"Stop Saying 15 Year Olds With Weird Interests Are Cringe, They're 15" This Is True However You Should

Since I'm therapist-posting recently:

Legitimately self-compassion is the biggest mental health life hack of all time. I'm NOT talking about self-esteem. You do NOT have to like yourself one bit. You don't have to believe that you're a good person who deserves good things. You just have to believe that you're a person who deserves the things all people deserve.

You can't get from "I'm the Worst" to "I'm a worthy and lovable person" without passing through "I'm just a regular fuckup like everybody else."

Try it on. If you're really addicted to being mean to yourself, you can start by framing it as I'm Not Special. Embrace being a regular fuckup like everybody else.

I don't want to participate in cruelty. In meanness, in fear. Sometimes I do, because I'm human and hurt, but most of the time finding some kindness in my heart is what will allow me to endure this cruel world. One of my worst fear is the world hurting me so badly that kindness, trust, and love would not be accessible for me anymore.

I do everything in my power for that to not happen. When I feel my heart closing up, I fight to open it again.

ok so hear me out

I feel that you summarized in a single sentence everything I want to do with my writing, and pretty much what I want to do with my life the most. Thank you so much for that.

And cheers to all people who already do exactly that, and the ones who want to join. Let's have a guild.

My contribution, I hope, is to find the ideas that matter the most and connect them in a way that is highly actionable.

A compilation of my magical ocean-themed illustrations - all of these and more are available as prints until Nov 26th in my store here!

the phantom of the opera and the hunchback of notre dame? opposite ends of same spectrum 

Sure, you know how to self-flagellate, but do you know how to apologize? Saying "I'm a stupid idiot" is not the same thing as saying "I did something wrong."