What brings you comfort?

[Shawna]

A topic I though of. I figured it would be nice to talk about and share the things that bring us comfort. I'll start with mine.

Self-shipping
I have mentioned on here a few times that I am a self-shipper. Some people think it is pointless to ship yourself with someone who doesn't exist in real life. With all due respect, they just do not understand. Even if our comfort characters and fictional sweethearts do not exist physically, they can exist spiritually. I wish people would understand just how fun and comforting it can be. But instead, anti-self-shippers focus too much on the negative and not enough on the positive. There are also a lot of harmful stereotypes about self-shipping: We are lonely, we are mentally ill, etc.

Sometimes people will even go as far as to pressure us into getting into a real-life relationship, without taking into consideration that some self-shippers are aro ace (including me) to real people.

I think if people opened their mind a little bit and acknowledged the positives, self-shipping would be more accepted.

Writing
As I have been talking about on here a lot lately, I have been having an ongoing passion for writing. It is one of the multiple reasons why I am looking to being an author. I find releasing my pent-up frustrating about society's' ignorance and insensitivity about certain topics (one of them being on self-shipping, actually) to be very cathartic. Other books I want to write topics on are ASD, LGBT, the problems with the school system, etc.

Not only is writing itself comforting, but when I think about being at a point where I can start publishing, it gives me hope for the world

Being reminded that I am not alone / having people to relate to
I cannot begin to describe how much this means to me. I used to feel so alone. That was until I connected with more people online and learned that there are people in similar boats as me. Hell, it is one of the reasons I want to be an author.
* To spread awareness
* To give people advice and support on topics that pertain to them
* I feel like writing is something I am good at
* Something I can take out my frustrations on
* But also because I know much having something/someone to relate to can mean to someone

 

[Croconaw]

• I love indulging in my favorite characters. I haven’t self-shipped, but I sometimes consider myself friends with the characters depending on who they are.
• I like listening to music, like my different Spotify playlists. I have different playlists themed to my favorite characters.
• As lame as it sounds, browsing this forum is calming. It’s a lot less toxic than social media.

 

[rosetti]

hot drinks!! whether it’s tea or coffee, I almost always crave a warm mug to hold or sip from, I struggle in the summer tho lol

plushies!! I’ll probably always and forever sleep with a cuddly plush next to me, it just feels comforting to hold and makes me feel less lonely

crafts!! drawing or creating mindlessly, I picked up crocheting recently and repeating the same stitch over and over is a nice numb process, sometimes I crochet with music or watching something but I’ve also brought it to social situations and it helps me relax

remembering that this moment will pass
!! if I’m struggling I need to know that it’s better to get my emotions and frustrations out instead of bottling them up and that I won’t feel like this forever. I’m lucky enough to have people I can talk to about stuff or they can help distract me

 

[Chris]

Baking - my brain shuts off when I bake. I find it the most effective distraction in the world.

Jigsaw puzzles - it gives me something to concentrate on. I find I need to be using my hands to be successfully distracted.

Lego - for the same reasons as the above.

Takeout food - my biggest weakness and it is impossible to say no when feeling low. My go-tos when looking for a pick-me-up are Indian curries, Chinese noodles, Turkish kebabs, chips & cheese, and McDonalds (nostalgia hit!).

Warriors games - Dynasty Warriors, Fire Emblem Warriors, Hyrule Warriors, Samurai Warriors, the list goes on. I always have a Warriors game on the go and they're my go-to when angry, sad, etc. There's something about tearing down thousands of peons that helps when I'm feeling small and useless.

Highland cows - I don't know how to explain this one. They just make me so happy! My partner bought me a Highland cow blanket and plush and they live on our couch.

 

[Goldi Locks]

Having a hardened criminal for a father and owning a scary looking guard dog.

 

[Mimi Cheems]

As a self-shipper myself.. I totally get it ;w; It comforts me and has brought me comfort for years.

Spoiler

My top self-ships being with Bucky Barnes (MCU), Jing Yuan (HSR), and Mikey (Tokyo Revengers).

Although.. aside from that, these things also comfort me!

My boyfriend; He's like home to me. And he always will be. Whenever I feel uneasy, or like everyone's out to get me.. I always have him..

Writing; It's one of my favorite ways to express myself. Whether it be roleplaying, poetry, journaling, fanfics, reader-inserts.. I love to write. I haven't been doing it much these days, but it's something soothing to me.

Plushies; I collect sooo many. I love them ;w; Holding one close to me when I'm anxious is just.. comforting!

Video Games; Especially ones I can spend money on.. oops. I have a very bad gacha addiction. But.. it's something that comforts me whenever I'm upset or mentally unwell. Spending money always makes me feel better ; ^ ;

ALSO my long distance bestie, @nyx~ ! I've met her irl about twice and she's so fun to talk to and be around c:
Even if it can be super awkward when we meet up irl, since most of our talking is done through text xD

 

[danmokun]

I find comfort in knowing that I'm not gonna die if I make one decision over the other. Well, you know, not counting life or death situations. It's comforting to me because I know it's not a big deal if I'm wrong or maybe regret a decision. I can always try again and if I can't, I learn from that mistake and next time, choices become much easier to pick. I like to assess things as being one way or the other; no uncertainty!

