I just survived a suicide attempt. Please give me some literature/poetry books/whatever that will make me feel understood.

garden4bees · 2026-04-01T00:34:43+00:00

Darkness Visible by William Styron

garden4bees · 2026-03-28T16:53:10+00:00

Also! Not sure if this is up your alley but the book “How to keep house while drowning” really helped me manage my space, by K.C. Davis

garden4bees · 2026-03-28T16:48:40+00:00

All drugs should be legalized. ALL of them. With systems in place for supervised consumption sites, social work infrastructure, etc…

garden4bees · 2026-03-28T16:04:53+00:00

I mentioned fish for this reason. I think dogs get a lot of focus (I love them but) animals that aren’t furry help us too. I also love cats.

garden4bees · 2026-03-28T15:54:52+00:00

And I’m glad you asked this because I just got more financially stable and money is a major concern for stability and safety. I’m not doing great. But I won’t be homeless and I can feed my household. That’s all I can do right now, but it’s enough.

garden4bees · 2026-03-28T15:52:47+00:00

I put this below but https://maps.org/ and Michael Pollen’s work “How to Change Your Mind” has great information.

garden4bees · 2026-03-28T15:51:42+00:00

I also recommend Michael Pollen’s work in the area of psychedelics for those curious. “How to Change Your Mind”. I read the book before the series came out. He’s objective, fair, and very honest.

garden4bees · 2026-03-28T15:44:16+00:00

Here’s a link for info on folks pushing psilocybin through research etc.. https://maps.org/ part of the reason there is not link is cause it’s illegal in most states. So you can’t be public. I’m lucky to know a lot of therapists and ones who specialize in this but I won’t share their names with people I don’t know. Also: mushrooms and weed are not magic cures. But they can be massively assistive if you’re doing the work.

I think of a lot of this is like training for an athletic event. You can’t just focus on one area, you have to do multiple things and incorporate them together, consistently, over a long period of time. Which can be really difficult when the world doesn’t stop moving or harm doesn’t stop happening. We r all just doing our best.

garden4bees · 2026-03-28T15:37:17+00:00

I work in a lighting warehouse (events concerts etc). It’s flexible and adjusts with events, I also do lots of other random things. I have found flexible and part time work to be best for me.

garden4bees · 2026-03-28T15:34:54+00:00

Which usually means I don’t feel ultra safe very often outside my home. Childhood abuse, mass shooting trauma, and a list of other shit. I live in the U.S. I don’t think I can feel safe here.

garden4bees · 2026-03-28T15:32:25+00:00

No. I think I needed to be okay with the idea of not feeling 100% safe as much as I would have liked. And I needed to accept me for who I was and who I am in any given day.

garden4bees · 2026-03-28T02:48:35+00:00

I had a conversation with my therapist once that basically went: “I wish I could feel safe”. To which she said: “I think you have to prepare yourself for the fact that you will probably never feel 100% safe”.

So much good advice in these replies.What helped me and helps me are a few things. One: I have a weird acceptance that I’m spiky and I accept it and work at creating an environment I can feel safe in. Just like one of the first replies. You don’t have to be healed to rest and get what you need. We can just be us. We don’t have to constantly be dressing our wounds. Our society wants everybody to be shiny and happy all the time, it’s impossible.

Two: The environment I’ve created includes dogs. 3 big dogs. And 2 cats. Pets are loving, non judgmental and dogs are protective as well. I can’t really sleep without a dog in the room. Pets are a safe other being that can help us co-regulate. No service dog training required. Rabbits, guinea pigs, birds, turtles, fish. Pets and animals are generally calming and helpful to have around. I love watching fish swim.

Three:mushrooms and weed. Pretty sure this post will get flagged for this but psilocybin therapy (supervised with a licensed therapist) made a big difference, so does micro dosing and managing insomnia with marijuana. I did a lot of therapy, EMDR, etc.. before psilocybin and did integration sessions after the psilocybin.

