Swiftie Support Group

Support group for advice, venting, and sharing your support and your stories to help others feel inspired and less alone♡ | index | Disclaimer: We're in no way certified in psychology/medicine. If you need professional help, check out our hotlines and self care pages for links to help in your area.

[starshein]

Listen up. There is literally an app that can help you avoid self harm and I don’t know why we aren’t talking about it.

Calm Harm can be tailored to your needs and will provide strategies to help you get past those crucial moments of wanting to harm.

It’s also totally FREE.

once again, it’s called CALM HARM

[ridiculouslyphotogenicsinosauru]

SIGNAL FUCKING BOOST

[saranghwa-deactivated20190606]

WHY WOULD YOU NOT REBLOG. IDGAF ABOUT YOUR BLOG THEME

[winwincity-deactivated20200412]

For anyone that needs this!

[cabinet-dude-deactivated2019091]

Please it’s gREAT.

[ownerofidaho]

This app is really great. Seriously.

[therearetoomanythingstodo]

They also have an app called Clear Fear for all of those who have anxiety!

It has a safety net feature where you can put in your contacts and call them from inside the app

It also tells you about the different kinds of anxiety so you’re not confused on what kind of anxiety you have

And it’s free!!!

[cidercidercider]

Reblogging again

[poptartsaysthatyouareloved-deac]

^^

[fairy-floating-flowers]

@bxnesdream 💖

[narcotic-dependent]

I’ve been self harming again recently, I’m 22 and I haven’t for years. So just downloaded this it looks fun🥺

[madsthenightowl-deactivated2023]

Stay safe everyone! You’re all loved 

[chibird]

A positive bunny to support you and assure you that you are doing a good job! ✨ Regardless of what the negative thoughts in your head tell you! 

Loading Penguin Hugs | Instagram | Patreon

[amargedom]

Hey you. Don’t give up.

[naturaekos]

[starshein]

Listen up. There is literally an app that can help you avoid self harm and I don’t know why we aren’t talking about it.

Calm Harm can be tailored to your needs and will provide strategies to help you get past those crucial moments of wanting to harm.

It’s also totally FREE.

once again, it’s called CALM HARM

[ridiculouslyphotogenicsinosauru]

SIGNAL FUCKING BOOST

[dissociationdays]

Grounding

WHAT IS GROUNDING?

Grounding is a set of simple strategies to  detach from emotional pain for example (cravings, self harm urges, emotional eating behaviour etc.) Grounding can also be a way of returning your attention to the outside world and away from yourself. In the case of dissociation.

WHY PRACTICE GROUNDING TECHNIQUES?

When you are overwhelmed with emotional pain, you need a way to detach so that you can gain control over your feelings and stay safe. As long as you are grounding, you are more likely to be able to overcome urges. Grounding ‘anchors’ you to reality.

Many people with PTSD and dissociative disorders struggle with either feeling too much (overwhelming emotions and memories) or too little (numbing and dissociation). In grounding, you attain balance between the two—conscious of reality and ability to tolerate it.

GUIDELINES:

§ Grounding can be done any time, anywhere and no one has to know.

·       §  Use grounding when you are: faced with a trigger, having a flashback or dissociating.

·       §  Keep your eyes open, look around the room, and make sure the light is good to stay in touch with the present.

·       §  Rate your mood before and after to test whether it worked. Before grounding, rate your level of

·       §  emotional pain, or your level of dissociation. Then re-rate it afterwards. Has it gone down?

·       Try not to make judgements or think negatively. The idea is to distract from the negatives.

·       §  Stay neutral—no judgments of good or bad.

·       §  Focus on the present, not the past or future.

·       §  Grounding is much more active than relaxation exercises and focuses your attention.

Grounding is deemed to be a better way of coping with PTSD and dissociative disorders than relaxation practice. As during relaxation the focus is too much within the body, which at the worst may bring on flashbacks.

WAYS TO GROUND

MENTAL GROUNDING

o   ♣  Describe to yourself in detail your surroundings: For example “The walls are white, there are three pink chairs and a blue sofa. There is a picture of a brown border collie on the wall with a gold frame around it.” You can do this out loud if appropriate, or in your head if you are in public.

o   ♣  Play a game like “Scattergories” in your head or with a friend or family member. Choose a letter of the alphabet and try and come up with as many examples of a category you choose as you can. For example C … Boys names: Christopher, Curtis, Carl, Charles etc.

o   ♣  Do an age progression. IThis can be particularly useful if you have dissociated or regressed to a younger alter or state. For example in my experiences I have an alter who is three. So I might say… Now I am four, I am at home with Mummy and Daddy and I can do (an example of an age appropriate activity) alone. Work your way up until you are back to your current age. This may not always work for little alters, but can help.

o   ♣  Describe an everyday activity in great detail. For example if you like gardening “I open the shed door and pull out the lawn mower, I connect it to a power supply and climb on. I turn the key and put it into drive….”

o   ♣  Imagine. For example make up a nice little story in your head, or out loud. “I am putting some roller skates on, and I am slowly gliding away from all my emotional suffering down a beautiful smooth lane, having fun listening to my favourite music LOUD!”

o   ♣  Say a safety statement. ‘My name is _________; I am safe right now. I am in the present, not the past. I am in _____________ the date is _____________.