An adage that fits that sentiment is "Sit, walk or run. But don't wobble." Or if you like Star Wars, "Do or do not. There is no try."

 

[.: Meri :.]

My comfort characters/self-shipping – Me too!! Hence me calling them my comfort characters, anything involving my fictional crushes is a huge boost to my mood and emotional wellbeing. ;w; (And I have a ton of them oml.) I don’t care if other people think it’s “weird” or whatever, it’s harmless and does me a lot of good.


My personal OCs – Not so much characters I’ve written for stories (at least at this point in time), but I’ve found indulging in my self-insert characters and other just-for-fun type characters to be really fun and soothing. They've been a great way for me to get back into making art for myself too!


Gaming – It depends on the game ofc, but a lot of video games are a great way to get my mind off of things and clear my head. Minecraft & Rune Factory are generally pretty good comfort go-tos for me!


Decorating – In a broad sense, it can be as simple as “decorating” an online profile with pretty aesthetics or as real as putting up lights in my room and personalizing my belongings. It’s a very low-stress creative outlet and the end result is something that makes me happy to look at. c: Plus I find mini-projects very satisfying, and a nice way to break up the routine and do something a little special.

 

[Midoriya]

Nothing besides video games and anime, lol.

 

[Xara]

I’ve been having a rough time recently, so I’ve been engaging in my comforts a lot. Whenever I’m feeling unlike myself the way I have been, I have a tendency to feel stuck in that feeling and feel like nothing will ever get better for me and I’ll never be happy again. I really appreciate this thread for allowing me to reflect on the things and lovely people that bring me joy and comfort on even my worst days.

Consuming content of my favourite fictional/comfort characters - I’ve been a bit of a maladaptive daydreamer since I was a kid, and consuming content of my favourite fictional characters and “inserting” myself into their worlds has always been a big comfort and coping mechanism for me. When I was a kid, it was a way of getting me through lonely, unpleasant and/or boring times, and now it calms me down whenever I’m having an anxiety attack/am on the verge of having one, when my thoughts and mindset are scary to be stuck in, etc. My favourite form of content consumption right now is reading fanfics, but I also love going on Tumblr and reading people’s headcanons, analyses, observations etc for my favourite medias and characters, as well as looking at the edits people make of them. This is something that I’m usually not open about beyond occasionally mentioning fanfics I’m reading as I’m always worried about being judged or coming across as weird, but it brings me peace knowing that lots of other people find comfort in engrossing themselves in their comfort characters and their worlds as well!

My cat, Bonk - I probably talk about my girl too much as is, so I’ll do my best to not ramble about her too much here, but she really does bring me so much comfort and happiness (even if she’s an ass sometimes, hehe). Bonk is such a silly, sweet, fun and entertaining cat, and hanging out with her for even just half an hour almost always boosts my mood. Unless she’s napping, she always demands playtime almost as soon as I wake up, and playing with her is honesty such a treat. I love the little head tilt she does while she’s whacking at a toy, the way she leans her head back and then springs it forward to bite her toy (almost like a snake lol), how she purrs the entire time that we’re playing. She’s also gotten into the habit of pushing her foot into my hand and making me hold it whenever I try to pet her belly for some reason, which is very silly and cute of her. Cuddling with her brings me so much peace as well. Just fooling around on my tablet and/or watching a show while feeling her asleep next to my leg, getting to watch her breathe and sleep peacefully knowing that she’s safe, happy and healthy is a blessing that I never, ever want to take for granted. After losing three cats in the span of 9 months, I’m thankful every day that she’s here and that I got to see her turn 2-years-old, and I never want to see her life as anything but the gift that it is. The way she looks at me, the way she meows at me and runs over to greet me when I wake up, I am so, so lucky. She’ll never know it, but she saves my life almost every day. I’m so grateful for my girl.

Taking care of myself - This is something that I really struggle with whenever I’m not doing well. On my worst days, which are more often than I’d like them to be, even trying to convince myself to just get up and brush my teeth feels like the equivalent of running a never-ending marathon. It embarrasses me how difficult taking care of myself and doing basic tasks is for me a lot of the time, but even if I’m only able to do one thing for myself, taking care of myself always helps me feel at least a smidge better and less hopeless and miserable. Whether it’s tidying up my room, showering, washing my face etc, doing just one “small” self-care task helps boost my mood tremendously.

Coming up with lineups - This one is TBT specific. My mental health and almost constant foggy state makes doing anything creative next to impossible, but I’ve really been enjoying coming up with new lineup ideas these past several months. It’s so fun for me, and gives me an easy way to exert my creative energy without doing anything too draining, like writing and drawing is for me a lot of the time. The result of this is that I maybe have too many lineup ideas now, or at least too many to display them all in a timely fashion lol, but I have a lot of fun coming up with them!

