Housebound - Tumblr Posts
I went outside for the first time in over a month!
I've missed the outdoors so much. Everything is so beautiful. I actually had to close my eyes and breathe in multiple times because it's so overwhelmingly gorgeous out there.
There was water and ducks and trees and dogs and sun and insects and plants and wind and clouds and sky!
I've missed it all so much and I know it'll probably be another month before I get out again so I'm trying to savour the memory right now.
There is so much preventing me, my family, or even my partners from being able to do as much as we'd like.
Shoutout to leftists who are too poor/disabled to give back to their community.
Shoutout to leftists who are too poor/disabled to shop at local/small businesses.
Shoutout to leftists who are poor/disabled and have to buy things from Amazon and other megacorps because it’s the most cheap or convenient.
Shoutout to leftists who are too poor/disabled to reduce their environmental footprint because they need the single-use plastics.
Shoutout to leftists who can’t go vegan because of dietary needs, disordered eating, or neurodivergence.
Shoutout to leftists who can’t volunteer or go to community events/protests/noise demonstrations because of inaccessibility.
Shoutout to leftists who can only be politically active online because they’re housebound.
Shoutout to leftists who are disabled and are rarely politically active because they simply don’t have the energy.
Shoutout to leftists who can’t be politically active because they’re under the care of a guardian or are trapped in an abusive situation, and they don’t have control over their finances/belongings.
Shoutout to leftists who can’t read theory, or who have trouble reading theory, but still do their best to learn.
Shoutout to leftists who can’t understand theory at all because of cognitive/intellectual disability.
Shoutout to leftists who want to be more active in their community but can’t because they struggle with anxiety, socializing, or maintaining relationships.
Shoutout to leftists with personality disorders, complex trauma disorders, conduct disorders, OCD, psychosis, and any other leftist whose personality or thoughts often unwillingly go against their beliefs due to a trauma response or chemical imbalance.
Shoutout to leftists who don’t have any “practical” skills that would be needed in a commune (i.e farming, building, sewing)
Shoutout to leftists who are too busy simply trying to survive to even think about being politically active.
Shoutout to leftists who have to always ask for mutual aid but can never give back.
Shoutout to all the leftists who can’t do this and can’t do that and can’t do the things that leftists are “supposed” to do. No one person is perfect.
You aren’t a fake leftist for not being able to do these things. All that matters is that you put in the effort, in whatever way that you can.
It’s not about your abilities as an individual. It’s about our power as a collective.
ok but as someone else who's housebound i honestly just get kinda annoyed whenever i see those posts, i always end up thinking "oh great another post abt how this thing i can't do except once in a blue moon is gonna fix all my problems w/out doing anything 2 acknowledge the reasons it's difficult 4 some of us 2 leave the house" idk i don't think it's fair 2 act like every housebound person has the same experience w/ these types of posts
like 4 me personally these types of post that r constantly glorifying going outside w/out any understanding of the systemic issues in place and how yes while it may sound absurd 2 some ppl 4 some of us it rly does effect our ability 2 just go outside 2 the corner shop or whatever it doesn't help and it just makes me annoyed that no1 is addressing those issues, i think 4 me that might b partly bc my housebound status is caused in big part by my neurological issues as well as my physical disabilities, i hav avoidant personality disorder (AVPD) and so going outside and being seen by ppl and having my existence acknowledged by others is already a struggle but it gets so much worse when u consider all the terrible details of most outside social interactions, im trans and currently being ghosted by my gender identity clinic and haven't been able 2 get any form of medical transition so if i go outside and interact w/ ppl im going 2 get misgendered, im physically disabled and need 2 use a wheelchair still 2 travel around outside but every time i use my wheelchair i get stared at and glared at by random ppl on the street which is a lot 4 me 2 deal w/ , im autistic and i hav ASPD but if i go outside and hav 2 interact w/ ppl all of them r likely gonna expect me 2 follow a bunch of unwritten social rules i don't understand which gets especially hard when my dissociation and psychosis kicks in and then i literally *can't* act "normal" anymore, 4 me personally the glorification i c when it comes 2 going outside is hurtful bc while yes i understand that in theory going outside is good 4 ppl's mental health ect that doesn't work when there's systemic issues in place (such as ableism) that mean that i and other ppl can't go outside w/out exposing ourselves 2 social interactions that r gonna make our mental health worse, bc those feelings of hurt 4 each microagression stack and it usually doesn't take long b4 i remember y i never leave the house, bc 4 some of us staying inside rly is just safer and 4 some of us going outside realistically is actually damaging 2 our mental health, i understand that theoretically going outside should b helpful 4 my mental health but unfortunately we live in a bigoted society
if some1 isn't personally effected by that stuff and going outside is actually beneficial 4 their mental health then good, im happy 4 them but i wouldn't say im "cheering non housebound ppl on" when i c these posts, i think ive earned the right 2 b bitter at this point
something that annoys me as a housebound person
so I've been housebound for three years now and just thought I'd share my views on Tumblr discourse that is about us but doesn't often include us. I've seen a few posts advocating the benefits of exercise and going outside for your mental health, which is really good because this. is a fact. exercise is GREAT for your mental and physical well-being. what annoys me is the tags and comments being full of people chattin bare shit like #erm this is abelist #what about the disabled people??? NO. this is not ableist and as a disabled person I'd like to make that clear. I'm grateful that you've thought of us but it would be nice if people could maybe consult us first before making assumptions. one of the hardest things about being housebound is NOT being able to go outside, exercise and have social interactions and lots of us struggle dreadfully because of it. in my opinion, people advocating going outside and doing some gentle exercise are helping others avoid this suffering and as someone who can't do that, I applaud them. keep up the good work.
TL/DR: go outside and do some exercise IF YOU CAN and spread the word! us housebound lot are cheering you on!