i might get in trouble for saying this but feet are actually so nasty they belong in socks and nowhere near a mouth im risking my life to post this so plea
it’s also why we want people on space missions to grow their own food
even if we are aiming for the ability to cellularly grow meat, like a 3d printed ready-to-eat steak that never was a cow, we still want to use the tried-and-true method of growing our own plants
not just because hey free oxygen or aww cute lll friend plant companions
but because humans become extremely distressed if we can’t see or interact with plants, and we become depressed and lethargic. Even just looking at a plant – even a fake plant – reduces stress levels in humans
we don’t even do well in daily work conditions that don’t involve plants
we’re like little geckos in a jar with food and water
we need some sticks and leaves or we’ll lose the will to do gecko stuff
Humans have never lived fully under ground or in completely inclosed societies at any point in human history in part because we need a decent circadian rhythm from the sun and to see plants and breathe fresh air
But also because humans hallucinate and lose their minds if they are inclosed in something with structural insecurities, like we are legit predisposed to go psycho
So hear me out
Story plot:Everything is going fine with a fifteen year space mission
Everyone’s in good spirits, there’s plenty of food and resources, everything’s functioning normally
not to sound like a boomer but I miss when teen fashion trends where uglier. Seeing 15 yr olds w “instagram face” is just too much for me. lets all just put on too much eyeliner and wear poorly matching layers again.
push yourself to get up before the rest of the world - start with 7am, then 6am, then 5:30am. go to the nearest hill with a big coat and a scarf and watch the sun rise.
push yourself to fall asleep earlier - start with 11pm, then 10pm, then 9pm. wake up in the morning feeling re-energized and comfortable.
get into the habit of cooking yourself a beautiful breakfast. fry tomatoes and mushrooms in real butter and garlic, fry an egg, slice up a fresh avocado and squirt way too much lemon on it. sit and eat it and do nothing else.
stretch. start by reaching for the sky as hard as you can, then trying to touch your toes. roll your head. stretch your fingers. stretch everything.
buy a 1L water bottle. start with pushing yourself to drink the whole thing in a day, then try drinking it twice.
buy a beautiful diary and a beautiful black pen. write down everything you do, including dinner dates, appointments, assignments, coffees, what you need to do that day. no detail is too small.
strip your bed of your sheets and empty your underwear draw into the washing machine. put a massive scoop of scented fabric softener in there and wash. make your bed in full.
organise your room. fold all your clothes (and bag what you don’t want), clean your mirror, your laptop, vacuum the floor. light a beautiful candle.
have a luxurious shower with your favourite music playing. wash your hair, scrub your body, brush your teeth. lather your whole body in moisturiser, get familiar with the part between your toes, your inner thighs, the back of your neck.
push yourself to go for a walk. take your headphones, go to the beach and walk. smile at strangers walking the other way and be surprised how many smile back. bring your dog and observe the dog’s behaviour. realise you can learn from your dog.
message old friends with personal jokes. reminisce. suggest a catch up soon, even if you don’t follow through. push yourself to follow through.
think long and hard about what interests you. crime? sex? boarding school? long-forgotten romance etiquette? find a book about it and read it. there is a book about literally everything.
become the person you would ideally fall in love with. let cars merge into your lane when driving. pay double for parking tickets and leave a second one in the machine. stick your tongue out at babies. compliment people on their cute clothes. challenge yourself to not ridicule anyone for a whole day. then two. then a week. walk with a straight posture. look people in the eye. ask people about their story. talk to acquaintances so they become friends.
lie in the sunshine. daydream about the life you would lead if failure wasn’t a thing. open your eyes. take small steps to make it happen for you.
This is all really good advice for dealing with long term depression and anxiety. It’s not gonna magically cure you, but I’ve pushed myself to incorporate a few of these things into my day to day routine and it helps
i hate it when villagers in new leaf come to my house and i go out of my way to be there while they stare at my potted plant for 6 minutes straight, and they’re like “wow your furniture is so out of place” like keep your fucking opinions to yourself, i don’t come over to your ugly ass robot-themed house and call you an unwashed star wars fan, go tell that piece of shit blue otter what you think about my house maybe he’ll hire you and you’ll become the protagonist in the MTV home tour spinoff game you asshole
pro tip about relationships, you can call them all sorts of cheesy shit and they have to sit there cause they love u. i call my bf “lover”. if i ask him “whos the cutest boy in the whole world?” he has to stand there whole six feet of grown ass man with a news anchor voice and say “i am”.
i call my very Intimidating and Hardass butch girlfriend my sweet potato and she just melts
i love everyones replies to this post but this ones the best