#positivity queue

[healing-is-cool]

Hey, it's okay. You've been through a lot, your mind focusing on surviving, not leaving room for much else. You haven't lost yourself, not at all.

[bluest-fluff]

Super proud of you if you did something that was really hard for you that nobody else would acknowledge as an accomplishment. If you're struggling to take care of yourself and you brushed your teeth. If you ate some food. If you washed one single dish, or responded to one email, or called your therapist. It all begins with a single step. If all you could manage today was that one step, and you took it, I am so proud of you.

[kodaswrld]

shout out to regressors who lost their childhoods/ teenage years to trauma/ mental illness and feel like they'll never catch up or get to do fun things again! you still have time!! you are still young, there is the rest of your life to do all the things you wanna do!! if you’re 40 or whatever and wanna build sand castles at the beach do it! no one can stop you!!

reposted blog ~ credits

[somethingtocallmine]

By Katie Benn

[crimson--freak]

For Aromantic Visibility Day, I want to share my respect and praise for:

aros, arospecs, aros who rarely/weakly feel romantic attraction, aros whose romantic attraction grows or fades, aros whose romantic attraction spikes or fluctuates,

aros who previously felt romantic attraction but no longer do (for no reason, for nebulous reasons, or for specific reasons such as trauma), aros who never felt romantic attraction and never will, aros who may feel romantic attraction in the future, aros who look back on their “crushes” and realised those feeling weren’t romantic at all

aros who desire a romantic relationship, aros who don’t, aros who are indifferent, aros who are completely averse or repulsed

aros who feel romantic attraction only to fictional characters, aros who only feel romantic attraction to themselves

aros in romantic relationships, aros in non romantic relationships, aros who are nonpartnering, aros who are polyamorous, aros who use relationship anarchy to define their relationships

aros who enjoy the idea of romantic relationships but would not have one themselves, aros who do not want their romantic attraction reciprocated, aros who do not feel romantic attraction until someone else feels it first

aros who enjoy reading about romantic relationships, aros who write romantic relationships, aros who wish they could find anything other than romantic relationships in media

aros who are allosexual, aros who are neutral on sexual attraction, aros who don’t factor in their sexual attraction, aros who are ace or acespec, aros who are aplatonic or aplspec, aros who are anattractional, aros who are aspec in a multitude of different ways

aros who are loveless, heartless, lovequeer, amatopunk, voidpunk and several other “punks” relating to their stances on the idea of romantic attraction and love

you are all amazing people and you are not “broken” or “wrong” for not conforming to society’s amatonormative values. You are you, unique and marvellous, and that is what matters

[too-sxft-for-all-of-it]

agere polls -`♡´-☆

reblogs are appreciated for sample size! you can find all of my polls tagged with #sxfts polls!

(poll submissions are open, just send me the question and up to 12 answers!)

[just-positive-thingys]

Take what you need

💐A hug 🌸A moment to breathe 🌹 Peace 🌺 Hope 🌻 Love 🌼 Inspiration 🌷Motivation 🍁Comfort 🍂Healing strength

[anipgarden]

Un-Actions, or Restriction of Activities

This is my first post in a series I’ll be making on how to increase biodiversity on a budget! I’m not an expert--just an enthusiast--but I hope something you find here helps! 

There’s a good handful of ways you can help increase biodiversity in your yard that don’t require buying things--in fact, these may actually help you save money in the long run! They may seem small and simple, but every bit counts! Whether you can do these in totality, or just limit how often you do these actions, it’ll make a difference.