·       ♣  Read something, saying each word to yourself. Or read each letter backwards so that you focus or the letters and not on the meaning of words.

·       ♣  Use humour: For example have a “Funny Memory Bank” where you store up your favourite witty moments for those detached, rainy days.  

·       ♣  Count to 100 or say the alphabet very slowly or very fast.

·       ♣  Repeat something meaningful to yourself, such as a prayer or quote. For example you could use the Serenity Prayer.

PHYSICAL GROUNDING

û Run cool or warm water over your hands.

û  Grab tightly onto your chair as hard as you can.

·       û  Touch various objects around you: a pen. keys, your clothing, the table, the walls. Pay close attention to colours, weights, textures etc.

·       û  Firmly stamp your feet on the floor, literally grounding yourself. Feel the tension of your feet against the pressure of the floor.

·       û  Carry a ground object in your pocket—a small object such as a rock, stone, crystal, bead, piece of string or cloth, or a stress ball that you can touch whenever you feel triggered.

·       û  Jump up and down.

·       û  Stretch reach upwards and pull yourself tall. Extend your arms, legs, fingers and toes.

·       û  Walk slowly, noticing each footstep.

·       û  Eat something yummy. Notice the flavours, textures and feelings that come up for you.

SOOTHING GROUNDING

·       ♥  Use Cheerleading statements, as if you were talking to a small child. For example “You are having a difficult time adjusting to these chanes, but you are doing so well. You should be proud of yourself.”

·       ♥  Think of favorites. Think of your favorite color, animal, season, food, time of day, TV show.

·       ♥  Picture people you care about. Even get a photobook made of positive pictures or pictures of people you love! Such a simple nice way to ground, and you can get A4 photo books at the moment from GroupOn for under £7!! (I in no way endorse them I just thought it was a good offer!)

·       ♥  Remember the words to an inspiring song, quotation or poem that you like or feel positively about. Maybe write out the words and decorate it for your wall.

·       ♥  Remember a safe place. Describe a place that you find very soothing it could be when you went on holiday to the beach, or walking in the woods. Or just a time you felt safe and peaceful at home in your living room or in bed.

·       ♥  Plan out a safe treat for yourself, such as a trip to a coffee shop with a friend, making a nice dinner or a bath with some nice toiletries or candles if you feel safe to use them

·       ♥  Think of things you are looking forward to in the next week. Perhaps schedule your time so you build some structure for chores and pleasurable activities. It can help to know what you are doing and also not just sit at home with nothing to do. This can cause difficulties.

WHAT IF GROUNDING DOESN’T WORK?

♠ Practice as often as possible. Even when you don’t feel overwhelmed or dissociative. This way it will come more naturally to you when you are struggling.

♠ Practice faster. Speeding up the pace gets you focused on the outside world quickly. ♠ Try grounding for a Ioooong time 20 mins at least, and then repeat !! ♠ Try to notice whether you do better with physical or mental or soothing grounding.

♠ Create your own methods of grounding. Any method you make up may be worth much more than those you read here because it is yours.

♠ Start grounding early in a negative mood cycle. Start when you begin to feel the early warning signs of dissociation or when you have just started having a flashback.

[sheisrecovering]

Helpful Links:

what is self harm?

alternatives and coping methods

first aid for self harm

a guide for those who self harm

a guide to coping with urges

more alternatives

I want to self harm, what can I do?

hotlines

long term effects of self harm

read others’ stories

scars and treatments

using sex as self harm

the butterfly project

recoveryourlife support community

Activities and DIY:

100 art therapy exercises

calming glitter jar

diy sock cat plushie 

reducing self harm worksheet

self harm workbook

positive journal idea by a follower

the ‘hurt yourself less’ workbook

zen and anti stress colouring sheets

Helping a Friend:

understanding self harm

supporting a friend who self harms

supporting a partner who self harms

Interactives:

