doctors don’t take her seriously. (And she then does things like driving herself to the hospital while in the process of giving birth. Probably should have called an ambulance for that one!)

So I found this and sent it to her. Because this is what they want to know: how badly is this pain affecting you? Not on a scale of “nothing” to “how I’d imagine it’d feel if bears were eating my still-living guts while I was on fire”. 

I hate reposting stuff, but I’ll never find that post again and OP is deactivated, so, here’s a repost. I can delete this later, i just wanted to get it to you and I can’t embed images in a chat or an ask. 

[derryderrydown]

This is possibly why it took several weeks to diagnose my fractured spine.

[petralemaitre]

Pain Scale transcription:

10 - I am in bed and I can’t move due to my pain. I need someone to take me to the emergency room because of my pain.

9 - My pain is all that I can think about. I can barely move or talk because of my pain.

8 - My pain is so severe that it is difficult to think of anything else. Talking and listening are difficult.

7 - I am in pain all the time. It keeps me from doing most activities.

6 - I think about my pain all of the time. I give up many activities because of my pain.

5 - I think about my pain most of the time. I cannot do some of the activities I need to do each day because of the pain.

4 - I am constantly aware of my pain but can continue most activities.

3 - My pain bothers me but I can ignore it most of the time.

2 - I have a low level of pain. I am aware of my pain only when I pay attention to it.

1 - My pain is hardly noticeable.

0 - I have no pain.

[airagorncharda]

It’s also really important to get this kind of scale to people who have chronic pain, because chronic pain drastically lowers your perception of how “bad” any kind of pain actually is, and yet something like this pain scale is extremely user friendly. 

For example, if someone asked me how much pain I’m in at any given time, I’d say hardly any, and yet I’m apparently at a chronic 2.5, and it only goes up from there depending on the day. 

There’s also a similarly useful “Fatigue Scale”

[jedijenkins]

I haven’t been below a 5 on this scale for 4 years 

[nerdgasrnz]

Here’s the fatigue scale

[sunny-day-sky]

Fatigue scale image desc:

10: can barely move; can’t talk

9: can barely move; can talk

8: can move, but can’t do much more than watch TV

7: can watch TV and play a game on my phone simultaneously

6: can do work on my computer lying in bed

5: can get around the house, but definitely couldn’t go out

4: can run a light errand

3: can get in my 10,000 steps, making my fitbit happy

2: can do three or more activities in a single day

1: going clubbing!

[eruvadhril]

See also the Mental Health Pain Scale by Graceful Patient:

Mental Health Pain Scale transcription:

MILD

1 - Everything is a-okay! There is absolutely nothing wrong. You’re probably cuddling a fluffy kitten right now. Enjoy!

2 - You’re a bit frustrated or disappointed, but you’re easily distracted and cheered up with a little effort.

3 - Things are bothering you, but you’re coping. You might be overtired or hungry. The emotional equivalent of a headache.

MODERATE

4 - Today is a bad day (or a few bad days). You still have the skills to get through it, but be gentle with yourself. Use self-care strategies.

5 - Your mental health is starting to impact on your everyday life. Easy things are becoming difficult. You should talk to your doctor.

6 - You can’t do things the way you usually do them due to your mental health. Impulsive and compulsive thoughts may be hard to cope with.

SEVERE

7 - You’re avoiding things that make you more distressed, but that will make it worse. You should definitely seek help. This is serious.

8 - You can’t hide your struggles any more. You may have issues sleeping, eating, having fun, socialising, and work/study. Your mental health is affecting almost all parts of your life.

9 - You’re at a critical point. You aren’t functioning any more. You need urgent help. You may be a risk to yourself or others if left untreated.

10 - The worst mental and emotional distress possible. You can no longer care for yourself. You can’t imagine things getting any worse. Contact a crisis line immediately.

[kingspadedying]

These are so important! SO SO IMPORTANT SHARE THIS AND SAVE IT TO SHOW YOUR DOCTORS!

[krakenartificer]

Every once in a while this hits hard. I’ve been sitting here hating myself for how little I’ve done today, but according to this I’m at a fatigue scale 7 and mental health 4-5. This registers in my mind as “kinda tired”. I have chronic fatigue and it’s more than OK — it’s responsible — to remember to take care of myself when it flares

[byrneing]

today my therapist told me that sometimes negative feelings like guilt, anxiety, self loathing, etc are like the hiccups. they’re uncomfortable, we don’t like them, there’s no way to turn them off; they can even be incapacitating for a while. we don’t always know where they came from or when they’ll go away, so sometimes instead of focusing on why we feel a certain way we need to get better at recognizing its temporary nature, keeping perspective, and enduring discomfort. i feel like a lot of self-improvement rhetoric is about pinpointing specific causes for negative thoughts/behaviors so you can eradicate them, but people with chronic mental illness really need to work on allowing themselves to experience these feelings without going into a downward spiral.

[honoriaw]

thank you for this

I want to think on this

I think this may help

[softcore-revolutionary]

Lol I conveniently have hiccups now

[queerpontmercy]

my therapist often reminds me that “why do i feel like this?” can sometimes be a dangerous question to ask yourself alone and leave you digging through all the times you’ve felt guilty/rejected/ashamed before. it’s easy to spiral that way if you’re not careful. with practice, i’ve started asking myself “what do i need to get through this?” the answers to that one are a bit more useful in the moment, and the shift has also helped me be kinder to myself when these feelings come up.

