Do you remember Swatch Watches?
I think one of the hardest parts of being human is literally accepting who you are. That sounds wild, right? We’re us …..of course we accept ourselves… but do we? 🤔
How many times have you asked if something makes you look fat 🍑, if your new haircut is okay 💇♀️, or sugarcoated a response because being polite felt safer than being honest 🙃?
From the start, we’re fed a buffet of conflicting lessons 🍽️: be proud of yourself, but don’t brag 😅. Be polite, but don’t let anyone push you around 💪. Be yourself, but for God’s sake, don’t be too much 🙄.
As kids 👧👦, we didn’t have the context to sort any of this out. So we tried, and when we picked the “wrong” rule at the wrong time? Boom 💥. Punishment. Consequences. A vague sense that we screwed up, with typically zero explanation about what actually happened 🤷.
Most of the time, our parents meant well ❤️. But good intentions don’t erase the impact. Those mixed messages shaped how we see ourselves 👀, how we interact with others 🤝, and how we measure whether we’re “acceptable.” And for a lot of us, those voices are still running the show 🌀.
When I was a kid, Swatch watches ⌚ were everything. They came in every color 🌈, every pattern 🎨, and the cooler you were, the more you stacked on your arm 💪. Forget minimalism, we were walking around like Lisa Frank designed our skin 🌈🦄🐆. And the best part? Nobody cared if it made sense 🤷. It was about wearing what you liked, even if it was loud 🔊, mismatched 🌀, or made your wrist look like a clearance bin at Claire’s 🛍️.
Swatch watches taught me a lot 📝. You could swap them with friends 👯, change the bands if you didn’t like them 🔄, or throw on guards to protect the face 🛡️. And sometimes you just went full chaos mode 🤪 and wore every watch you owned at once. Not to get all Forrest Gump on you 🎥🍫… but life really is like a Swatch watch. They let you grow 🌱, change 🔄, stand out 🌟, fit in 🤗, be a little wild 🎉, and still feel safe 🛑.
And that’s what I want for you 💛. (Not necessarily a Swatch watch… though if you get one, please stack at least three ⌚⌚⌚. Bonus points for zebra print 🦓 with a cheetah face 🐆.) What I really want is for you to be unapologetically you 🙌. To validate yourself, because you flipping deserve it 👊✨.
Self-acceptance is stacking up the parts of yourself that make you you 💕, even if it looks like too much for somebody else 🙄. It’s the bold patterns 🟣🟢, the weird choices 🤪, the oversized wall-clock version of your personality 🕰️ that doesn’t “fit” neatly but feels exactly right on you 🫶.
When we don’t accept ourselves, when we keep shrinking to fit 🪡 , life gets unbearably heavy 😔. But when we give ourselves permission to be the wall-clock Swatch 🕰️ in a world of plain black bands ⚫? That’s where hope lives 🌟. That’s where acceptance starts 🛟: in the belief that your existence is valid ✅, loud 🔊, mismatched 🌀, and completely worthy of love ❤️ and life 🌍.
That’s why Comfortably Human’s tagline is Come as You Are, Stay as You Grow 🌱. Because being who you truly are matters. It means everything ✨. YOU ARE IMPORTANT. YOU ARE PERFECT… JUST AS YOU ARE 💯.
💛 September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month 🗓️. And part of prevention isn’t just crisis lines ☎️ or emergency rooms 🚑, it’s learning to accept yourself 🫶, finding community 👯, and remembering you don’t have to do it alone 🤝. Attachment and connection are vital to who we are as human beings 🧑🤝🧑.
✨ You don’t have to find your people all at once 🌍. Sometimes you find pieces of them: the book club friend 📚, the yoga friend 🧘♀️, the volunteer buddy 🐾. Over time, those threads weave into belonging 🧵.
🌱 Places & Groups to Try When You’re Struggling to Find Your People
1. Supportive Communities (mental health + connection)
🧠 Peer support groups (local NAMI, Mental Health America, or hospital/community center groups)
💬 Online communities (Reddit subs like r/ADHD, r/CPTSD, or specialized Facebook groups, though with caution and boundaries)
🪷 Mindfulness/meditation groups (often free or donation-based at libraries, community centers, or yoga studios)
2. Shared Interests & Hobbies
📚 Book clubs (library, indie bookstore, or online, many themed around specific genres)
🎨 Art classes / creative meetups (painting, pottery, creative writing workshops)
🎶 Local music/choir groups or even karaoke nights if you’re brave enough
🧵 Maker/crafting groups (quilting, knitting, or DIY, especially great for people who connect while doing something rather than just talking)
3. Volunteering & Giving Back
🐾 Animal shelters / rescues (instant community with fellow pet lovers)
🍲 Food pantries or meal programs (hands-on and heart-driven)
🌎 Environmental or clean-up groups (meet people while doing something tangible for the community)
4. Movement & Activity
🚶 Walking/hiking clubs (low-pressure and easy to chat while moving)
🧘 Yoga or group fitness (many studios have beginner series or community-based classes)
🥋 Martial arts or dance classes (structured environment + built-in camaraderie)
5. Lifelong Learning
🖥️ Community college or adult education courses (low-cost and often interest-based, not just academic)
🍳 Cooking classes (bonus: you eat at the end)
🎭 Theater groups (acting, stage crew, or just helping out, lots of roles, lots of people)
6. Faith & Values
🙏 Churches, temples, or spiritual centers (if meaningful to you)
🌍 Humanist or interfaith groups (if you want the community without strict doctrine)
🕊️ Recovery communities (AA, SMART Recovery, Celebrate Recovery, even if addiction isn’t your primary issue, they foster connection and support)
💛 If You’re Struggling or in Crisis…….You’re Not Alone
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (U.S.) 📞
Call or text 988, or use the 988 Lifeline Chat. Available 24/7, free, and confidential.Crisis Text Line (U.S. & Canada) 📱
Text HELLO to 741741 to connect with a trained crisis counselor.Trevor Project (LGBTQ+ Youth, U.S.) 🏳️🌈
Call 1-866-488-7386, text START to 678678, or chat at thetrevorproject.org.Veterans Crisis Line (U.S.) 🎖️
Call or text 988, then press 1. Or chat via VeteransCrisisLine.net.
🌎 Outside the U.S.?
Find hotlines in your country at findahelpline.com.