Posts that make me feel

This side blog is a collection of reblogs and reposts (from outside of Tumblr) that touched my heart or struck a chord in some way.

[sacrificethemtothesquid]

I don’t know if I’ve spelled it out on tumblr yet, but I want to talk about The Mammal List. 

The Mammal List is something I came up with when I was in a mental health intensive outpatient program four(!!) years ago. The premise is that we are at our core animals, and if I consider myself the way I’d consider a pet cat, I’m much more likely to practice good self-care:

1. Mammals need food. Eat something! If the Hellbeast doesn’t pass judgment on a piece of cheese, neither should you. (She also eats anything small enough to fit in her mouth, so be judicious in that respect. Food is good. Lint is not.)

2. Mammals need hydration. Drink something! It doesn’t have to be water. It could be delicious tuna juice. You’re a discerning creature. I trust you. 

3. Mammals need sleep. Make a soft nest and let yourself enjoy it. Knead it until it’s comfortable. Let yourself rest as long as you need. Just existing is hard. You’ve earned a break. 

4. Mammals need movement. Take your precious body and do something. Don’t hurt yourself. Be kind.

5. Mammals need stimulation. Treat yourself to a new jingle ball or mousie toy. Get a bird feeder and stare at it. Let yourself really enjoy it. Play is in your nature.

6. Mammals need socialization. I know this one is particularly difficult these days, but if you don’t keep reaching out, you’re going to forget yourself and start biting people. 

7. Mammals need cleanliness. Nobody likes scooping the litterbox, but it has to be done. Don’t forget your own body. Make your fur shine. Treat yourself as the luminous creature you are. 

And most important of all: don’t feel guilty. This isn’t about deserving (although you do deserve it). You’re an animal and you need these things to survive, and I very much want you to survive. 

[youcancallme-b-deactivated20250]

[dreamgirlvibes]

[lifeinpoetry]

                                This body isn’t a trial run                                 for your real life.                                                         Take your life

                                in your hands. Make your hands useful                                 or you’ll be sorry.                                                          You say sorry

                                more than anything else.

— Natalie Wee, from “Ten Years after Diagnosis,” Beast at Every Threshold

[nightlyquotes]

“Conditions are never perfect. “Someday” is a disease that will take your dreams to the grave with you. If it’s important to you, and you want to do it “eventually”, just do it - and correct your course along the way.”

— Tim Ferriss

[itallstartedwithakiss]

[inkflowergarden]

What if everything turns out for the best? What if it turns out way better than you could have ever imagined?

[largishcat]

[1-800-horrorfilms]

i think "it takes a village" shouldn't be just "to raise a child". we should understand it takes a village to do literally everything we do. all day every day. without our communities we would not have drinking water or electricity or clean streets or food or shelter or anything. we cannot do any thing alone. we just can't. and with that comes the fact that you are not alone. you already have a community, seek to be an active part of it, you will feel better. reach out and thank them, they're happy to have you too. i promise. it takes a village to live.

[dragonsblowingoutbirthdaycandles]

your life is not an optimization problem

[dragonsblowingoutbirthdaycandles]

as in you'll never achieve the perfect daily routine, sleep schedule, coping mechanisms, mannerisms, fashion sense etc. even after years and years of healing and improvement and self-discovery. you will never be so good at life that you manage to utilize every waking moment. its great to be productive and all but sometimes you'll suck ass. sometimes you'll take eight hours to be done with a twenty minute job. you'll prioritize the wrong thing. you'll sleep for 12 hrs just to avoid being awake. you'll relapse. and you'll relapse again. you'll forget to turn in the assignment. you'll order too little food. life is far too large and complex for you to even experience it completely, much less try to make sense of and control it. you can't. please give up on that and be at peace with the hours you lose. they are not separate from your life.

[suggestionsofkindness]

Here’s to everyone who was doing better, but has hit a rough period. It’s okay. You will be okay, you just gotta hang in there. Steps backs happen, and you are not going backwards. You still have your strenght and all that you have learned that can help you get back on your feet, and better days will reach you, right now you just gotta hang on and wait for the storm to pass enough for you to feel like you can get up and move forwards. 🌸

[human-power]

your mental illness is mean and it’s a liar. You are never as horrible as you think. People love you. You are worthy

[miseducatedmelanicmuse]

[miseducatedmelanicmuse]

[magicalgrldropout-deactivated20]

[miseducatedmelanicmuse]

[tendercherie]