[krakenartificer]

My therapist points out that the relevant question is not “what caused this?” It’s “what will make this stop?”

Now sometimes, of course, it’s difficult or impossible to solve the problem without knowing its cause, and in those cases “why is it happening?” is a useful line of research, but that question really only needs to be asked if the answer to “how do I fix it?” is “idk, maybe I could design a response strategy if I knew the root cause?”

But I definitely have a tendency to conflate introspection with self-care, and especially to refuse myself self-care if I can’t find a “good enough” cause. One thing both my physical therapist and my mental therapist are working with me on is the idea that I don’t need to know why my rhomboids are tight; I only need to know that they are tight, so I know what to stretch.

And yeah, if it keeps happening, then maybe we want to look into a root cause for why this problem keeps recurring, but

a) PTSD/anxiety brain thinks that all problems are permanent problems, and it’s just not true. A lot of the time — WAY more than I would guess — stretching the rhomboid (/ taking a nap / eating more protein / getting cuddles / listening to music) just solves the problem. Why was I dehydrated? You got me; by all accounts it doesn’t make sense. But water will just fix it.

b) even if it is a long-term problem, digging out the root cause will be MUCH EASIER if I have already treated the symptoms. Why do I keep getting exhausted in the middle of the day? No idea, but I’ll be much more equipped to figure it out after a nap. Why does my gum still ache two weeks after the dental work? Don’t know, but I’m much more likely to make good progress on that question if I take a Tylenol first.

So yeah. Look at the solution, not the problem

[noodle-shenaniganery]

I hate how often some (typically abled) people will go “well, if you can’t [get a specific support], then what?” when it comes to disabilities. As if it’s a “gotcha” moment. And then act like you’re exaggerating when you answer that question honestly.

Disabled people often die from a lack of support. A lot of disability aids are not a luxury, but a basic need in order to live.

“Well what happens if—” people die. People hurt themselves. People hurt others. Disabled people don’t magically become abled if our needs aren’t met.

If a bedbound quadriplegic is caught in a housefire, and there’s nobody there to save them, they’ll probably die. They won’t magically become able-bodied out of sheer will.

If a nonspeaking/nonverbal autistic is denied access to alternative methods of communication, they’ll suffer in silence. They won’t spontaneously become capable of speech.

Disabled people are disabled all the time. Our disabilities don’t go away just because they’re inconvenient, or if we’re in danger.

[voidoftheotherside]

This reminds me of how common it is to advise caregivers of disabled people to not support them in hopes they can be weaned off being disabled, which obviously doesn’t work and causes so much harm! For example insisting ambulatory wheelchair users use their wheelchairs less and less, or insisting people with food restrictions will eat whatever if we are hungry enough, both of which can lead to serious health issues! So thank you for putting the reminder out there, as you know disability education really saves lives.

[thickness-protection-program]

"just go to a food pantry"

"get a second job"

"start your own garden"

"stop buying name brand"

"don't get your nails done"

"learn to budget"

"live within your means"

Temporary individualistic fixes will never solve systemic issues! God forbid EVERYONE eats and not just me!!

[zemestoun]

study for "spring" by leon wyczółkowski

[quinntheestallion]

People who don’t do or create shit are always the most critical because they have no frame of reference. They severely underestimate how much energy it takes, how much fear and other psychic burdens need to be overcome, the sheer amount of relentless persistence, faith and self-belief it takes to put something, no matter how feeble and shitty, out in to the world.

It seems so easy just looking. “I could do that”. “I could’ve made that”. Well then do it. Look at the most feeble and easy looking creative work and then replicate it in your own way. And with no irony or hiding or joking- in all sincerity put your name on it - and show it to others. People you know in real life. As a representation of yourself. See how it feels. You’ll have a new appreciation and softness towards creative friends and strangers.

[an-na-ko]

TAKE IT BACK!!! YOUR CATS COMIC IS WONDERFUL!! NOW PLEASE SHOW PICTURES OF THEM THANK YOU 💜

You're so right...how can any comic about my cats be terrible! 😌😌 and YES OF COURSE

The legend herself.. in mysterious shapes..

And the sweet Tammy!

Here is Tammy sitting like she's waiting at the bar for her catnip martini after a long hard day

And here is Lucida Sans channeling her inner Whack-A-Mole

Also her bee toy that literally fell into pieces the night i posted the comic about her, so now i have to go look for another bee for her

[an-na-ko]

Saw it was make a terrible comic day today (June 24 2025) so meet my cats

[gettingintoknives]

Mary Oliver, from “the fourth sign of the zodiac” published in Blue Horses

[violence-infatuation]

David Cronenberg for W Magazine, 2025.

Interview by Phoebe Chen, photographs by Grace Ahlbom, and styling by Tori López.

[arwen-evenstar-archive-deactiva]

Excalibur (1981) dir.: John Boorman

[assessthatdress]

I was so distracted by that insanely sparkly veil that i saw this gifset like 5x before i noticed her gown appears to be made of assuit!

assuit (also called tulle bi telle) is a unique fabric which originated in Egypt in the late 18th c. that combines a mesh bobbinet base fabric (usually cotton, but sometimes linen) with an 'embroidered' technique where very thin strips of metal are interwoven by hand into the mesh, folded back on themselves and and creased flat.

the metallic designs are, by nature of the technique, very geometric and the fabric (unsurprisingly) had a moment in the 1920s, and for early movie costumes for stories set in ancient Egypt.