I have seen people who thrive under supportive parents. Instead of demanding parents that issue harsh reprimands and tend to be authoritative, supportive parents listen to their child and tell them gently and firmly that the behavior isn’t accepted and they work on teaching the child the right behavior over the wrong one. Treating people kindly is important because people never know how much hurt  a person is carrying inside.

I feel like sustainability applies to developing healthy coping mechanisms too. I had been trying to look masculine, I got so caught up in the physical appearance that I lost myself in an eating disorder. Over time, I began to realize with supportive friends and seeking out support online groups I began developing healthier coping mechanisms like deep breathing, yoga, listening to music when i’m stressed. As I learned and began to have places to express myself and enjoying nature along the way I began to loosen my views and began to not hold myself so tightly. I remember a passage that I read paraphrase here “you go out in nature’s forest and you see the trees. the trees come in all shapes and sizes. some are tall, some are short, some skinny and some broad. some have broken branches and some are whole. some are wavy growing while others are tall and straight. there’s many different shapes and sizes of trees you see and you accept and acknowledge each one for its beauty. you don’t judge them because you realize that perhaps the tall ones grew that way due to proper nutrients and the short ones grew that way maybe due to lesser nutrients; and the different trees might have different heights due to amounts of sunlight. you acknowledge them as they are without judging or trying to change them, you let them be in their beauty. then you walk out of the forest and began judging yourself- you’re too fat, you’re too thin, you’re too short, your hair isn’t right. ask yourself why you can’t love yourself more like and acknowledge your flaws like when you were observing those trees in the forest?” I felt this passage was very powerful and inspiring. I feel like I’ve been a lot less self-critical and been working on letting go of expectations allowing myself to be and appreciate the moment. Not depleting my energy with unhealthy coping mechanisms, being more sustainable with myself so I can continue on and breathe in the elegance of the in universe.