u/tarkovskyenjoyer

Hi. I am Indigenous (de Mexico pero vivo en EEUU) and I am working on becoming a better vegan. I engage with my Indigenous culture to the best of my abilities, though it's been more difficult as my elders have passed away and I can't go to Mexico as much. Anyway.

To Indigenous people:
I think if you don’t live on a rez/food scarce area, then there’s really no reason to not attempt to try veganism. Veganism aligns with indigenous principles and respect for turtle island/mother earth especially if you live in a colonized area (i.e. a big city in the US with ample access to food/grocery stores in every neighborhood, etc). However, I understand there is difficulty especially wrapped up in cultural traditions and such. However, the overarching part of it should be abstaining from giving money to colonizer companies who are wrecking our environment and exploiting our animal relatives (as you already know).

If you're Indigenous and vegan already... please share recipes with me!! I got some, too.

To non-Indigenous people (I think most of you on here):

(edited for clarity with the first paragraph)

There are some natives who are really OUT THERE, and they have a hard time getting access to food that can suit a purely vegan diet. I come from the southern part of turtle island, but Indigenous people who hunt their own food in remote communities (i.e. let's say whaling in the arctic) do their due diligence to respect the animal and honor what they were given. It’s much different than settlers approach to the meat industry and farming and such. Indigenous people typically view animals as our relatives/teachers/etc and make offerings/expression of gratitude when have to kill a living being for our consumption. For example, even with cutting a certain plant for traditional use, it's advised to leave tobacco or some sort of offering as a sign of respect for that living thing.

I live in a big city so I make the choice to be vegan because I am not reliant on hunting/gathering for food and/or living in a remote area like a Rez where fresh food is expensive and options are limited. However, I would likely just advise other Indigenous people who interested in veganism that it is a way to connect with the world a bit better and it's generally better to abstain from putting purchasing power into the agriculture system colonizers have set up on our stolen land.

If you come from a cultural background that profited off of colonization, genocide and oppression of indigenous people, please refrain from commenting excessively on Indigenous business. Indigenous people have these discussions already pertaining to veganism, I know I do and other Indigenous friends I have. If you want to be included, don't speak over us or criticize us with weird rhetoric. It might be a better idea for you to come correctly first with other colonizers and how animals/the system of agriculture built on our stolen land is detrimental.

Learning about Indigenous culture and giving money to Indigenous people is a good way, too. Go to a Powwow, learn about tribes in your area, and put money into our economy by buying indigenous made goods. Read books, take a class, watch a documentary, ideally made by and for indigenous people with their voices included.

I say all of this with gratitude. Thank you for reading.

In one week, after having an allergic reaction to the same medical care I use because I cannot afford to have a child, thus needing emergency removal (I do not recommend Paragard, btw), and then my dog of 12 years starting to collapse, being severely incontinent, and overall just needed to be euthanized is overwhelming. I'm dealing with it accordingly so I can actually address what I need to address because 1) life is too short to be underpaid to neglect my body and my family, and 2) if i don't address these things, there is no capacity for me to actually devote my time and energy to my boss or any job, actually.

My boss underpays their workers, at a non-profit (surprise, surprise); they are communicating to me that because I will be met with a "So, are you formally resigning?", that they are unable to hire responsibly to offer adequate coverage in the case of an emergency. If they can't show up for their workers, then i suggest improving that aspect instead of threatening my job security when life is painful and scary as is. It's not my problem they exploit us, paying us $18/hr minimum (I somehow got $20/hr) in a city where the suggested living wage is $32/hr, and have a high turnover rate.

Non-profit companies love the fact that we have invaluable skills and attributes that took years of compassion, dedication, empathy and resilience to acquire, yet kindly remind us that they will never extend those same values to their workers.

I'm good on that one. I'm gonna go walk my dog for one of the last times ever because she can barely make it around the block. I don't want that to be me as I grow older.

He told me he basically does a certain type of highly restrictive intermittent fasting and he is typically lower energy and incredibly thin. He mentioned a certain type of designer whose models looks a certain way and the first image the pop ups, the tag line is "male anorexia". He looks like me when I was anorexic.

I am at one of the "healthiest" mindsets towards eating and self-image I've been in by virtue of being in ED recovery. I really want to bring it up to him but I don't know how. I don't want him to feel judged or criticized. I love him and I want to do what I can to support him. I know the first step is being honest to him about how it worries me.

I also have a therapist but I'm curious about if other people have faced this and what you would do in my position. I am not at risk of regressing to my ED, I've done really well since we've been dating, but I'm just worried about the future for he and I. I get triggers sometimes and it's hard when you see your partner and something ED related is likely going on.