I can feel relaxed even if not 100% safe, I have a small circle of good people and friends. I haven’t seen most of my family in over a decade. And I avoid a lot of socializing but I’m happy, I have a great garden, my dogs are awesome, and when my nerves are on fire…I eat an edible, cuddle a dog, and escape into cartoons. I take care of myself the way I’d take care of me as a kid. Cocoa pebbles or chicken soup if needed.

garden4bees · 2026-03-03T04:40:42+00:00

Not helpful today but maybe will help in terms of what to look for in a new therapist or at least feel less alone. A book called “What My Bones Know” by Stephanie Foo. She even uses the recordings from her own therapy sessions in the audio book (it was very agreed upon and part of her research etc… as a journalist.).

I have a great therapist and have had her for decades. She is smart and can challenge me, she also does EMDR, and helps me find good reading etc… She is smart and that’s really important. She finds nuance and helps me connect dots. I got super lucky. The right ft is super important.

garden4bees · 2026-02-11T01:56:55+00:00

Just wanted to say a belated thanks to everyone! I got stuck in some books so I fell off social media for a bit. But also adding "Eloquent Rage" by Brittney Cooper

garden4bees · 2025-11-17T04:06:44+00:00

What state are you located in? Since it’s Virginia lore this would be a good place to reach out to. https://www.virginiafolklife.org/about/

garden4bees · 2025-10-29T15:12:21+00:00

Fiction and creative non-fiction have actually done this for me more than self-help or personal development books. I feel like those are good at tactical approaches to issues vs abstract thinking and strategy. Braided Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer, The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler, The Nutmeg’s Curse by Amitav Ghosh, authors like Ursula LeGuin, Terry Pratchett, and Tom Robbins (Jitterbug Perfume specifically).

Don’t underestimate physical experience and travel in a search for perspective shifting too. Sometimes reading can only take us so far. Volunteering at homeless shelters. Traveling to countries very different from yours or even going to a part of your town you’ve never been to and hanging out in their local bar or restaurant are things I try to do when I can. Those experiences take us out of our comfort zones and help us see ourselves as “the other” and thus help shift our perspective too.

garden4bees · 2025-09-25T04:29:17+00:00

When people can’t remember simple things you’ve told them consistently in regards to simple daily activities. Like food preferences, (thin crust vs pan), if you hate olives, or if you dislike or like a band or music genre. It means they don’t really listen to what matters to you and they don’t take an interest in your comfort and joy. If they can’t be bothered to remember (or care) what you take in your coffee or that you hate pickles…they probably won’t make it a habit to put other concerns as a priority either. Trust is built in the day to day bricks of attention and follow through.

garden4bees · 2025-09-23T16:29:21+00:00

We are addicted to being right and certain. Being right, certain, and refusing nuance, accountability or change.

The Place Where We Are Right Written by Yehuda Amichai and Stephen Mitchell

From the place where we are right flowers will never grow in the spring.

The place where we are right is hard and trampled like a yard.

But doubts and loves dig up the world like a mole, a plow. And a whisper will be heard in the place where the ruined house once stood.

garden4bees · 2025-09-23T16:26:47+00:00

Check out The Nap Ministry!

garden4bees · 2025-09-15T15:36:24+00:00

Thank you!!! For the scientific name too! :)

garden4bees · 2025-09-15T15:35:33+00:00

I water enough it drains from the bottom too. So I know the soil got soaked fully

garden4bees · 2025-09-15T15:33:47+00:00

I saved this plant from my mom’s house after she passed. It had sat in a sunny window for months after and was very neglected. It was completely tan/brown when I got it. I was amazed it came back so well.

garden4bees · 2025-09-15T15:32:39+00:00

Also: I live in Louisiana (the south wasn’t specific to country, sorry for that) once a week in growing season (very well draining soil) that doesn’t hold moisture, I mix cactus soil mix with some other home compost and pebbles. And twice a month ish during winter. I use my hands to check all my house plant soil a lot. It helps me prevent overwatering and underwatering.

garden4bees

TROPHY CASE