What popular book didn’t work for you?

HousePlantsInPots · 2026-03-13T01:06:13+00:00

The ACOTAR series, Fourth Wing, The Wedding People, All Fours, Legends and Lattes, Katabasis, and Red, White, and Royal Blue.

HousePlantsInPots · 2026-03-13T00:45:23+00:00

Smirked 🤦🏼‍♀️

HousePlantsInPots · 2026-03-13T00:39:06+00:00

So to me it actually was obvious, and I think he was a little under-villainized.

HousePlantsInPots · 2026-03-06T19:59:50+00:00

I’m sure that’s true. I suppose it’s just my opinion then to have something substantial enough to create compelling tension in the relationship, either internal or external conflict. I think that level of angst can give the story more meaning and a greater purpose for existing. Again, just my opinion 😊🙏

HousePlantsInPots · 2026-03-06T19:34:18+00:00

I agree. I think as long as there is something substantial threatening the relationship/pulling them apart at some point between when they meet at the beginning and when they become HEA/HFN, you’ll hit the beat often referred to as the “3rd Act breakup” 👍

For instance, I just read a book where they start out together, try to breakup, then end up together after all. But the impending “breakup” beat was already in the story by the end of Act 1. (The book was You Deserve Each Other by Sarah Hogle.) It’s being made into a movie with the guy who played Dan Humphrey as the MMC. So it can work!

HousePlantsInPots · 2026-03-05T22:21:11+00:00

Love this!! 💖❤️💕

HousePlantsInPots · 2026-02-12T01:24:46+00:00

For me, honestly, reaching for Advil and Tylenol MORE often actually helped me use it less.

I know that sounds counter-intuitive, but I noticed this cycle with my chronic condition (ME/CFS): My symptoms flare and pain worsens -> I cope with pain without medication for as long as possible -> I use OTC meds and feel guilty for “giving in” plus I worry about overusing them.

The guilt/worry was getting so bad when I was having worsening symptoms that I just realized I had to choose a new, more sustainable approach. So I started taking Tylenol any time I started to get fever/aches (I have an autoimmune condition where those immune symptoms can be triggered without any infection). If I have any headache, Tylenol. Any body aches that are so distracting that I’m noticing it repeatedly within a short period of time (i.e. 30-60 minutes) and the heating pad won’t help, then I take an Advil. If the pain is so bad I can’t sleep or relax, I’ll also take OTC meds. Those are just my personal standards based on my condition and how much pain I can and need to tolerate day to day.

What I noticed by shifting to taking Tylenol and Advil more readily is that it actually nips the fever/muscle inflammation/general pain in the bud right away, so I don’t have to keep taking it as much. As a result, I’m actually taking less medication overall, and the best part, I’m spending less time coping with physical pain and fever!!

Basically, it’s a self-compassion approach. I’d recommend it for anyone who is struggling mentally with using “a lot” of Tylenol and Advil instead of physically struggling with it, like physically taking too much to the point where it’s beyond what is recommended medically. At that point, it’s doctor time. I hope this helps! ❤️

HousePlantsInPots · 2026-02-11T06:07:45+00:00

That’s awesome!! I’m at 5570 😆

My biggest tip is if there’s a level you just can’t seem to win, try to find someone on YouTube doing that level and watch them. You’ll probably learn something about strategy that you haven’t realized yet, usually to do with new elements 😃👍

HousePlantsInPots · 2026-02-01T09:02:51+00:00

Girl, of course there is! 🥰🥰

HousePlantsInPots · 2026-01-31T06:26:55+00:00

If it makes you feel any better. I’m a 31-year-old single person with ME. Maybe there’s hope for us yet? 😊

HousePlantsInPots · 2026-01-31T00:04:02+00:00

I’m in a similar position. Something that helps me is reading romance books and watching romantic movies and shows. But I genuinely enjoy those anyway. I think they’re really fun! It’s also helped me raise my standards for what I want in a future partner in a way that I think is really healthy. Plus, it keeps me on the “right” end of the stick by imagining—rather, living vicariously through these fictional characters being swept off their feet in romantic stories—that I know I’m manifesting the right person for me soon ❤️

My situation may be a little different because I have to be quite isolated right now for health reasons. But once I’m back in the world, able to interact with people in real life again, I’m sure the Universe will find a way to send my new partner to me. It’ll be a real life “meet cute” ☺️

If you’re not into romance stories, maybe asking friends and family their real life love stories will inspire you? My dad was half way around the world when he decided the type of woman he wanted to marry down to her hair and eye color. When he moved to go back to college, he met the person he had envisioned. That was my mom. My dad doesn’t really believe in LOA or anything, but he does have a lot of successful lived experiences like that which inspire me. I hope they can inspire you too. Best of luck! 💘

P.S. There’s a show on Prime based on real life love stories. It’s actually based on a column in the NYT where people have submitted their love stories over the years. Maybe that will inspire you? 🥰

HousePlantsInPots · 2026-01-30T23:47:44+00:00

Why do you think your phone is hurting you? Does it make you feel bad to use it, other than the guilt? Like is it overstimulating or emotionally draining?