Talking to my friends - This is another thing that I struggle to do when I’m not doing well, but the past week has proven to me that talking to my friends almost always cheers me up and comforts me, at least temporarily. Whenever I’m not doing well, my first instinct is to distance myself from everyone, because I just don’t have it in me to act like my usual self, and the last thing I want to do is bring my friends down with me. I usually don’t have the energy to carry on a conversation or even respond to any messages, so I end up temporarily ghosting my friends a lot. I feel awful for it and always end up apologizing profusely, but for some reason my brain would rather me continue to unintentionally ghost my friends than properly communicate and say, “hey, I’m not doing well and I don’t have it in me to talk right now.”. I also feel like I’d be an ass if I did say that, so I just… don’t. My friends are all insanely sweet, patient and understanding and always offer to lend an ear if I want to talk, but honestly when I’m not doing well, a lot of my thoughts are heavy and/or potentially triggering, and the last thing I want to do is unload on anyone. That being said, I’ve had plenty of wonderful conversations with my friends this past week and even played a game with 2 of them, and it’s brought me so much joy. Even though none of the conversations have been about what’s been bothering me, jus having casual, fun conversations with my friends has brightened my mood significantly, and have made my worst days this past week much better. I’m very grateful for my friends, and how patient and kind they always are with me.

There are a few other things that bring me comfort such as listening to music, going out and getting some fresh air, taking a nap etc!

 

[Gabby]

My cats. Fuzzy blankets. Excessive amounts of pillows. A good hug. Coffee. Astrology. Stoicism.

 

[a potato]

Lately I've been into journaling. I like writing stuff down and the actual creation of my weekly spreads. Coffee runs with my friends also keep me going during the week.

 

[k e r f u f f l e]

Spending time with my guinea pigs. I'll rearrange their cage for them and they get all excited and happy.

 

[nightglow]

Spending time with my animals.
Having alone time away from noises.
I really enjoy video games and even solo physical games and find them actually pretty important for me.
I like really soft materials like fuzzy socks and faux materials on blankets.
I really like cold fruit drinks if it is warm, and hot drinks if it is cold. I guess it kinda sounds werid as a thing listed that gives comfort, but I am usually thinking about many things while drinking them. It is a reflection time just like having alone time away from noise is for me.
I also find comfort in people's writings on spiritual things. Mostly devotionals because it is reflective slow and short.
Anime is also a comfort. Though I am not obsessed with it, it is something that has always been around in my life. So watching shows or having it on in the background is a familiarity to me, thus comforting.

 

[S.J.]

My first thought on reading this question was my best friend! Just in general, they make me feel comfortable, and safe, and happy. But they also bring me comfort when I need someone to talk to, or I need support! I'm very grateful for them.

Being at home? I think I'm just generally more comfortable being at home than outside.

Drawing can bring me comfort, depending on what I'm working on, and how it's progressing. It's a good way to focus my attention on just one thing, though it usually helps to have something on in the background.

If I'm feeling really garbage, it can just be playing a comforting video game (at the moment, Kirby's Return to Dreamland Deluxe) or watching something!

 

[-Blue-]

• As lame as it sounds, browsing this forum is calming. It’s a lot less toxic than social media.

Ain't nothing wrong with that. Sounds fun and relaxing. Only boring people need drama. I don't need all of that mind games and stupidity.

A lot of things do, but I guess right now it would be writing and drawing. I like gardening (as in vegetables and fruit) but its in the dead of the winter so I can't really do that. Unless I want to farm dirt and snow. I really want to get my strawberry garden started this year. That will be fun to see the results.

 

[whatisjello]

Watching media separate from Youtube
- Being selective about what videos play on the screen instead of using the biased'ly negative Youtube algorithm. I put on no commentary videos or asmr.

Making music
-It's relaxing to make 4 bar jingles or gentle music to listen to later. I like to make my own sensory-room type music.

Drawing with ink pens
- freehand drawing patterns, shapes and creatures with ink pens is relaxing to not go through artwork stages or think hard about the task, just to draw a page full of pen flowers and little people or practice handwriting.

Scribbling it out
- Illustrating my emotions instead of trying to describe them with words.

 

[S.J.]

My first thought on reading this question was my best friend! Just in general, they make me feel comfortable, and safe, and happy. But they also bring me comfort when I need someone to talk to, or I need support! I'm very grateful for them.

Being at home? I think I'm just generally more comfortable being at home than outside.

Drawing can bring me comfort, depending on what I'm working on, and how it's progressing. It's a good way to focus my attention on just one thing, though it usually helps to have something on in the background.

If I'm feeling really garbage, it can just be playing a comforting video game (at the moment, Kirby's Return to Dreamland Deluxe) or watching something!

Oh, I thought of something to add. Does anyone else find comfort in certain clothes? Just me?

I find comfort in wearing dresses and knitted tops/sweaters. I think I could wear knitted sweaters year round!

 

[Beanz]

my dog

watching videos of older animal crossing titles

and like @/croconaw said, this fourm. i love lurking on brewster's cafe, this forum feels like my little secret away from social media hehehe.

 

[danmokun]

Does anyone else find comfort in certain clothes? Just me?

Oh yeah, I enjoy a good knit sweater too! I love dressing in buttoned up shirts, with or without a necktie, so I do find comfort in certain clothing. I feel quite out of place when wearing T-shirts, denim or shorts.