100,000 stars

7cups self harm chat

blahtherapy

boosterbuddy app

disgruntle me

do nothing for 2 minutes

emotions wheel

make everything ok

neonflames

planetarium

rainymood

self injury chat room

[shoppingstars]

little things that can help you if you have bpd

i’ve been seeing a lot of topics like “how to deal with someone who has bpd” and it always bothers me, because there is basically no topics about how to deal if YOU have bpd. that’s why i’m making this post, in my opinion as someone who has bpd. feel free to leave other tips and comment!

buy a notepad and write about your emotions. in DBT (dialectical behavior therapy), used a lot to help people with BPD, they tend to help others to regulate their emotions, basing on some principles, like:

identify and classify emotions; usually, people with BPD suffered/suffer from emotional abuse and it makes harder for us to have a knowledge about our feelings, since we never had someone to help us in this aspect. if you have hard times dealing with your emotions, you can create a special organization on your notepad, basing on: what just happened that could be a possibly trigger to your feeling? (EVEN IF IT’S SOMETHING MINOR, for example, if your friend replied to you in a different way, if you saw an image that made you feel uncomfortable); what are your physical symptoms about it? (for example, if you feel butterflies in your stomach, you are possibly anxious); what does this feeling make you want to do? (for example, if you feel like you want to hit something, you are possibly experiencing anger). and, also, try to identify your primary and secondary emotions, for example, if a friend forgets about an event that you would go together, first you may feel anger, but this anger can be followed by frustation or sadness (secondary emotions).

how to “change” your emotions; after writing about your emotions and trying to learn about them, you can add a subject in your notepad about “WHAT CAN I DO TO CHANGE THIS FEELING”. your first thoughts may be pessimists, specially because borderlines are VERY impulsives, like “i should probably self-harm” or even “i should probably kill myself”, due to the intensity of bpd emotions, but right now, you have to think with your rationality. for example, if your friend is delaying to reply, you can think about the possibilities that are causing this problem: if they are busy, if they are having a hard time or if they just don’t want to talk right now. after thinking about the situation as a whole, you’ll ask yourself “okay, but what will i do?” and that’s why i think it’s important to create a list about what makes you happy and what distracts you, so everytime you have a hard situation to deal with, you can check on your list. “oh, i’m having x problem, but in my list it says that painting makes me happy, so what about painting something i saw today?”. if you don’t have anything that you like about, there is an app called Calm Harm, that can help you in self-harm situations!

increase and improve positive emotional events; i know that it’s difficult for us to focus on positive moments, but once you are feeling down, please try to write about what happened in your day that was a good thing. and when i say it, i don’t mean a BIG thing, it can be something like seeing a flower in your garden. write about your sensations when your experienced this moment and think about the possibility of living this moment more than once. for example, if i saw a flower and it made me happy, can i try to plant one, so i’ll see it more often?

apply pressure tolerance techniques; by distraction, self-care, improving the moment and considering pros and cons.

SO, in your notepad, have a space to: first, identify and classify your emotions; second, a space to write about how to change your emotions; third, a space to write about positive emotional events and fourth, write about what pressure tolerance techniqures you can apply to your life. 

practice saying no and saying what you need to the people around you; sometimes people with BPD tend to think that we are a burden to friends and family, and sometimes it’s not true. due to it, we often don’t tell what we really want. so, if you could, please, practice saying NO and what you REALLY need and want to people around you, even if it’s minor things. for example, if someone asks you to lunch with them, but you can’t/don’t want to, don’t let your abandonment fear decides what it’s the best for you, just say no, but not in the intention to hurt the other person. “i’m sorry, i really like you, but i can’t or don’t want to, since i have to do x thing/feeling x thing, but i really like you!”. when you say no, you can have a better idea about what you like and what you don’t, so you can start to let people know about it. for example, “hey! yesterday i said no when you invited me for lunch, so i realized i don’t really like going to public places, what about having lunch in my house next time?”

practice breathing techniques; intense emotions can lead us to panic situations or really bad physical symptoms. in stressing moments, we hold the air, increasing the level of carbon dioxide in our system, so the organism thinks we need more oxygen and make us breathe faster. the imbalance increases our heart beats, our blood pressure and the release of hormones such as adrenaline. i recommend ASMR videos to relax and you can breathe slowly, imagining a circle opening and closing, like the gif:

the post is getting long, so i’ll finish here! i’ll probably post a part two if you guys like! please leave a comment if it was helpful and i’m sorry if my grammar wasn’t very correct, english is not my native language.

remember that everything here is theoritical and it’s hard to apply these tips in your life, things will not suddenly change. but i believe in you and things take time, so don’t give up on getting better.