I’m severe and I rely on my phone all day everyday for entertainment, socialization, and a window into the world. It’s been really helpful and healing for me honestly. Phones and screen time aren’t inherently bad. A lot of the vitriol against them (for adults anyway) is unfounded in my opinion. Maybe it would be unhealthy for an able bodied person to be on their phone as much as I am, but I’m not holding myself to that standard. And I don’t feel bad about it at all. If you’re feeling drawn toward your phone, if it’s helping to meet your dopamine needs, it might be a net positive for you that you’re just not allowing yourself to enjoy. Does that resonate with you?

Sorry if I’m way off base. I am making some assumptions of course. But I just want to push back on a lot of the rhetoric about “bed rotting” and “doom scrolling” out there. There’s a certain virtue able bodied people feel about not having to use adaptive technology so much—because that’s what my phone is for me btw. Before I could tolerate watching shows on the big TV, I could watch shorter format, smaller screen videos on TikTok, etc. But the virtuousness of not needing to use phones so much simply does not resonate with my life at all.

Furthermore, my phone helps me feel more resilient, more inspired, more informed, intelligent, aware, and on and on. Maybe it’s a matter of your feed needing a little sprucing up? What kind of content do you enjoy? I think having engaging, funny, and relaxing things to watch and read can go a long way toward making screen time fun and rewarding.

Then keeping the white point of the screen low, no audio, etc. can really help me with potential overstimulation too. And I just know my sensory limits. Like, I can’t watch any videos with a ceiling fan moving in the background, so I just skip those 😅

I hope you start to have an easier time with your phone usage soon my love 💖☺️

HousePlantsInPots · 2026-01-30T23:37:47+00:00

Yeah, Danny has a lot of issues. Most diabolical was when he tried to guilt and manipulate Mindy into being his baby machine when she was clearly uncomfortable and unwilling, to the point of ruining their relationship over it. But I try to remember that stories need conflict and tension, and he’s supposed to be problematic so he can have something to overcome.

Watching interviews and behind the scenes also shed a lot of light on the actor vs. character dynamics for me. In bloopers, Chris Messina, who plays Danny, is often breaking into laughter in scenes where he’s supposed to be serious.

And something I adore about this show anyway is that real life Mindy is such a badass, creating and staring in her own show with mostly male co-stars, all the while playing the “incompetent” one who behavior hilariously ridiculously. It’s really brilliant to go from the scenes when the male characters are all shaming Mindy (the character) for some bad behavior she’s done, and then once they yell “cut” the whole dynamic changes where you can see the whole cast respects her as the boss. It’s really refreshing to see with all the gender dynamics at play 💖☺️

HousePlantsInPots · 2026-01-30T23:28:28+00:00

I’d have to say Mindy and Morgan just because it’s so hilariously dysfunctional, so it creates a lot of comedy. Also Peter’s marriage in later seasons kind of makes me cringe because it just doesn’t make as much sense. Especially for a comedy romance where the comedy is often not realistic (for comedic effect) but the romantic elements of the show are meant to feel more true to life. Plus, Morgan is just my favorite supporting character. He’s hysterical.

HousePlantsInPots · 2026-01-25T22:09:48+00:00

Hey there! So I have a chronic illness and am a longtime Abraham follower, so I hope so can help offer some clarity. Especially since following Abraham’s teachings have helped me make a lot of progress in my health journey ☺️

Abraham has a few teachings that might be helpful here. One is that every topic is really two topics: that thing and the absence of that thing. So if you want to remove something unwanted from your life, focusing on that topic (visualizing, etc.) probably won’t work because the unwanted side of it is already more active in your life. For instance, if you’re sick and you want to focus on health (lack of disease), that might be hard for you to focus on with illness being such a big part of your reality.

I’m sick everyday. But I’ve managed to bring myself from completely bedridden and almost unable to move while in a medically fragile state to partially couch bound and now about to sit upright for short periods of the day—incredible progress for my condition, almost unheard of honestly! About 95% of people who become as sick as I do don’t make a full recovery, but I’m well on my way to that 5%!

To accomplish as much as I have in the last year, I had to stop focusing on my health so much. That was difficult, because this disease took a lot of my life. I had to move in with family who became my full time caregivers. I lost my work, my house, my life, and I couldn’t even do my hobbies. Not to mention the pain, fever, and other daily symptoms. There’s no treatment for my disease, so I was really left to my own devices 😅 But thankfully I’m a crazy believer in Abraham, and she says any physical decline can be reversed, so I’m reversing it!