I think part of it is because he struggles with chronic pain and he can't exercise regularly because of it how he used to. He is trying to figure out how to exercise again that won't hurt his body. He's looking into a PT and I wanted to get a gym pass for myself and invite him along. He mentioned once that when he exercised more, he ate more and had more developed muscles. I told him I love his body no matter how he looks but I think he doesn't really know how to talk about the body changes and isn't able to be upfront about it. I just want him to be on track to be as healthy as he's able to be; he's supported me with my health stuff and I wanna reciprocate.

Hi there,

I have two accounts, one for Discover and one for a local credit union, that have been closed due to non-payments.

I recently started a job. I was in a really bad situation last year with life stuff, but I'm at a point of stability where I wanted to start thinking about rebuilding my credit.

I get paid soon; I could make like one payment now and then pay off the rest in the next payment by the end of September.

Is there anyway I could do a "pay-to-delete" agreement?

TIA

i'll keep it simple:

1. taking a class in something that i find interest in, in a low stakes setting/remotely
2. engage with my special interests and be kind to myself, treating myself like a little seedling who needs some water, fertilizer and some sun
3. accepting of the impermanent nature of life
4. telling myself "if i make myself ready for it, in due time, the thing i want will come to me easily." translated this into going from NEET to a 4.0 student (this could translate to other endeavors, perhaps a job, perhaps a club or hobby or organization, perhaps volunteering, etc)
5. practicing kindness towards myself and others as a radical act of preservation and survival as i started to come out of my shell and leave my house a little more, a little at a time
6. made some new friends from low-stakes volunteer/service work settings i participated; once it was a monthly basis, then a weekly basis, etc.
7. practiced vulnerability not only as something that reflects strength and resilience, but as an act of accepting other people in my life once i built trust over a period of time/i was ready to have deeper connections. practiced vulnerability and honesty with myself as well to give to others.
8. building a routine where i can rely on 1 thing, then a few things, then 5 things, etc that i will do each and every day so i know i can rely on myself to do those simple things to feel better. for example, making my bed, opening up the window and getting sunlight, listening to a new song, making one full meal, then two full meals, etc. etc.
9. being abstinent from substance use (YMMV but it helped me just remove a variable that complicated my anxiety and such).
10. treat every new day as an opportunity to be alive and tell myself i deserve the chance to get better
11. continually volunteering once a week so i can get out of my head and help people in extreme need (think homeless people on the street who have been displaced and are often living with a disability)
12. getting a part-time job where i can help people who struggle with things i struggle with and practice empathy in real time to make an impact in their lives

i was a hikikomori during all of 2025 and parts of 2026, after a loss in my family, being assaulted, leaning so heavily into extreme isolation and unhealthy coping with repeated trauma.

somehow, it is august and i recently got a part-time job. i didn't do classes until spring 2026. i joined an in-person support group and focused exclusively on building a foundation for giving myself grace, kindness and unconditional love, despite struggling to receive it from others who i trusted and had hurt me.

i am still trying to unlearn my coping mechanisms that rendered me fully as a hikikomori, but i am so grateful i recovered in small but steady and profound ways.

i was diagnosed with agoraphobia at age 16 so this is a decade's long process of learning, failing, trying again, etc.

best of luck to you all.

for clarification, i use she/her pronouns for Zadkiel because I had an imaginary friend when I was very little (probably 3 to 4) that I called Mercy, and I used she for Mercy. I have found myself thinking about Mercy lately, just really randomly. I connected the dots about some things related to Zadkiel and I think Mercy was just Zadkiel all along. I previously was not as interested in the veneration of angels, however, she's really called to me in some ways and I can feel her present.

Also, my favorite color has been purple/violet for a while now, and altruism/benevolence has really called to me in my life's path, especially with some of my career choices/volunteering. I think Zadkiel/Mercy has always been around (as well as the Creator) and I really want to make a conscious effort to connect.

I was wondering if there are books that go in-depth about further connecting with her. I'm trying to work on being better at letting go of resentments and practicing divine compassion and unconditional love. I have been struggling a lot with rumination, however, I started praying to Zadkiel lately and I just feel so much more balanced and way less resentful; not as "stuck" on things. I've been able to have really difficult conversations from a place of compassion, patience, etc. since I've been working with her through prayer/meditation alone.

Is there any insight on how I can channel my energy to work with her further?

I have an interest in fragrance used for spiritual contexts, so something like essential oil blends would be nice to wear/smell as a reminder of Zadkiel. I'm also interested in making some sort of altar for her to connect with her, as well as the Creator.

I'm open to any and all relevant interpretations/suggestions, as I am a perennialist/syncretist. Thank you.