Not Mowing, or Mowing Less Often

Turf grass lawns are considered a monoculture, meaning they don’t provide much opportunity for insects to find habitat--so few other creatures find them enjoyable either. An expanse of turf grass is, in many ways, a barren wasteland in the eyes of wildlife--too exposed to cross, with few to no opportunities for food or shelter, leaving them exposed to blazing hot sun, freezing cold, or any predators that may be lurking nearby. A place to be avoided. The simple act of letting your grass grow unbothered gives a chance for wildflowers to grow, and for your grass to grow taller--providing more habitat for insects, which then provides more habitat to birds and other creatures that feed on said insects. Wildlife want nothing more than to skirt by unnoticed, so even leaving the grass tall along the edges of a fence or yard can help a little. Even restricting mowing to every other week, or at a higher blade setting, can be a huge help. If HOAs or city ordinances are fussy about lawn length in the front yard, you can likely still keep grass higher in the backyard. Or, you can create a ‘feature’ where grass is allowed to grow long in a specific area. If it looks purposeful, people are more likely to accept it. Not mowing under trees or close to shrubs not only leaves space for wildflowers to grow, but also means you don’t have to deal with mowing over bumpy roots and other difficulties. Cutting different areas at different times can be an option for letting grass grow long in some areas while still having available places for play and entertainment. I’ve seen some people plant flower bulbs when pulling up weeds, so in the future they'll bloom in early spring before mowing is usually necessary. This could be another fun way of adding biodiversity to a lawn without--or before you--begin mowing in spring.

Not worrying about mowing, or doing it less often, saves you in time, money, and energy. You won’t have to buy as much gasoline for your mower, and Saturday afternoons can be free to be enjoyed in other ways aside from being sticky and sweaty and covered in grass stains. In addition, you’ll likely be lowering your own carbon emissions!

If you do have to mow your lawn, I’ve got ways you can use your grass clippings to boost biodiversity later in the post series!

Not using pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, etc.

One of the next-biggest non-actions you can do asides from not mowing is using fewer fewer to no herbicides, fungicides, and pesticides in your yard. This’ll easily allow for more biodiversity. Allowing more insects and a wide array of plants to thrive will feed back into the entire food chain in your area. In addition, these types of chemicals have been tied to algae blooms, death of beneficial insects, harm to birds, fish, and even humans. Soil is supposed to be full of fungi, especially fungal mycelium that essentially acts as a network for plants to communicate, share nutrients, and support each other--fungicide kills that, and typically makes all other lawn problems even worse in a negative feedback loop. It may take awhile to see the benefits of avoiding these chemicals, but once you see it, it really is astounding.

However! I can’t lie and say that there haven’t been points where I needed to use pesticides at some points in my gardening journey. In these cases, try to use products that are organic--like diatomaceous earth, neem oil, etc--and use them accurately, correctly, and sparingly. Follow instructions on how to apply them safely and responsibly--for example, on non-windy days and during times when bees and other pollinators aren’t likely to be out and about. With some pests (read: oleander aphids, in my experience), a simple jetstream of water is enough to force them off the plant where they’ll be too weak to get back. Eventually, you should have a balanced enough ecosystem that no one insect pest causes a major issue with the work you’re doing to boost biodiversity.

If you can bear to, try handling pests manually. Squishing pest bugs in your hand is a pretty foolproof way to get rid of some problems, or spraying them with a mix of soap and water can do the trick on some insects. Alternatively, picking them off your plants and into a bucket of soapy water is also a valid option. You’ve heard of baptism by fire, now get ready for… baptism by soap?

But also! Try reconsidering what you consider a pest! Tomato hornworms are hated by gardeners, for devouring the foliage of beloved tomato, pepper, and potato plants. But killing the tomato and tobacco hornworm means getting rid of sphinx moths, also known as hummingbird or hawk moths! Hawk moths are vital to the survival of many native plants, and are sometimes even the only species that pollinates them. If you can bear to, consider sacrificing a few tomato plants, or growing a few extras, so we can continue having these beautiful moths for years to come. After all, they may not even do significant damage to the plants!

With that in mind, be friendly to your natural pest managers! Lacewings, ladybugs, praying mantises, wasps, birds, bats, and more will help manage pest populations in your environment! Encourage them by planting things they like, providing habitat, and leaving them be to do their work! Avoiding pesticides helps make your garden a livable environment for them, too!

