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Everything Is Awful and I’m Not Okay

Questions to Ask Before Giving Up

everything hurtsAre you hydrated? If not, have a glass of water.

Have you eaten in the past three hours? If not, get some food — something with protein, not just simple carbs. Perhaps some nuts or hummus?

Have you showered in the past day? If not, take a shower right now.

If daytime: are you dressed? If not, put on clean clothes that aren’t pajamas. Give yourself permission to wear something special, whether it’s a funny t-shirt or a pretty dress.

If nighttime: are you sleepy and fatigued but resisting going to sleep? Put on pajamas, make yourself cozy in bed with a teddy bear and the sound of falling rain, and close your eyes for fifteen minutes — no electronic screens allowed. If you’re still awake after that, you can get up again; no pressure.

Have you stretched your legs in the past day? If not, do so right now. If you don’t have the spoons for a run or trip to the gym, just walk around the block, then keep walking as long as you please. If the weather’s crap, drive to a big box store (e.g. Target) and go on a brisk walk through the aisles you normally skip.

Have you said something nice to someone in the past day? Do so, whether online or in person. Make it genuine; wait until you see something really wonderful about someone, and tell them about it. Continue reading Everything Is Awful and I’m Not Okay

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Love Your Body!

Your silhouette does not perfectly fill in the lines of the body on the billboard. So what?
Your silhouette is real, you are beautiful.
Your smile is unique from that of the Orbit commercial.
Your smile radiates character, you are beautiful.
Your hair is unlike any other’s — your hair furthers self-expression, you are beautiful.
Your skin tone lies on a spectrum of warm colors. Your skin radiates, you are beautiful.

Image via NOW Foundation

It’s Love Your Body Day and the OCRCC invites you to celebrate with us. Loving oneself is a radical practice in a world that teaches us to despise, resent, and harm our bodies.

Why should we take some time out to love our bodies? Love for one’s body translates into respect for your body. Respect enables you to be conscious of your needs, wants, and desires. With this level of self-consciousness, what you want in your relationships reflects a true understanding of self. Confidence and love for your body opens the way for honest communication with sexual and romantic partners. Setting and understanding boundaries, maintaining each partner’s individualism, and reciprocal respect transpire from confidently communicating yourself to your partner. So embrace your body and all that it encompasses.

Continue reading Love Your Body!