[kiss-my-piss]

Resources for Male Victims of Abuse

How to Recognize Abuse

**Emotional Abuse of Men

**Sexual Assault of Men and Boys

**Men Can Be Victims of Abuse, Too

**Domestic Violence Against Men - Know the Signs

**Information for Male Survivors of Sexual Abuse

**Help for Battered Men

**Battered Men, Battered Husbands

**For Male Survivors of Rape and Sexual Abuse

**Male Survivors of Incest and Sexual Child Abuse

**Help for Men Who Are Being Abused

Help Lines (Phone and Text Chat)

National Domestic Violence Hotline: [phone] (or 1-800-787-3224 for TTY)

National Dating Abuse Hotline: [phone]

National Sexual Assault Hotline: [phone]

National Suicide Prevention Hotline: [phone]

Domestic Abuse Helpline for Men: 1-888-743-5754 (US and Canada)

Hopeline Suicide Prevention Hotline: [phone]

National Hotline for Victims of Crimes: 1-855-484-2846

National Human Trafficking Hotline: [phone]

Polaris Human Trafficking Text Line: Text “BEFREE” to 233733

**1in6/RAINN Chat for Male Survivors of Sexual Abuse

Support Groups

**1in6 Support Groups

Male Survivor Support Groups

Pandora’s Aquarium - Chat (includes chats specifically for men)

Pandora’s Aquarium - Forums (includes forums specifically for men)

How to Find a Shelter

Domestic Shelters Search (shelter locator with filters to find shelters specifically for male survivors)

SAFE (located in Austin, TX, but states they can help people find resources/shelters in their area)

How to Find a Therapist

**Male Survivor Therapist Directory

Mental Health Services Locator

Resources for and About the Abuse of Kids/Teens

Love is Respect Hotline: [phone] (Hotline for teens)

Darkness to Light Helpline (Sexual Abuse): 1-866-367-5444

Darkness to Light Text Line: Text “LIGHT” to 741741

ChildHelp USA National Child Abuse Hotline: [phone]

Children of the Night Hotline (Children in Prostitution): 1-800-551-1300

National Runaway Safeline: 1-800-786-2929

Covenant House Nineline (Homeless Youth): 1-800-999-9999

Stop it Now Hotline: [phone] (for adults concerned about the welfare of a child)

Jennifer Ann’s Group (for teens experiencing dating violence)

Other Resource Lists 

(While I tried to include the most helpful resources I could here (i.e., resources that lend themselves to one-on-one communication, individual reading, etc.), there are plenty of other great resources, including regional resources, listed in these links. Some of the resources are specific to men and others aren’t, but they are all helpful for male survivors.)

**Male Survivor (regional, international, and online resources)

**Husband Battering: Men and Domestic Violence

**Help for Battered Men: Online Resources

**Help for Battered Men: National and International Resources

**Help for Guys: Help for Victims (some resources for men, many general resources)

[memes-to-show-my-therapist]

Umm hello I have literally zero self worth and I have no idea what to do about it??? (Also noticed you turned off anon feel free to ignore this message if you're like going through it TM and hope you're well 💞)

Hi, I haven’t turned anons off intentionally - I just don’t know how to turn them on in the first place lol. I might be behind the times or maybe mobile is just weird because that’s all I use, but I can’t figure out how to turn on an anon option for the life of me 😅

Self-worth (or lack thereof) is tough. It took me a long time to find any semblance of worth in myself. Something that has helped me a lot is being able to recognize my beliefs about other people’s worth and accept that I’m not an exception. Like I believe that everyone has innate value and worth simply because they exist, and I had to come to terms with the fact that I couldn’t logically count myself out of that equation. I can guarantee I would be able to find value in someone else who has been through and done the same things I have or worse, and that’s what I had to remind myself of that a lot when my self-loathing would try to play it as a double standard. There’s nothing about me or things I’ve done that makes me so much of an outlier in the world that my own beliefs about the value of existence wouldn’t apply.

I know that’s a whole lot of intellectualizing compared to the cliché positive affirmations in the mirror thing that so many people recommend. Repeating positive affirmations over an extended period of time can certainly help, and it does eventually change cognitive patterns. That was just always a bit too much for me to handle when I was deep into hating myself.

