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Gem Hill @SelfCare Backpack

@carebackpack.bsky.social
271 followers 243 following 216 posts

Helping people build relationships with themselves | Mental Health | Self Care | Therapist in training | they/them selfcarebackpack.com/links

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Reposted by Gem Hill @SelfCare Backpack
Micah @rincewind.run · 20h
getting mad at the pope for not thinking the chatbot has a soul is easily the funniest thing I've read all week
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Reposted by Gem Hill @SelfCare Backpack
Gem Hill @SelfCare Backpack @carebackpack.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
September was pain awareness month. I knew I wanted to talk about this, but I wasn't sure what I wanted to say. As always, I started writing and eventually something fell out, but later than I wanted it to. However, it's always a good time to talk about chronic pain, so here we are.
Living with pain has taught me a lot about sitting with discomfort, and learning when to distract myself and when to look after myself.
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Gem Hill @SelfCare Backpack @carebackpack.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
September was pain awareness month. I knew I wanted to talk about this, but I wasn't sure what I wanted to say. As always, I started writing and eventually something fell out, but later than I wanted it to. However, it's always a good time to talk about chronic pain, so here we are.
Living with pain has taught me a lot about sitting with discomfort, and learning when to distract myself and when to look after myself.
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Reposted by Gem Hill @SelfCare Backpack
REwadent Evil @ewacat.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
I too have complicated feelings about the death penalty. I think it's heinous and barbaric and both morally and ethically indefensible. My feelings get complicated when someone I like wants to defend it because it's one of the incredibly few things I would truly and earnestly call uncivilised
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Reposted by Gem Hill @SelfCare Backpack
Jeff VanderMeer @jeffvandermeer.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
They quoted me in this New Yorker piece about AI today. www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...
“Let’s say there’s a world or time line I exist in where A.I. has been subject to regulation. It is ethical. It has no footprint environmentally,” the novelist Jeff VanderMeer, a prominent critic of A.I., told me over the phone. “With those guardrails in place, would I read an A.I. book? All I can say is no. And the reason is, in part, because I want to read something coming from a particular mind.” Using A.I., he said, “feels like a betrayal of the whole point of why you’re a writer.”
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alyson “end journalism” greaves @badambulist.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Imagine looking at the media landscape—music, books, movies—and concluding that it would be better if it were all simply infinite reflections of yourself, if you never had to be exposed to another personality, another experience, another life. Just you, you, you. Sounds fucking horrifying.
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Reposted by Gem Hill @SelfCare Backpack
Gwen C. Katz @gwenckatz.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Fuck ChatGPT flyers. The future is broadsheets.
A crowded broadsheet with way too many fonts. It says:
Forget ChatGPT Flyers
Say it with 
Broadsheets
Unlimited fonts
Stretch them
Or cram a really long sentence into one line for no good reason
No whitespace
Mix capital and lowercase
Pointing hands
(They're called manicules!)
Don't be left behind
Broadsheets are the future
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Gem Hill @SelfCare Backpack @carebackpack.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
I am a planner. I love to make a plan (sometimes that plan even gets executed!) It’s a pattern, one I often use it as a distraction, or a way to avoid sitting with uncomfortable feelings. Read more: buttondown.com/SelfCareBack...
Here’s the thing, you get to move through your life with yourself, and that means through all of it, and all of you. Sitting with yourself and letting yourself feel all of your feelings is part of the journey.
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Reposted by Gem Hill @SelfCare Backpack
Kansas City Butterfly🦋 @kc-butterfly.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
The glorification of struggle is a coping mechanism. And a terrible one at that.
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Reposted by Gem Hill @SelfCare Backpack
emma burnett @slashnburnett.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Amirite tho
White text on yellow-orange ombré background that reads:
Don't let Al ruin your writing.
It's your writing.
Ruin it yourself.

Amirite
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Gem Hill @SelfCare Backpack @carebackpack.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
On the whole epidemic of estranged adult children, I wonder if more people are speaking about it now. I've been estranged for almost 8 years, and while I am biased by the algo/community, there is a willingness and ability to speak openly about what can feel shameful and weird to share
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Reposted by Gem Hill @SelfCare Backpack
Virginia Werewoolf @woolfianjosh.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Nobody could have predicted this. It’s not as if Britain has a history of damaging its own economy in order to chase the satisfaction of a clutch of racists.
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Gem Hill @SelfCare Backpack @carebackpack.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
On the whole epidemic of estranged adult children, I wonder if more people are speaking about it now. I've been estranged for almost 8 years, and while I am biased by the algo/community, there is a willingness and ability to speak openly about what can feel shameful and weird to share
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Reposted by Gem Hill @SelfCare Backpack
Aparna Nair @disabilitystor1.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
so a total of 500-600 parents were cut off? And that is an "epidemic?" Prove to me that this is in fact an epidemic, and not abusive selfish parents being very loud and angry about boundaries. Prove to me why parents who...consume their children deserve to continue to have access to their children.
