Strongshape - Mishmash

“I don’t want you to save me. I want you to stand by my side as I save myself.”

— Unknown

you don’t talk too much. you aren’t too loud. you aren’t too needy. you aren’t too sensitive. you aren’t too this, or that. you aren’t too much anything. you will never be too much: you are you, and you are allowed to take up space. you are allowed to exist however you choose.

This is new to me. Sure, asking someone not to talk about certain subjects seemed obvious, but the rest? Nobody ever really told me what a boundary can be, nor did I feel like I could do some of the things mentioned.

This #SelfCareSunday wisdom comes from "Raising Good Humans" by Hunter Clarke-Fields (a book about parenting with some really great sections on mindfulness and self-care). I really love the simple way she explains setting boundaries as establishing what your needs are. This topic has been kind of tricky for me in the past, so I appreciate the reframing to help me understand it better. As I've made a comic about previously, my chosen theme for this year is being a cycle breaker, and setting boundaries plays a huge role in that. A hard cycle to break is "people-pleasing" and putting others' needs first at the expense of one's own well-being. I'm hoping to work on that this year!

“I’m not into convincing people I’m worthy. I’m into people who’ll convince me on my worst days that I’m still worth the world.”

— Reyna Biddy

Being misunderstood is difficult, but it’s okay. Let them misunderstand you. Be so unwavering in your commitment to yourself that no one can take that away from you. You know yourself better than anyone else does. They might never understand, and that sucks, but you can validate yourself even when they don’t. Give yourself the love and validation others won’t - you deserve it. The way you understand yourself is valid even if others see it differently <3.

sadness, grief, anger, etc. might feel comfortable because they’re familiar, but that doesn’t make them good for you. feel them, but don’t let them overtake you.

Schuyler Peck, Worth the Wait

I think the hot new trends for this summer should be reading comprehension and critical thinking skills