Hey everyone sorry for the massive post, but the Amazon rainforest has been burning for 3 weeks now, the fires are raging so strong that cities kilometers away have been darkened by the ashes, and even if it’s small I think we can all do something about it. Here’s some info I’ve gathered:
The current Brazil president, far-right Jaír Bolsonaro, is a climate change denier, he’s withdrawn a lot of the protections that were in place to keep the rainforest safe, and he’s in favor of exploitation of the rainforest, because of this, there is no official media coverage to make the information reach the rest of the world.
From Sunrise Movement:
Fires are being started deliberately under Bolsonaro’s rule to illegally deforest indigenous land, people have died in the fires already. The video shows a Pataxó woman talking about it https://twitter.com/sunrisemvmt/status/1164180958666469376
Because of the defunding of the organizations that would protect the rainforest and the lack of media coverage, it’s hard to figure out what to do to help, but here’s what I’ve found out:
date someone who is interested in you. i don’t mean someone who thinks you’re cute or funny. i mean someone who wants to know every insignificant detail about you. someone who wants to read every word you write. someone who wants to hear every note of your favourite song, or watch every scene of your favourite movie. someone who wants to find every scar on your body, and learn where they came from. someone who wants to know your favourite brand of toothpaste, and which quotes resonate deep inside your bones when you hear them. there is a difference between attraction and interest. find the person who wants to learn every aspect of who you are.
if you’ve been trained to to dislike yourself for enjoying anything due to years of being told you’re annoying clap your hands 👏👏👏
if I listed out every particular instance that was met with negativity enough for me to stop feeling comfortable talking about it, this comic would be like 50 panels.
I’m busy reading Their Story by Tan Jiu and I just felt this was really important. Sun Jing might be a little aggressive here but her point is still valid. People must learn to understand that it’s not the victim’s fault when they are attacked/pursued by predators and that they shouldn’t have to be the ones that are constantly on guard or having to make sacrifices in order to stay safe.
“i can’t do simple hygiene bc im depressed”
that’s easy babe! just do simple hygiene
Y’all always have to wallow in your misery instead of considering maybe, just maybe, the encouragement people like this give is just telling people to do one, easy thing instead of worrying about a whole routine. Can’t make yourself shower? That’s fine, just brush your teeth. Don’t have the energy to do your hair? Okay, just brush your teeth.
Making 1 small change that can start improving your mood leads to other small changes. When I couldn’t make myself shower I would make sure I changed underwear every day. And then I started using baby wipes to keep myself fresh. And then I worked my way back to trying to take showers every day. My record might not be perfect but I’m getting better.
It’s really unhealthy to keep the mindset that anyone who isn’t miserable and suffering under their mental illness or emotional problems doesn’t know what they’re talking about. Maybe they’ve just grown to learn how to love and care for themselves in spite of what they’re going through.
I don’t know what any of you people think professional help looks like, but when you walk in and say “i’m too depressed to do anything” they don’t just nod and say “well you’re broken forever i guess”. they don’t say “here take this pill and it’ll fix everything”. they work with you one step at a time and explain to you that you CAN in fact do simple things even though you’re depressed. it isn’t easy, but it’s not impossible, it just happens in small steps, but it isn’t getting any easier when you react to every instance of someone trying to help by refusing to listen.
It’s already been said but Jonathan only suggested brushing teeth and that’s it. Not a whole hygiene routine. Just brushing teeth.
From personal experience I can say recovery is one step at a time. You have to be kind to yourself. Celebrate your small victories each day, no matter how insignificant they may seem.
This is the difference between saying “I’m so awful, all I did was brush my teeth” vs. “I haven’t left my bed in a week but today I got to the bathroom and brushed my teeth!” As it becomes easier you can incrementally add on additional tasks.
I also think he is being genuine and thoughtful in his response. He is affirming and validating. He encourages you to be kind to yourself. And frankly, brushing your teeth is a super important task. The worst that will happen if you don’t bathe is that you’ll be smelly. If you don’t clean your teeth however, you can ruin them from bacterial damage
