Where Happiness Rests

True peace and understanding comes from within, first.

If one cannot address underlying causes of misery and depression, then the chains that bind us and keep us in that dark fortress cannot be broken. I have been there. I have cried my tears and blown out my candles to make it go away. This is what I have learned from surviving, and continue to learn each day. Love yourself first, the rest becomes easier – to seek help, to forgive, to let go, to be oneself.

Via Wordables (http://bit.ly/1La52kj)

New APA Guidelines for Trans* Health

For the first time ever, on August 5, 2015, guidelines have been adopted by the American Psychological Association (http://bit.ly/1HH6QMY) to reduce transphobia among psychologists and therapists. In this 31-page article, it is asserted, from the medical literature available today, that only trans-affirmative therapy and a solid understanding of the effect of minority stress on one’s mental health, as well as support from family & friends, will lead to a positive health outcome. Within these guidelines, it is suggested that using an interdisciplinary approach is the best option. This will allow for deconstruction of the binary approach that has been used in the past in favor of our new understanding, thanks to biologists, that suggest sex, gender, and sexual orientation are all distinct elements of a person, each with their own spectrum.

Via: MyTransHealth (http://on.fb.me/1JU9AN3)

Importance of Homosexuality

So, is it any wonder why we have so many children without a stable and loving family? This adoption occurs naturally in nature, and the amount of species that this has been observed in has grown from 500 to over 1,500 known species. Animals display a wide variety of sexual habits, including exclusive homosexuality, and shows just how diverse the spectrum of LGBTQIA individuals is. It’s time to recognize what’s normal, and the easiest way to do that is through the use of language that we have cultivated over thousands of years. What one has to say about themselves, their experience, and their place in the world matters far more than what any single person could interpret from an old dusty text that failed to predict any modern problems, let alone provide solutions to them. Treat everyone with respect. Listen to them without considering what you will say in return until after they have spoken their piece. Let people exist as they are, and be happy with how you experience life. After all, the only purpose to this existence is to die gracefully (and perhaps perpetuate the existence of the universe through observation, but that’s a quirk of QM that has yet to be solved).

Illustrated by: Jenny Jinya (http://bit.ly/1LVgosT)

 

Resources for the Ones Who Need it Most

Resources for the Ones Who Need it Most (http://bit.ly/1N1FhF8) is a blog post containing an ever-evolving list of resources to pick you up on an off day. These have helped me greatly in the past, maybe they will do the same for you.

via Tangibello (http://bit.ly/1DAAGI8).

A study of 14,000 US & UK adults, published in the International Journal of Obesity, has found consistent evidence that “perceiving oneself as being overweight was associated with increased weight gain,” regardless of truth. Essentially, societal focus, such as in the form of fat shaming, can induce stress and trigger comfort-eating as a coping mechanism.

QED: Fat shaming doesn’t help anyone. It’s unnecessary. Don’t do it.

Via: Fat, Loud and NOT going away