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On Immunity - Eula Biss

Towards + Away list - inspired by moon lists

Radical Help - Hilary Cottom

i'm interested in leaning into the notion of toxic being a matter of excess rather than a black + white view of healthy/unhealthy etc..

At the moment i'm thinking a lot about accepting our multitudes, changes + our 'contradictions' - the ability to be many things.

i'm interested in leaning into the notion of toxic being a matter of excess rather than a black + white view of healthy/unhealthy etc..

I enjoyed reading about this topic because of the way Biss spans the conversations of learnt metaphors of the body x war, links of fear of virus with discrimination + prejudice, the many intersectional reasons someone may fear government led inoculation whilst also covering the importance of checking ones privilege when it comes to ideas about vaccination.

the use of war metaphor to explain the body is stressful, i value Biss exploring alternatives.

i really enjoy thinking about cells having personalities + memories - this makes me think about using movement to listen to the body.

i've been thinking a lot about time and not being bound to the false idea that time is linear, the above text allowed me to also have a chance to consider another change in time perception that I have not experienced - parenthood.

this section of the book helped me when thinking about how how to create a space that cultivates an ability to be vulnerable + to listen.

last year i attended Zawe Ashton's play
which explores a take on black + brown experiences of mental health. within the symposium that followed it was amazing to be surrounded by so many inspiring women many of whom worked in social care, the mental health industry and psychiatry. Together we spoke about our personal experiences, shared knowledge, questioned one another and tried to pave a way forward. One of the topics we spoke about was the diagnosis issue within our health system - in which a person needs a diagnosis to receive any help - this resonated with me as someone who has struggled with mental health and had trouble accessing support within the system. within the passage above the writer talks about a project (The Circle) which connects local people who may be vulnerable or lonely (this is a very narrow summary so please look into it further if you have time) they talk about the trouble with labels and services being 'defined by queues and rationing'. reading parts of this book has come at a good time for me as i'm exploring care and rest as resistance.

'for all the women who thought they were mad'

< a list i made at the start of the year - thoughts for the year ahead

an exercise i did at the start of the year

< a list i made at the start of the year - template from my insta (swole)