"- The Dispossessed, Ursula K. Le Guin (via tobedoctors)A child free from the guild of ownership, and the pressure of economic competition, will grow up with the will to do what needs doing, and the capacity for joy in doing it. It is useless work that darkens the heart.
The delight of the nursing mother, of the scholar, of the successful hunter, of the good cook, of the skillful maker, of anyone doing deeded work, and doing it well. This durable joy is perhaps the deepest source of human affection, and of sociality as a whole.
"
“You cannot use someone else’s fire; you can only use your own. And in order to do that, you must first be willing to believe you have it.”— Audre Lorde (via onlinecounsellingcollege)
dc and american mutuals/followers, if you’re anxious and stressed due to the current situation, here are a few mental health and checkpoint carrds!
- https://checkpoint.carrd.co/
- https://comfortpack.carrd.co/
- https://mentalhealthhelpsite.carrd.co/
- https://mhresources.carrd.co/
feel free to add more links!
here are some more:
What if, and hear me out, people DO love you
Your coworker who loves when they get to work a shift with you, even if you don’t talk
Your cousin who’s relieved when they see you at family gatherings, who thinks you’re “the cool cousin” but hasn’t said anything out loud
Your classmate who thinks you have great taste, even if they’re too shy to speak up about it in class
Your childhood friends who remember you fondly
The waiter you tipped during a busy night
That person you complimented on the street
The little kid you waved to
The old woman you made small talk with
People love you, because you’re lovable. And you’re worthy of love. Even if it doesn’t feel like it sometimes
(Self depreciating comments will be removed at best, bluntly and remorselessly told to shut the fuck up at worst. Fuck around. I dare you.)
(via marchesamedici)
Ok, so…
Concept: Bright Academia ☀️
- Bookshelves trailing with plants
- “Everyone you meet knows something you don’t”
- De-emphasis of Western clichés
- Aromatic teas in colourful glass and ceramic cups
- Handfuls of colourful gel pens and brightly coloured notes
- Environmentally conscious studying
- Desks which are overflowing with leafy green plants
- Lighting!
- “No science without art, no art without science”
- Studying outdoors under the trees
- Spacious libraries and communal areas
- No elitism, no exclusion, no gatekeeping
- Handmade or customised personal notebooks
- Free sharing of books and information
- Mutual support
- Reading areas with stained glass and/or suncatchers
- Cozy knitted clothing
- Fingerless gloves stuffed with pens
- “A stressed plant will never blossom”
never underestimate the power of:
• owning up to your mistakes
• apologizing when you are wrong
• being yourself
• making a to-do list
• checking items off your to-do list
• treating yourself
• breathing in fresh air
• decluttering your space
• listening to new music
• doing deep breathing exercises
• prioritizing your mental health
• watching your favorite shows and films from your childhood
i may not know a lot abt life but i know it’s how keith haring said “touching people’s lives in a positive way is as close as I can get to an idea of religion” and how kurt vonnegut said “and I urge you to please notice when you are happy, and exlaim or murmur or think at some point, if this isn’t nice, I don’t what is,” and olga jacoby said “to leave a good example to those I love [is] my only understanding of immortality” and felix poswolsky said “I think we found the answer to the universe which was, quite simply: spend more time with your friends”
“I can do it later.”
This is a habit I’ve been trying to implement in my life lately to stop myself from putting off small tasks and it’s been working surprisingly well for me, so I figured I’d share in case it worked for some of you too.
Oftentimes, being confronted with a small, inconsequential task where time isn’t of the essence (eg: putting something in the garbage, wiping off a counter, etc.) will result in a little voice in my head saying “I can do it later”.
It’s technically correct, but not a very beneficial thought most of the time because of three truths I’ve come to accept about myself:
- If I already don’t want to do the task now, I’m probably not going to want to do it later either, and I’ll end up in an endless cycle of “I can do it later” until it never actually gets done.
- If I don’t do the task while I’m thinking about it, I might forget about it entirely and it’ll just become part of the environment and never actually get done.
- If I do ignore or put off the task, I’ll feel guilty about it the next time it comes up. Then I’ll be even less likely to do it because I’ve got the additional mental block of being frustrated with myself for not doing it earlier and I’ll avoid the task so I don’t have to confront those feelings.
So, what I’m doing instead is turning the thought “I can do it later” into the trigger to do the task immediately. As soon as the “I can do it later” voice pops up, that’s my cue; I take notice of it, remind myself of what I listed above, and reply with “but I had better do it now”.
I’ve found it works best for tasks that are in the immediate vicinity and involve just a single step or two, but if you’re able to apply it to larger jobs then that’s great, too! I was able to finally clean my bathroom sink and shower using this same method*.
(*Semi-related side note: I’ve turned cleaning into a simpler task by leaving my cleaning supplies out in the open near where it’s most likely to be used. Having to go and get something from a cupboard can completely kill my motivation but if the tools I need are right there, it removes a lot of steps and I’m better able to act on the “that needs to be cleaned” thought immediately before I even have a chance to consider putting it off.)
Saw this on another post, but I’ve found that setting alarms to do certain things (that will only take up to 5-15 minutes) actually gives me the prompt I need to just get up and do them. It’s like out of every hour I can be productive for those few minutes and then feel a bit more accomplished!
It doesn’t work all the time, of course. When I start hyper-focusing on a task, it’s easier to just snooze the alarm and keep putting things off, but I found it effective for a few hours at least.