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✨️Angel Facts✨️ @angelic.style · 27/09/2026
this all isnt that complicated ppl can and are choosing what they listen to at any given moment in much much greater numbers than ever before thus the monocultural Music Industry is dying, and these are its last gasps of relevancy, its final attempts to capture culture
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ᚅᚓᚃ ᚆᚐᚔᚏᚇᚑ ᚃᚆᚑ ᚇᚔᚄ @ciara2001.eurosky.social · 27/09/2026
The reason this was such a high profile case was two fold: 1) To demonstrate to trans people that even if you are utterly blameless, the gender cranks will object to you being employed 2) To demonstrate to businesses that there is a hefty cost to employing trans people, critters Will try to sue
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Circ @tinyicecat.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
This news is important because all the fucks out there actively attempting to wreck the world want you to think that the work is hopeless and just mitigating the worst case scenario. It's not. Fucking keep going.
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Gem Hill @SelfCare Backpack @carebackpack.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
‘You can’t hate yourself into someone you love’ ‘If being hard on yourself worked it would’ve worked by now’ Both these things are true, and might give you a moment of pause if you’ve not heard them before. Maybe it gives you an insight[..]where do you go after that? buttondown.com/SelfCareBack...
The secret here is: getting to know yourself can be joyful. Spending time with yourself, treating yourself to stillness and gentle kindness can be wondrous.
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Reposted by Gem Hill @SelfCare Backpack
Dr Abeba Birhane @abeba.blacksky.app · 24/09/2026
over the past few weeks several AI evaluation/cybersecurity experts have explained how what's happening is a result of human incompetence rather than "AI going rogue". I'm begging the media to show a shred of journalistic integrity and stop parroting what altman or amodei say
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Gem Hill @SelfCare Backpack @carebackpack.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
It's been a while since I've thought about self talk as a subject for content. I been thinking recently about how things like 'you can't hate yourself into someone you love' and 'if being harsh on yourself worked it would've worked by now' are great places to start, but where do you go from there?
This is difficult, and the urge to use this practice to be mean to yourself will be present (god, why can't you just be nice to yourself?), but try to avoid that as well.
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Reposted by Gem Hill @SelfCare Backpack
Thomas Jerome @thomasjerome.com · 24/09/2026
Naming the "Ableism" list so that a screen reader pronounces it "Four bee ell three one ess em", 10/10 bit
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Dan Sohege @danielsohege.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
It is demonstrably proven, via multiple studies as well as commonsense, that preventing young people explore and acknowledge their own identity has massively harmful impacts. Labour reviving Section 28 against trans young people will cause untold harm, just as the original Section 28 did.
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Katie Mack @astrokatie.com · 23/09/2026
Excited to reflect, absorb, and emit light EXTRA WELL today ✨💃⚡️ #BiVisibilityDay
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Gem Hill @SelfCare Backpack @carebackpack.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
‘You can’t hate yourself into someone you love’ ‘If being hard on yourself worked it would’ve worked by now’ Both these things are true, and might give you a moment of pause if you’ve not heard them before. Maybe it gives you an insight[..]where do you go after that? buttondown.com/SelfCareBack...
The secret here is: getting to know yourself can be joyful. Spending time with yourself, treating yourself to stillness and gentle kindness can be wondrous.
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Reposted by Gem Hill @SelfCare Backpack
jenny tightpants @jtp.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
"i have created the machine that thinks." you fucked up a perfectly good graphics card is what you did. look at it. it's got anxiety
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Nina Markl 🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈 @ninamarkl.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
LLM chatbots on published papers without explicit opt-in from authors is so incredibly disrespectful and completely undermines the idea of a published version of record
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the hills have vrunt @vrunt.social · 19/09/2026
sure yeah, can't even make a stick figure without fucking up and no one at the company gives enough of a shit to even give it another pass but go ahead and take my money so i can use this lazy shit technology every day too
ad for some AI company called evenfall
copy says "meet derek. ai every day. always hitting a wall. then he found evenfall"
the only graphic is a stick figure holding... a tablet maybe? he's missing an arm
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Chanda Prescod-Weinstein 🌌 @chanda.blacksky.app · 18/09/2026
it's funny but also a reminder that the fundamental premise here is that a Black man can't be objective when talking about race while a white man can because Black people do identity politics and white people do facts and this my friends is what I have named "white empiricism"
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Ryan Vance @ryanvance.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
I don’t think I’m hearing this in my head the way they expected me to.
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Malky @themalky.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
I drew the new weird cat
Cutesy drawing of a Leopardus tilcayo loafing with its tongue poking out. A short phrase in spanish wraps around its back: un michi tilcayo! (a tilcayo kitty!)
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Gem Hill @SelfCare Backpack @carebackpack.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
So much of the work in counselling is about slowing down and holding in places that feel uncomfortable. A new ache after a gym session means moving muscles not normally worked in day to day life. A new ache after counselling means a new exploration, or a holding in a place normally glanced over.
We think of acceptance as synonymous with not changing or staying still. Often moving to acceptance can prompt change.