I saw this post and I actually sent it to a friend who was talking about hating themselves and feeling worthless. Aiming for self-love can seem like an overwhelming, unrealistic goal. Tolerance and neutrality towards yourself can be a more attainable or understandable goal - I know it was for me

[thatwasthenightthingschanged]

self-care masterpost: clean speeches edition

(psa 1: this was inspired by Kara’s aka tasyoungreckless tumblr post, I just thought it might be cool to add a few more to the list

psa 2: I also included video links to the speeches if I could find them because I personally feel Taylor’s words more if I’m watching a video)

when you hate yourself:

Dublin, Ireland, 07/29/2015 (text // video [only a part of the whole thing])

London, England, 06/27/2015 (text // video)

Manchester, England, 06/24/2015 (text // video)

Glasgow, Scotland, 06/23/2015 (text // video)

East Rutherford, NJ, 07/11/2015 (text // video)

Chicago, IL, 07/18/2015 (text // video [part of it])

St Louis, MO, 09/29/2015 (text)

when there are rumors/bad things being talked about you:

Cologne, Germany, 06/20/2015 (text // video)

Manchester, England, 06/24/2015 (text // video)

Detroit, MI, 05/30/2015 (text // video)

Ottawa, ON, 07/06/2015 (text // video)

when you feel alone with your pain:

Glasgow, Scotland, 06/23/2015 (text // video)

Amsterdam, Netherlands, 06/21/2015 (text // video)

Philadelphia, PA, 06/13/2015 (text // video)

Bossier City, LA, 05/20/2015 (text)

Raleigh, NC, 06/09/2015 (text),

Foxborough, MA, 07/24/2015 (text // video)

when you feel stuck up in having to be perfect/happy all the time:

Glasgow, Scotland, 06/23/2015 (text // video)

Amsterdam, Netherlands, 06/21/2015 (text // video)

Louisville, KY, 06/02/2015 (text // video) 

Cleveland, OH, 06/03/2015 (text)

Pittsburgh, PA, 06/06/2015 (text // video)

Edmonton, AB 08/05/2015 (text)

Los Angeles, CA, 08/21/2015 (text // video)

when you feel like past mistakes will forever define you:

Amsterdam, Netherlands,, 06/21/2015 (text // video)

Cologne, Germany, 06/20/2015 (text // video)

Philadelphia, PA, 06/13/2015 (text // video)

Charlotte, NC, 06/08/2015 (text // video)

Vancouver, BC, 08/01/2015 (text)

when you feel like everything is pointless and the bad days will never stop:

Philadelphia, PA, 06/13/2015 (text // video)

Tokyo, Japan, 05/05/2015 (text // video)

Las Vegas, NV, 05/15/2015 (text)

when you lost yourself:

Las Vegas, NV, 05/15/2015 (text)

Bossier City, LA, 05/20/2015 (text)

when you feel like you’re standing still:

Baton Rouge, LA, 05/22/2015 (text // video [part of it])

when you feel like you just don’t fit in:

Cleveland, OH, 06/03/2015 (text)

when mean comments on the internet get to you:

Montreal, QB, 07/07/2015 (text // video [part of it])

Atlanta, GA, 10/24/2015 (text // video)

when you compare yourself to others:

Los Angeles, CA, 08/25/2015 (text // video)

Denver, CO, 09/06/2015 (text // video)

when you think you’re not “enough” of something:

East Rutherford, NJ, 07/10/2015 (text // video)

Washington, DC, 07/13/2015 (text // video)

Washington, DC, 07/14/2015 (text)

when you feel like happiness is never a constant/always expect pain:

Santa Clara, CA, 08/14/2015 (text // video)

when you’re getting told you’re too much of anything:

Glendale, AZ, 08/17/2015 (text // video)

Columbus, OH, 09/18/2015 (text // video)

Nashville, TN, 09/26/2015 (text // video)

Toronto, ON, 10/03/2015 (text // video)

when you’re going through heartbreak/lost someone:

St Paul, MN, 09/11/2015 (text)

St Paul, MN, 09/13/2015 (text // video)

Indianapolis, IN, 09/16/2015 (text // video)

Nashville, TN, 09/25/2015 (text)

when you’re full of regrets:

Kansas City, MO, 09/22/2015 (text // video)

when other people’s opinions clatter up your life:

Shanghai, China, 11/12/2015 (text)

Adelaide, Australia, 12/08/2015 (text // video)

[somniae-deactivated20210626]

If you don’t have means to a therapist or mental health professional

Check out therapistaid.com. There’s worksheets there that you can download for free.

Of course it would be a lot more beneficial if you have a therapist to help you through it but not everyone has access to one.

It’s a free site where you can have free downloads of worksheets on many things.

If there’s something there that you think would be helpful, print it out and complete the worksheet on your own.

It’s hard to be accountable for yourself but at least there’s a way for you to have some insight and work on yourself.

