Entering The Kingdom By Mary Oliver

a list of soothing things on the internet that i haven’t seen on other self-care posts yet

note: links with autoplaying sound are marked with italics.

zoomable version of xkcd #1110 “click and drag”: giant explorable black-and-white landscape filled with countless little details and treasures. (note: the first three panels disappear after you start clicking and dragging.)

keaton henson’s “procrastinate” page: click on different parts of the image to activate different sound effects and build a quiet lil song. all of the sounds are things like acoustic strings and humming and droning noises that layer together really beautifully.

bob ross’ “the joy of painting”: there are hundreds of full episodes on youtube (not all from this channel) and they’re all amazing. honestly, you don’t even need sound on the videos–you can just mute them, turn on some peaceful music, and watch a painting happen.

the colour my series: 5 simple flash games (or, more accurately, 4 games and 1 semi-interactive animation) about bringing love, hope, and color to a black and white dystopia. the third game contains horror and multiple jump scares, but the rest of the series is very optimistic, gentle, and loving. the tvtropes page (which i linked to) has links to and more detailed descriptions of each installment.

the nicest place on the internet: just a bunch of videos of people giving you a hug through their cameras while a lullaby plays in the background. it sounds cheesy but i find it weirdly comforting.

time lapse videos: the youtube playlist i linked to there has some really good ones, but you can search for others as well.

do nothing for 2 minutes: exactly what it says on the tin. just sit there, listening to the ocean, not touching your computer, for 2 entire minutes. there’s no punishment for stopping before the 2 minutes are up–the timer will just reset–but i definitely recommend waiting the whole time to really clear your head.

the thoughts room: type all of your thoughts, worries, and frustrations into the night sky, and watch them light up stars before falling away.

feel free to add your own favorite comfort/self-care internet things.

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How to stay sane during quarantine

I have chronic depression and executive dysfunction. I’ve also been working from home for a good few years now. I’ve learned a lot, so I think I have some advice to help all of the people that are now stuck at home for long periods of time.

1. Shower, change your clothes, brush your hair, brush your teeth, shave. Anything that you would normally do first thing in the morning to prep for school/work, you still need to do it. Our minds crave the routine, and your body doesn’t suddenly stop needing to be clean because no one is seeing it dirty. 

2. Do everything in your mortal power to keep the same sleep schedule you had before. For the absolute love of god. Set an alarm and stick to it as if your life depended on it. Fucking with your circadian rhythm is the #1 to make you feel like dog shit.

3. Keep a journal or at least a calendar. It helps the days matter. If you don’t have something concrete to look at each morning or night to remember the day and the date, everything starts to meld together. It fucks with your soul. And besides, you’re living through a historical event. If any time was the time to start documenting your life, it’s now.

4. Stay in touch with your friends. It doesn’t matter how, as long as you do. Discord is a go-to. Even Facebook works. There’s also Watch2Gether, where you can watch videos online with friends. 

5. If you’re religious, continue practicing your faith within the comfort of your home. Your God doesn’t care where you pray. They get it. It’s cool. This is especially important if religious gatherings were a part of your normal life. Right now, everything is scary. Find comfort where you can.

6. Pets are important. Take care of them well if you have them. Walk them or let them get exercise. Play with them. Cuddle them. You both are made healthier with the contact. 

7. Pick up a hobby you’ve always wanted to but never had the time or energy. It’ll let you feel productive and give you the feeling of accomplishment that school and work might.  And it’ll keep your mind engaged.

8. It’s tempting, but don’t binge watch or play. Don’t watch the entire SVU franchise back to back, or spend 12 hours playing Morrowind. You shouldn’t do anything for such a prolonged period of time. It turns something that should be a reward into the emotional and mental equivalent to junk food. If you have to, at lest cycle what you’re watching/playing.

9. Work out. You’re going to gain weight, that’s normal. It’s a drastic change to… well, everything, but especially your body. This is twice as likely if you eat when you’re emotional/bored. 

10. Fuck me, stop watching the damn news so much. Social media counts, too. Maybe check once a day, once every other day. You’re freaking yourself out for no good reason. The numbers aren’t so important that you need to know it every hour of the day. You don’t need to see what stupid things someone said or did. Our brains weren’t meant for this.

11. If you have the luxury, go outside. This is maybe one of the most important ones. If you live far enough from others, take a walk. Maybe bike. If you can’t, go in your yard and relax. If all else fails, open every window in the house. Homes can constrict you if you stay there for to long. It starts to feel like a prison, and you go stir crazy. No home should feel like a prison. 

12. If you have one, your therapist very likely offers online visits. Most state insurances that cover therapy/counseling also include online visits as an accessibility feature. Even if you don’t normally attend therapy, you may need it to combat situational anxiety and depression, which is just as important as their chronic cousins. 

Uh. Hope I helped. I’ve always sucked at concluding statements. 

Listen, I’m part of the generation that uses humor to cope, I love all the memes about 2020 just as much as you guys do. I laugh at the “we got the real roaring 20′s”, “we wanted 2020 to be a movie but we got the wrong genre”, “we really thought 2020 would be our year” sardonic tweets.

But to the people like me, who really thought 2020 would be their year?

Love, I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry you walked into this year with a smile and hope, and that smile immediately fell, and that hope was immediately crushed

I’m sorry that every day there’s something else, I’m sorry that you’re scared, I’m sorry that you’re angry, I’m sorry that you’re tired.

And I know, I know that you’re having a hard time hoping again. Trust me, I know.

But this year, Adam Castillejo became the second person to be cured of HIV

This year, James Patterson art up a fund to help Indie bookstores

This year, scientists finally managed to record the narwhal 

This year, White Storks have hatched the first wild chicks in 600 years

This year, the worlds largest open-air gallery was opened with paintings by individuals with learning disabilities

This year, an eleven year old skateboarder landed the worlds first 1080 degree turn

This year, scientists mapped the entire surface of the moon for the first time ever

This year, Sweden and Austria closed their last coal plants

This year, White Tailed Eagles are spotted flying over England for the first time in 240 years

This year, NASA launched astronauts to a US space station for the first time since 2011

To all the people like me, who thought 2020 was their year: We’re here. We’re alive. The world will grow. The world will heal. Maybe 2020 isn’t our year of stress free fun and memories, but it can be our year to learn and stand up and fight, so that next year? We get everything we hoped for.

Don’t give up, don’t leave. There’s a world waiting for you.

look, tomorrow you will wake up and feel a bit better, a bit calmer. you are going to figure things out eventually, it dosnt have to all be done tonight. take a deep breath, relax your shoulders, and get some rest. you will manage.

You know when you feel hot and you try to take a selfie but turns out you’re a hideous goblin? Cause same

v. important must remember !

This squishy is by far my best purchase of 2018. It’s the little things in life.