#recovery lessons

[haleyincarnate]

In every ending there is a beginning I am willing to chase. In every beginning there is the fear of it all coming to an end.

Give yourself the time to mourn what was and then allow yourself to feel the bliss of starting anew.

[loveyourlovelysoul]

If you grew up needing to keep everyone happy and content in order to avoid excessive negative reactions or behaviours, chances are you need to bring this habit also in the other relationships you join. So anytime the other person is feeling down, you may start stressing over what you can do to make them better, if it was your fault (you may think this even if it objectively isn't possible -eg. this person has had a bad day at work and you don't even work with them- cause you were often accused or blamed for everything in the past), and may stress them even more to get answers to your doubts.

If it happens, try to remind yourself that it's okay to have bad moments and to feel sad: it's part of life as much as feeling good and happy. It doesn't have to be your fault (and very likely it's not) and you don't have to be responsible for everyone's feelings. The person you're dealing with is just a person as you are, and they cannot always be happy and hyped, they do deal with stuff aside of your relationship too (not to say that even if it was something about the relationship, you still can give them space and the ability to process the situation at their own conditions). Let them know you're by their side if they need support or to talk or anything, and then let them deal with anything the way they rather. You don't have to make anything better for everyone, it's not on you. Sometimes people don't need to be saved by you and that's fine.

[thepeacefulgarden]

[serenityquest]

[blueeyesfilledwithpassion]

Make Time 💙

You’re Worth It.💙

[littlemissemotionalandvalid]

You're always doing better than you think.

[in-tenebris-et-in-solitudine]

[kindnotestoself]

[Don't sacrifice who you are to make someone more comfortable.]

[safe-haven-safe-place]

[felineandhustle]

[drachenengel]

[loveyourlovelysoul]

Healing (being healed) doesn't mean not being triggered anymore, deleting trauma from your life, no more falling into mind traps. It doesn't mean you'll be perfect once you're done (there's no such thing as "perfection"). You may still fall into old mental pattern occasionally, you may still have triggers here and there.

In fact, healing means recognizing and accepting your emotional reflexes and needs, so that you don't have to let them take over cause you know you are the one in control. It means knowing you have other options to choose from when triggers hit you, that won't have you ending up in a burnout, overthinking or feeling overwhelmed by everything. It means you know you can choose your thoughts and reactions freely, without having to depend on your traumatized mind and what it wants you to think/feel (even if to keep you safe).

(for more)

[sincerely-sofie]

Want to read a short comic about creativity, hope, and mental health? Look no further!

This comic is titled One Panel at a Time, and is a piece I made back in 2020 about my experience being an artist diagnosed with early-onset schizophrenia. You can read it here, or on Webtoon and Tapas if you'd like!

[serenityquest]

[thepeacefulgarden]

[neuroticboyfriend]

for anyone who needs to hear it:

wishing someone who hurt you would suffer because of how unfair it is that suffering does not care what you have done... because maybe if they went through what you have, they would understand... is not the same as thinking someone should suffer because suffering for the sake of suffering is the correct consequence for wrong doing.

your anger/grief and the desperate wish that things were different are not the same as you genuinely believing pain/trauma/disability is justice towards bad people. feel your feelings. process them. let yourself be messy and know where your heart is. you have been through too much to deny yourself that.