[recovering-and-healing]

QUICK RESOURCE GUIDE FOR THE LGBT COMMUNITY

Some resources are good for everyone

Anxiety

• http://www.adaa.org/ • http://youth.anxietybc.com/ • http://www.helpguide.org/topics/anxiety.htm

Asexuality

• http://www.asexuality.org • http://www.asexualawarenessweek.com

Bisexuality

• http://www.biresource.net/bisexualyouth.shtml • http://www.bisexual.org • http://www.pflagcentralcoastchapter.net/uploads/BisexualityResourcePacket.pdf • http://queerdictionary.tumblr.com/

Coming Out

• http://www.thetrevorproject.org/section/YOU • http://www.hrc.org/resources/entry/resource-guide-to-coming-out • http://amplifyyourvoice.org/youthresource/youthresource-comingout • GLBT National Youth Talkline: 1-800-246-PRIDE (7743)

Depression

• http://www.helpguide.org/mental/depression_teen_teenagers.htm • http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_mind/mental_health/depression.html • http://us.reachout.com

Eating Disorders

• http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/find-help-support • http://www.helpguide.org/mental/eating_disorder_treatment.htm • http://www.eatingdisordersanonymous.org/

Family and Friends

• http://theparentsproject.com/home/ • http://community.pflag.org/ • https://www.genderspectrum.org/

Gay and Lesbian

• http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=730&Itemid=336 • http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=726&Itemid=516 • http://www.pflag.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Publications/Be_Yourself.pdf

Healthy Relationships

• http://www.scarleteen.com/article/relationships • http://www.breakthecycle.org/learn-about-dating-violence • http://www.thehotline.org/ • http://www.asexuality.org/home/relationship.html • https://rainn.org/ or call 1-800-656-HOPE

Homelessness

• http://www.ourtruecolors.org/ • http://fortytonone.org/ • http://nationalhomeless.org/ • http://www.aliforneycenter.org/

I Have A Crush

• http://us.reachout.com/facts/factsheet/do-i-want-a-relationship • http://us.reachout.com/facts/factsheet/maintaining-a-happy-relationship • http://gayteens.about.com/od/crushes/

In School

• http://www.stopbullying.gov/ • http://www.glsen.org/ • http://www.gsanetwork.org/ • http://www.campuspride.org/ • http://www.athleteally.org/

International

• http://suicide.org/international-suicide-hotlines.html • http://www.befrienders.org/ • http://iglhrc.org/ • http://ilga.org/ • http://www.iglyo.com/ • http://transactivists.org/ • http://www.oraminternational.org/ • https://www.nomorefearfoundation.org/faq/

Mental Health

• http://www.nami.org/ • http://www.reclaim-lgbtyouth.org/ • http://www.aglp.org

Out and Proud

• http://www.glbtnearme.org/ • http://www.outloudradio.org/ • http://www.transadvocate.com • http://www.genderfork.com

LGBTQ and Religion

• http://www.hrc.org/topics/religion-faith • http://www.pflag.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Publications/Faith_Families.pdf • http://www.transfaithonline.org/ • http://www.religionfacts.com/homosexuality/index.htm • http://www.religiousinstitute.org/lgbt-equality/

Christianity-specific

• http://believeoutloud.com/ • http://www.gaychristian.net/ • http://www.gaychurch.org/ • http://www.welcomingresources.org/

Islam-specific

• http://www.muslimalliance.org/ • http://www.imaan.org.uk/ • http://theinnercircle.org.za/ • http://mpvusa.org/ • http://www.well.com/user/queerjhd/

Judaism-specific

• http://www.keshetonline.org/ • http://www.nehirim.org/ • http://www.jqinternational.org/resources/jewish-lgbt-organizations/

Self-Injury

• http://www.helpguide.org/mental/self_injury.htm • http://www.siriusproject.org/alternatives.htm • http://everyoneisgay.com/self-harm/ • http://www.safe-alternatives.com

Sexual Health

• http://www.plannedparenthood.org/ • http://www.scarleteen.com/ • http://www.sexetc.org/ • http://www.aids.gov/ • http://youngwomenshealth.org/ • http://www.youngmenshealthsite.org/ • http://cdn0.genderedintelligence.co.uk/2012/11/17/17-14-04-GI-sexual-health-booklet.pdf • National Abortion Federation Hotline: [phone]

Suicide

• http://www.afsp.org/ • http://www.save.org/ • http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ • http://www.befrienders.org/

Substance Abuse

• http://www.samhsa.gov/ • http://www.drugabuse.gov/ • http://www.ihra.net/what-is-harm-reduction

TRANS* AND GENDER  IDENTITY

Gender Identity

• http://genderqueerid.com/ • https://www.genderspectrum.org/ • http://www.thegenderbook.com/