Letting Weeds Grow

Many of the plants we know as 'weeds' are actually secondary succession species and native wildflowers. Milkweed was regarded as a noxious, annoying weed for a long time, and now people are actively trying to plant them after learning about the important role they play in our environments! Weeds are adapted to take over areas that have been cleared out of other plants after a disaster, so they're doing much of the initial work in making a habitat for other creatures. In fact, many of them will simply die back as the environment repairs itself.

An important thing to note is to please make sure that your ‘weeds’ are not invasive species. Work on learning how to identify native and invasive species in your area, and pull out what’s harmful to leave room for what’s good!

Don’t Rake (Or At Least Don’t Bag Your Leaves)

Many insects overwinter in piles of leaves that we often rake away and bag up in the fall and winter. By doing this, we are actively throwing away the biodiversity of our neighborhoods! If you can, leave the leaves where they fall! 

If you do need to rake, put the leaves in places wildlife can still access it instead of bagging it up. Move your leaves into garden beds to serve as mulch, or along the edge of fences to rest while keeping egg cases and hiding bugs intact and free to release come spring.

Leave Snags Where They Are

Snags are dead trees/dead branches on living trees. They provide an important wildlife habitat--many birds nest in them, or use them to seek cover from rain, and many insects will also live in snags (making them an additional food source for birds and other creatures). Tree cavities are used as nests by hundreds of bird species in the US, and many mammals use them as well, such as bats, squirrels, raccoons, and sometimes even bears. Some trees form cavities while they’re still alive, but in conifers they’re more likely to form after death. Crevices between the trunk of a dead tree and its peeling bark provide sun protection for bats and amphibians, and leafless branches make great perching areas for birds of prey to hunt from above. The decaying wood is home to insects and fungi, who then feed birds, mammals, amphibians, and reptiles.  Do check on the snags regularly to ensure they don’t serve a threat to any nearby structures, but whenever possible, leave them be! 

Keep Your Cat Inside

If you have an outdoor cat, consider making the adjustments to have it be an indoor cat. If you have an indoor cat, keep it as an indoor cat. Free ranging cats impact biodiversity through predation, fear effects, competition for resources, disease, and more. Keeping little Mittens inside does a lot more to help than it may seem from the outside.

That’s the end of this post! My next one’s gonna be on things you can add to your space that aren’t directly related to growing plants. For now, I hope this advice helps! Feel free to reply with any questions, success stories, or anything you think I may have forgotten to add in! 

[foreverrryourssss]

[healing-is-cool]

I hope it gets easier for you to live in the now. To remember that you're here, in the present moment, that you're safe, even if your mind is thinking of the worst case scenario. You will overcome every obstacle when they arrive, but right now, you can rest.

[filmnoirsbian]

[kodaswrld]

shout out to regressors struggling with their mental health right now or going through/ preparing for seasonal depression right now! you can get through this!! you got through it before and you can do it again!!

sincerely with love ~mama koda

reposted blog ~ credits

[somethingtocallmine]

[peevesiehasasideblog]

Aromantics on 5th June:

[too-sxft-for-all-of-it]

agere polls -`♡´-☆

reblogs are appreciated for sample size! you can find all of my polls tagged with #sxfts polls!

(poll submissions are open, just send me the question and up to 12 answers!)

[oscconfessions]

so much negativity in this poor blog ... so i decided to bring a piece of positivity and happy questions every once in a while ! i hope you admins dont mind! i’ll try showing up whenever i see things being too sour, tata~ 🎶

my first question to whoever is reading is, show me your favorite character and tell me about them! ദ്ദി(ᵔᗜᵔ) be it a canon character, an oc belonging to you or someone else, a recommended character... please tell me!

thank you for the attention yay ♡

-🦢anon

this is so nice!! i like mepad :) -🫒