“It was a very ordinary day, the day I realized that my becoming is my life and my home and that I don’t have to do anything but trust the process, trust my story and enjoy the journey. It doesn’t really matter who I’ve become by the finish line, the important things are the changes from this morning to when I fall asleep again, and how they happened, and who they happened with. An hour watching the stars, a coffee in the morning with someone beautiful, intelligent conversations at 5am while sharing the last cigarette. Taking trains to nowhere, walking hand in hand through foreign cities with someone you love. Oceans and poetry.

It was all very ordinary until my identity appeared, until my body and mind became one being. The day I saw the flowers and learned how to turn my daily struggles into the most extraordinary moments. Moments worth writing about. For so long I let my life slip through my fingers, like water.

I’m holding on to it now, and I’m not letting go.”  Charlotte Eriksson

From “Online Peer Support-Fireweed Collective”

“Fireweed Collective offers an online haven that respects self-determination, informed choice, and the exploration and acceptance of different ways being in the world. We understand that a lot of emotional distress is the result of legacies of abuse and experiences of oppression. We foster communities that sit at the intersection of mental health and social justice. All of our online spaces are guided by anti-oppression principles and facilitation, center folks with marginalized identities, and are trans-inclusive.

Our community meets online in a closed group on Facebook where people with lived experience of emotional distress support each other within an anti-oppressive and social justice framework. This space aligns with our values and principles, is moderated and monitored by Fireweed staff, and has guidelines for participation which you should be familiar with before posting or commenting. Please respect that this space is closed to providers and family members and is designed for those with lived experience only.”

Also from Fieweed Collective: “Crisis Toolkit“:

“We’re so glad you found us. When you or someone close to you goes into crisis, it can be the scariest thing to ever happen. You don’t know what to do, but it seems like someone’s life might be at stake or they might get locked up, and everyone around is getting stressed and panicked. Most people have either been there themselves or know a friend who has been there. Someone’s personality starts to make strange changes, they’re not sleeping or sleeping all day, they lose touch with the people around them, they disappear into their room for days, they have wild energy and outlandish plans, they start to dwell on suicide and hopelessness, they stop eating or taking care of themselves, or they start taking risks and being reckless. They become a different person. They’re in crisis.

This page offers an assortment of resources that may provide perspective, comfort, and/or tools that could be of assistance to people experiencing various sorts of tough times.

Here is a really useful set of ideas and strategies that’s written for folks who are dealing with a mental health crisis Navigating Crisis:

• Navigating Crisis (as a printable PDF in English)
• Online Peer Support (Fireweed Facebook group and Drop-in Support Circles – These online spaces are meant to offer each other support within an anti-oppressive and social justice framework. It also comes with its own set of problems including issues of privacy and risk of being reported. Please respect that this space is closed to providers and family members and is designed for those with lived experience only.)”

From Awakin.org:

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  Go WithinRead or comment on an inspiring passage of the week, or our vast archive that spans all wisdom traditions. This week:

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  Go LocalJoin local groups in 60+ cities around the globe, where folks convene for an hour of group meditation, followed by a circle of sharing and a meal.

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  Go OnlineEvery Saturday, dial into our Awakin Calls from wherever you are — and engage with an inspiring guest speaker.