leo/jordan

Recovery, flat out. What it looks like to be recovered. And like. I get it — most of the systems who are far into their recoveries aren’t really fucking welcomed into the community as it is, since the community is so focused on reaching recovery. Not what comes after.

I want to see more about what recovery looks like for people. What their goals are (no, I don’t mean FF or FM, I mean what tangible goals are being held, small progress step by step). I want to see recovered systems discussing what’s changed for them, and how they managed it for themselves. I want more discussion of what happens when stress occurs and you split late into recovery, and how to handle that.

❤are you medically recognised/diagnosed? if not, do you plan to? (no judgement either way!)

🧡if you are comfortable sharing, what is your headcount? do you keep track of it?

💛do you switch frequently or do you go longer periods between switching?

💚does your system have introjects of any kind?

💙do you have any subsystems?

💜who are your frequent fronters?

🤎do you have any non-human alters? if yes, which species are they?

🖤do you make/buy gifts to other alters in the system?

🤍does the taste in music vary a lot between different alters?

🔴does your system have any type of in system relationships? (familial, romantic, platonic etc.)

🟠how much amnesia do you experience?

🟡do you experience black out amnesia?

🟢what does switching feel like for you? does it vary between alters?

🔵do you experience quick switches or does it take longer to switch usually?

🟣do you get frontstuck often? what do you do to try to get 'un-stuck'?

🟤do you ever not notice you've switched, and suddenly realise that 'you haven't been you' for a while?

⚫can you switch 'on command" or is that something that is hard for your system? does it depend on the alter?

⚪do you have a headspace? if yes, describe it! if no, do you want one?

🟥how easily accessed is your headspace? (If you have one)

🟧is there a place in your headspace where dormant alters go?

🟨do alters have their own rooms/areas in your headspace?

🟩is your headspace big, or smaller? is it complex/less complex?

🟦do you have specific alters that cannot access headspace at all?

🟪did you have to build your headspace over time, or was it just there?

🟫how did you pick your system name?

⬛how does your system handle in system disagreements in general?

⬜is there anyone specific in your system you don't get along with?

❤️‍🔥are you 'out' as a system to anyone? (online friends/partners etc. count!)

❤️‍🩹how good is your communication with the rest of the system? does it vary much between different alters?

“When my husband died, because he was so famous and known for not being a believer, many people would come up to me – it still sometimes happens – and ask me if Carl changed at the end and converted to a belief in an afterlife. They also frequently ask me if I think I will see him again. Carl faced his death with unflagging courage and never sought refuge in illusions. The tragedy was that we knew we would never see each other again. I don’t ever expect to be reunited with Carl. But the great thing is that when we were together, for nearly twenty years, we lived with a vivid appreciation of how brief and precious life is. We never trivialized the meaning of death by pretending it was anything other than a final parting. Every single moment that we were alive and we were together was miraculous – not miraculous in the sense of inexplicable or supernatural. We knew we were beneficiaries of chance… That pure chance could be so generous and so kind… That we could find each other, as Carl wrote so beautifully in Cosmos, you know, in the vastness of space and the immensity of time… That we could be together for twenty years. That is something which sustains me and it’s much more meaningful… The way he treated me and the way I treated him, the way we took care of each other and our family, while he lived.

That is so much more important than the idea I will see him someday.

"the voices tell me to go to bed on time"

"the voices said I deserve a little treat"

Ive been seeing some weird rhetoric being pushed of what alters "should" look like or what their purpose "should" be based on said appearance.

Dont try and force alters into boxes ever, but especially not based on the made up gender roles our society pushes and the misogyny the world burns with.

One of our caretakers is a man named King. He makes sure we shower, eat, sleep etc. Hes mostly soft spoken and while hes very sarcastic hes mostly a pacifist. One of our old anger holder/protector was a woman named Willow. She kept us safe but also fought for us as soon as she felt we were threatened. She was loud and outspoken and at some times insensitive.

I appreciate both of them so much, they both helped so much and made life so much easier to live.

My point stands however, dont criticize someone else's alters or your own for acting out roles that dont fit what you think they "should"

like yeah i know i can set aside an afternoon and sketch a still life.

but also i can, like. select a random marine creature from a hat and then research them and then spend a bit of time in the evenings and weekends over the course of a few weeks making a diorama.

or i can make an abstract sculpture out of scrap cardboard and masking tape, and then paper mache over it, and then paint it.

or i can draw something with markers and color it in with crayons.