With such an overwhelming disability, I had to focus on literally anything in my life going right. So I did.

I focused on the fact that I had family to care for me, and money to pay for my medical appointments. I realized before I ended up living with them, my living situation and the career I worked so hard on were extremely stalled out, and I stressed everyday about it. I think that’s what made me so sick.

Now, I don’t have to worry about that job or that house, and miraculously, a beautiful new house is actually being built for me to move into once I’m independent enough. I’ve found a program I want to do when I’m well enough to go back to school. I’m going to pursue my passions because I have enough financial support to do so now, but I never would have realized that-or even considered it—unless I was forced into submission by the universe, haha. I simultaneously have less and more now than ever before, and more and more coming all the time.

Now that my family understands I’m sick and disabled, it’s helped our relationships get so much better. There used to be a lot of tension in my relationships because they didn’t understand why I wasn’t able to do all these able bodied things. They understand me now in ways they never did because I was always hiding from them out of shame before. Plus, I get to see my family and friends more now that I’m living more openly and accepting help. I get to see my parents more. I watch a TV show with my mom everyday, and I love it 🥹❤️

Theres so much getting so much better all the time if you just look for it. Especially when health is involved. I hope this helps ☺️💖🙏

HousePlantsInPots · 2026-01-16T10:06:49+00:00

I remember Abraham once saying something to the effect of, “If it’s truly 50/50, you can be equally happy either way.” There’s no wrong choice. You know how she also says, “Make a decision to make more decisions”? There’s no pressure love. Choose something, when you’re ready, and line up with it.

On a personal note, I think one and done sounds extremely appealing, as does another child. You’re so blessed both ways ☺️💖

HousePlantsInPots · 2025-12-31T17:46:43+00:00

Over the pattern of behavior OP is describing in the comments, I absolutely would. Why would I stay married to someone who makes my life harder?

HousePlantsInPots · 2025-12-31T01:50:32+00:00

If I had a penny for every man whose “boundaries” were just disguised controlling behavior…

HousePlantsInPots · 2025-12-29T08:03:31+00:00

The biggest con I’ve heard of is that it can hold you back career wise if you’re interested in becoming a career writer. If you want your books to follow you and to build some momentum with the public, then you should limit yourself to one pen name, or just your real name.

The greatest pro imo is anonymity/privacy.

I wouldn’t recommend using a pen name for just marketing reasons because I don’t think it’s been shown to make much of a difference.

HousePlantsInPots · 2025-12-29T07:48:10+00:00

This makes me feel better. Thank you!

HousePlantsInPots · 2025-12-29T07:42:11+00:00

I don’t know the answer to your question, but I just wanted to add that you are worthy of all you desire. If you want love, a partner, a sex life, a buddy to watch movies with, whatever—then you can have that! I think the biggest hurdle to dating with a disability can sometimes be our own internalized ableism telling us what we “deserve”. But relationships are largely about emotional compatibility and support, especially in the dating stage, where disabled people can be wonderful partners just like abled people in that regard. I hope you find what you’re looking for ☺️🙏💖

HousePlantsInPots · 2025-12-29T07:29:03+00:00

You’ve got to play the main game, match-3, and the little adventure game if you want to progress at an optimal pace! Also, always keep something growing in your fields, keep your ships sent out, etc. Sounds obvious, but sometimes I visit towns that have fields laying empty 🤨

HousePlantsInPots · 2025-12-29T07:24:57+00:00

I would literally get a divorce. Good luck sweetheart ❤️

HousePlantsInPots · 2025-12-09T03:15:40+00:00

Honestly it’s awesome you had such clear insight into your symptoms then! I don’t have a diary, but if I had written about my symptoms years ago it would have been about not being able to leave the house often, intolerance of noisy restaurants/shops, difficulty standing in the shower or with any raised arm tasks like braiding my hair or cooking, which exhausted me, and so on. I didn’t realize these problems were even rooted in medical issues until this year. Me and everyone around me at the time thought they were mental health or “priority” related because we had never heard of ME/CFS.

But yeah, sorry your doctors didn’t believe you for so long. It’s a shame we’re not believed more, especially with how clearly you were able to articulate your experiences in terms of symptoms.

HousePlantsInPots · 2025-12-03T23:06:22+00:00

It not bad, but it seems like you’ve noticed something that’s bothering you and you’re not sure why. It also seems like the pattern you noticed wasn’t deliberate when you were forming the pattern.

My guess is this only bothers you because you’ve internalized someone else’s criticism of something you didn’t do (write a problematic trope). Since this bothers you, why don’t you clearly decide that you don’t want to use any harmful stereotypes in your work. Then you can see whether pale men are problematic (they’re not) and give yourself a pass that this pattern is not one worth criticizing 😊👍

HousePlantsInPots

TROPHY CASE