Intersex

• http://inter-actyouth.tumblr.com/ • http://oiiinternational.com/ • http://www.apa.org/topics/intersx.html#whatdoes

Trans*

• http://transstudent.tumblr.com/ • http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=731&Itemid=177 • http://www.imatyfa.org/ • http://www.wpath.org/

PLEASE REBLOG

source: The Trevor Project

[i-have-no-gender-only-rage]

Master Post of Calming Things

Things to make you feel better:

Make it feel like you are outside also turn on your volume

Talk you threw a stressful time

Automatic flatter 

Quick Distractions:

Draw Silk

Music Squares

jigsaw puzzles 

Sudoku

cookie clicker

Immediate Crisis Help

List of Hotlines - Crisis Hotlines by need

Befrienders - Find crisis hotline information for the country you live in

Suicide Hotlines - A list of crisis hotlines by country

International Rape Crisis Hotlines - A list of international crisis hotline directories

Lifeline Crisis Chat - Online chat help for people in a crisis

IMAlive - online crisis chat

Self Help

MoodGym 

Self Harm Alternatives

Self-help Anxiety Management App

Get Help

Find Therapist

Find a Psychiatrist

How To Help Others

Depression

Anxiety 

Eating Disorder   

Cutting

Suicidal

Panic attacks

Gifs:

watch the ball

breath in and out with the box

[redvelvetnegro-deactivated20161]

lol you ever feel like your presence is so easily replaceable in everyone’s lives. like, my general existence don’t really matter in the long run and I’m just filler.

[siavahdainthemoon]

Okay, but this is fundamentally not true, and I’m going to explain why.

So as human beings we are each collectively made up of all the things we have ever experienced, even those things that we have consciously forgotten, like everything before the age of three/four/five/whatever. I think everyone knows how damaging a single throw-away line from someone can be, how a handful of words can haunt you for years and years and completely alter your behavior/mode of thought. The same is true of positive things, although for some weird reason we seem to be more strongly affected by the negative. Thought for another post.

Anyway, so it’s like this;

The tiniest things each of us do has a ripple effect. Things we don’t even notice, ripples we’ll never see, but are still there. Someone who overhears a snippet of your conversation with your friends is amused or horrified or inspired to consider an entirely new opinion or idea. A stranger sees your bright red shirt and smiles because that color has some meaning for them; that moment of happiness can alter an entire day. Someone sees you reading a book they like and gets that glittery feeling of knowing someone else in the world likes the same book (I get this one all the time). Look, you know this, these tiny happy moments shift the axis of your entire day sometimes, it’s not super rational but there you go, if I see someone reading my favourite book on the bus I’m going to be smiling and have an easier time dealing with school that day.

Or maybe you were the quiet kid at the back of the classroom, and the person who always felt guilty for never going to talk to you ends up making more of an effort at uni and changing somebody else’s life. Maybe an opinion you expressed in class triggered a revelation in someone else’s head, set them down the path of becoming someone entirely different. One day someone notices that you never seem to eat lunch and spots a friend’s eating disorder because now they’re thinking about the topic. 

But let’s go back to the ripple effects, let’s think about a trail of dominoes. You smile at the person who makes you your coffee, and it’s this moment of relief, of shared humanity. You don’t even remember three seconds later but that person has an easier time dealing with rude customers the rest of the day. That person is then more patient with someone who’s having a genuinely horrible day, and that person goes away able to breathe a little better, and so on and on and on

Just from a three second smile

You hold the door open for a stranger, and they don’t say thank you but they catch their train/bus/taxi and if they hadn’t, at best they’d have snapped at more people that day and at worst they could have been late or missed something important. 

The sight of you in a crowd makes someone think of their son or daughter, and they call them, maybe they haven’t talked in forever but today they call.

The book you buy, the money you spend, affects the lives of hundreds, maybe thousands of people.

That throw-away comment you said to your friend, that thing you don’t even remember, is still in their head all these years later, the compliment or the insult, the show you made them watch, the doodle on their notebook, it’s all in there. Everyone you talk to is someone different because of it - minutely different, almost unnoticeably different, but it’s there, and you know what, you have no idea the effect wearing your hair in a ponytail today had on the world, you can go the whole day without talking to someone and years later someone will remember your silence, will watch for it again, will catch it in someone else. Your brothers and sisters will treat their children differently because they grew up with you, and those children will become people they wouldn’t have been if you’d never existed, and they will make their own ripples, down and down and down forever. Are you kidding, we don’t even have to be born to alter someone’s life, think of the enormous ramifications a miscarriage can have on someone, on a couple, on their friends and family, and tell me that somehow you breathing and dreaming and living, even if you live the most boring closeted minimalist life humanly possible, can have less of an effect on the world than that of someone who really wasn’t born.