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sarah jeong @sarahjeong.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
a lot freaks me out about AI but 0% of my anxiety is about AGI. i think this is the part that freaks me out the most right now -- the many many indications that no one is at the wheel and no adults are present
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Gem Hill @SelfCare Backpack @carebackpack.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
All this Macklemore stuff has reminded me that I've seen Wanz (of 'I'm gonna pop some tags, only got $20 in my pocket') fame on stage talking about software testing. He worked on the MS Scanner and Camera Wizard iirc (also Free Palestine)
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Reposted by Gem Hill @SelfCare Backpack
Sexy Plato's Cave @andrewblair.co.uk · 16/09/2026
The arts industry in the UK: we contribute so much money to the economy but we are dying, please help Lisa Nandy: Village Parish Council: we held a pretend referendum Lisa Nandy: I'm listening
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Gem Hill @SelfCare Backpack @carebackpack.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
If, deep down, you do things for other people because this is a role that was thrust upon you as a child, and it’s how you got positive attention (or simply a lack of negative attention), then this becomes a coping mechanism. Read more about accepting nurturing: buttondown.com/SelfCareBack...
If, deep down, you do things for other people because this is a role that was thrust upon you as a child, or young person, and it’s how you got positive attention [...] then this becomes a coping mechanism.
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Reposted by Gem Hill @SelfCare Backpack
Nothings Monstered @nothingsmonstrd.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
Hazard Tarot — Organical Mechanical organical-mechanical.itch.io/iso-tarot
A Tarot deck made up of danger signs. 
the sign for danger of falling off a cliff sign for danger of falling off a cliff becomes the fool, a lightning bolt for electricity becomes the magician, biohazard symbol is the empress, and  the emperor is a radiation hazard there are 20 trumps and so those are 20 different dangerous signs to start with 
The diamond signs labeling hazardous materials for transport are used for the four suits and their numbered cards.
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Sam Grittner @samgrittner.bsky.social · 10/04/2025
All the wrong people hate themselves.
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bossk baby @bonnnt.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
and all of the search results were "how to fix EXACT ERROR MESSAGE" and all of the contents were slop and I couldn't help but wonder, was this generated on the fly when I searched the term? Did any of these pages exist five minutes ago? If I turn around real fast will the world still be there?
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Sorrowscopes @sorrowscopes.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Sagittarius: Like your ruling planet Jupiter, you, too, are distant, gaseous, and lacking any solid substance.
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Pookleblinky @pookleblinky.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
It's interesting to think that one of the big drivers of generative AI is very extremely obviously the weird relationship with their mortality that billionaires have. Middle-aged and over billionaires, desperately and pathetically seeking immortality, turning to whatever snake oil promises it.
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Gem Hill @SelfCare Backpack @carebackpack.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
So much of my growth and work in counselling training has been on the process of slowing down, and helping others slow down as well. It's interesting to see this as I volunteer at a place that limits counselling to 8 sessions, because clients are aware of this limit and want to Achieve Things
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Gem Hill @SelfCare Backpack @carebackpack.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Self-awareness is an understanding of your own emotions, thoughts, and behaviours. It allows you to reflect on yourself. Metacognition is an understanding of your own processes and patterns. It's thinking about your own thoughts. Read more: buttondown.com/SelfCareBack...
https://buttondown.com/SelfCareBackpack/archive/self-awareness-vs-metacognition/
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Xero now with 100% more 🎃 @artificer-ind.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Still patiently waiting to be "left behind" by AI rather than it chasing me across every damn space like a slasher in a low budget flick.
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Sexy Plato's Cave @andrewblair.co.uk · 08/09/2026
to be fair to this chair it's probably disappointed after RTD told it that it would be a villain in Ncuti Gatwa's third series
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Courtney Love Lies Bleeding 🫦 @hexadecibelle.fyi · 08/09/2026
shut the fuck up Friday applies to DIY every day
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Gem Hill @SelfCare Backpack @carebackpack.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
I once had someone tell me they didn't find person centred counselling useful, because they needed to hear difficult truths and be shown tough love. I've been thinking about this conversation as I move into radical compassion. Read more: buttondown.com/SelfCareBack...
It's not tough love, it's courageous love.
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Bethany Black @bethanyblack.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
4 years since The Rock did one if the all time tweets
Rest in peace to Her Majesty the Queen, Elizabeth II. A great woman who sat on the throne as long as anyone in British history.
Sad she will never get to see #BlackAdam V IN THEATERS OCT 21st
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Roxi Horror 💀🌸 @roxiqt.com · 07/09/2026
[getting ready to do my little tasks]
a cat staring at a laptop with an annoyed expression
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Standplaats Kraków could really use some cash! @standplaatskrk.pl · 24/10/2024
gooselander (@psychicnavyseal) on twitter: "do not run across a crosswalk apologetically. you are of this earth and walk among her choir. the devils commanding their wretched chariots have long since severed the roots of their flesh and need a reminder that a leisurely stroll triumphs the roar of their insatiable machines."
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Patrick Samphire 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 @patricksamphire.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Worth emphasising that "social contagion" is completely made up.
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