who are you and how did you find me

can you put that thing on a leash?

I heard this out as "When criticizing something, you must judge it for what it is, not what it isn't"

#this is why so many of us urge people to get a wider diet of stories

the oldest reblogs for this post that i can find are from january 2nd of 2013. this can has been getting kicked around tumblr for almost 13½ years now

And yet somehow this is my first time kicking it!

People who have a pervasive shit attitude toward everything are extremely exhausting to be around. No, this doesn't make you a bad person for having trauma or depression. You're allowed to go through hard times and lean on others for support. But there is a point where being negative and spiteful about things all the time is not only self-defeating but harmful to your relationships. There is a meaningful difference between talking about your struggles vs. almost pointedly refusing to engage with opportunities for positive experiences/emotions. The latter becomes contagious and fatiguing for people around you, because you're essentially expecting them to dig themselves into a hole, too. It can even start to feel like you're punishing others for enjoying things if you're not happy. And it's wrong.

Like my mother will often respond to a comment that's positive or happy by talking about how she's unhappy, upset, or angry about things, and she does it with a spiteful "good for you" tone. Absolutely nothing I say will get her to acknowledge that she's still being shown support and caring even if people aren't willing to be miserable with her all the time. It's a very unhealthy and emotionally immature trait. If this is you, I strongly suggest that you look at ways to improve your distress tolerance and consider the emotional impact you have on others. It is NOT others' job to regulate your emotions or fix all of the wrongs in your life for you. Other people's happiness or attempts at happiness aren't a betrayal.

The bottom line is that it does actually matter how you frame things, sometimes. A lot of the time. Are you committed to being miserable because you take some form of satisfaction in it, and is that maybe preventing you from being healthier and happier?