Just because you don’t notice the effect you have on the world - even if the world doesn’t notice the effect you have on it - does not mean that there is no effect. You are not filler. We’re not all going to find the cure to cancer but the universe would be an impossibly different place without even a single one of us.

[recoveryisbeautiful]

Help! I binged! What do I do now?!

First, know your binge. What caused it? How could you have better handled it? What alternatives are there to bingeing? What KIND of binge was it?

Subjective vs. Objective Binges

3 Tips to Eat “Normally” Again

Brain Over Binge: How I Stopped Acting on Urges

Alternatives to Bingeing

10 Strategies for Overcoming Binge Eating

Advantage/Disadvantage Chart for Unhealthy Behaviors Printout

Now if you is you DO binge… because it does happen from time to time in recovery… here are 20 reasons not to hate yourself after a binge [x].

And here are some other posts that may help you after a binge:

Binge Recovery

How to Recovery from A Food Binge: 10 Steps to Feel Better

How to Recover from an Unplanned Binge

[epicene-street-light-deactivate]

7 depression tips and why they work, from someone who’s been hardcore depressed for two years

hi so im recovering from a really mean depression and there are some things i learned and that i would like to tell you. 

1. you need to reappropriate your space and time. depression is lying to you and generally shrinks your living space (aka: you spend your time in bed/behind your computer/in your room…). visit and do something (even if its just scrolling down social media) in each room you have access to. expand your perception and space, you’ll breathe more easily.

2. plan depression outfits. a depression outfit is a comfy one you still can go out in. to me, it’s old ripped jeans and a turtleneck, my old work uniforms, sweaters. dressing up is one of the most important parts of managing depression. first of all, you’ll feel less like pathetic with proper clothes on (nothing worse than staying in your pj all day). secondly, and it’s a crucial point: it allows you to get out to run some errands. imagine you have to go grocery shopping or to the post office. if you’re in your unwashed pajamas you’ve been wearing for three days or more (been there done that) what you have to do is to undress, shower (if you can), and put on real, clean clothes. which is three things. depression messes wih one’s ability to start things, so it’s very likely you’ll drop your errands and just stay at home feeling like shit. but if you’re already wearing clothes, you just have to put on a coat and get out of the house. which is, trust me, 10 times easier than doing the whole dressing up thing.

3. it’s okay if you stay the whole day in bed but force yourself to get up in the morning (anytime before noon) and drink a glass of water/juice. again, depression messes up with your ability to start doing things, but if you concentrate your will to just get up and drink something before going back to bed, i promise you’ll feel less shitty and might actually end up getting up for good since you’ve been through the trouble of getting up. You’ll feel better (and also you need water!)

4. do one (1) physical, material thing that will improve your life conditions per day. aka: washing a single glass, scrubbing the mirror, etc. you’ll feel proud of yourself, and the tidiest your environment, the less shitty your brain will be. plus, again: if you manage to wash a single dish, maybe you’ll find yourself cleaning the whole kitchen without noticing. and thats a good thing. no pressure: just do one single thing. and don’t beat yourself up if you can’t, of course, but try, it’s gonna be better that way. 

5. open the window (especially at night, i personally find it very soothing) and just… breathe fresh air, looking at the horizon or closing your eyes, and breathe in and out slowly. it’s great to take fresh air. bonus if you have anxiety/ptsd, honestly. opening the windows is one of the easiest ways i know to stop a panic attack.

6. brush your teeth everyday, even if it’s the only thing you manage to do. i know every depression guide recommends it, but it’s really important. not showering for a few days is okay, you’re not gonna get sick that way. but dental hygiene is capital. not to mention you’ll feel less rotting in the inside if you’re less rotting in the outside. you can use your phone to schedule your teeth brushing of the day! really helps. 

7. think about your hobbies and force yourself to do something related to an old hobby of yours. i know it’s no fun. i know you can’t feel anything, so why bother? but really, do bother. do it and eventually as you recover it will be fun again. you haven’t lost your passion, your goals, your motivation. it’s still there, but depression is like a blanket that covers it all. forcing yourself to still act on your hobbies (especially if those are not screen-related: books, gardening, etc.) will help digging through the depression layers to expose your will to live again. trust me on this one. i really thought i was just an apathetic mess, but actually depression was just mean. i believe in you! 

and finally: hold tight and it’s gonna be okay! recovery is possible, and it’s gonna arrive sooner than you expect. energy and motivation are good things and they’re still around here waiting for you! 

feel free to add your own! you’re all gonna make it i promise.