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~ Toolshed 2: Power Tools for Recovery ~

JynxModerator14 Nov 2025, 4:58 pm AEDT

~ Toolshed 2: Power Tools for Recovery ~

Hey hi hello! Welcome to the second iteration of...

~ The Toolshed ~

I decided to make a new thread, as the first one had errors and phantom pages, and was getting quite long! You can still find all the amazing pics, inspiring quotes, and uplifting messages of the first Toolshed here.

What is the Toolshed? Ain't a place to hang your hammer! Hehe this is a space where we can share the things that have helped us in our recovery. Tools, coping skills, inspiring ideas, and messages of hope and growth, is what this space is all about!!

You can stay connected and up to date on this space by favouriting, or by subscribing to the thread - head to the top of the page, and find the three dots to the right of the thread title (next to the star), click, and from the drop down menu you can 'favourite' or 'subscribe' - and clicking the star itself will also favourite the thread for you.

Favourite threads are then always available in your favourites list which should appear on the right hand side of most forums pages - or you can go to your profile and scroll down to the 'Favourites' section under your recent posts.

If you subscribe, it means that you will get a notification every time someone posts something new in the thread. So up to you if you simply want it to be always accessible, or if you want all the updates, or both!

I invite anyone who wishes to contribute to do so! It doesn't have to be pictures, it can be discussion, questions, videos, whatever you like! So without further ado, here's my latest batch!

Tagsalad (alphabetical order stolen from @Former-Member hehe):

@AlwaysMyself @Appleblossom @AuntGlow @avant-garde @Blackcloud @Bow @Captain24 @Chasingsunsets @creative_writer @Cuddlebear @Dimity @DownMoreThanUp @MissGremlin @ENKELI @GezzaP @Glisten @heartathome @Jacques @Judi9877 @Kashmina @lonemushroom @Meowmy @MJG017 @Mustang67 @NightFury @Oaktree @PeppiPatty @puppydoglover @rav3n @RebelliousAngel @REDLINEZ750 @RiverSeal @Ru-bee @Shaz51 @SleeplessRaven @The-red-centaur @Till23 @tyme @0ddsidian

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In response to: ~ Toolshed 2: Power Tools for Recovery ~

Mustang67Senior Contributor14 Mar 2026, 2:30 am AEDT

Re: ~ Toolshed 2: Power Tools for Recovery ~

@john74 no problems. Consider it done.

In response to: Re: ~ Toolshed 2: Power Tools for Recovery ~

DownMoreThanUpSenior Contributor14 Mar 2026, 10:30 am AEDT

Re: ~ Toolshed 2: Power Tools for Recovery ~

@Mustang67 @Jynx @john74 @ENKELI @PeppyPatti @heartathome @Shaz51

Wisdom fighting our inner bad life is like taking the barbs of our strife.

In response to: Re: ~ Toolshed 2: Power Tools for Recovery ~

Mustang67Senior Contributor14 Mar 2026, 12:20 pm AEDT

Re: ~ Toolshed 2: Power Tools for Recovery ~

@DownMoreThanUp some very wise words there. I hope you are taking them in as well.

In response to: ~ Toolshed 2: Power Tools for Recovery ~

CuddlebearSenior Contributor14 Mar 2026, 12:53 pm AEDT

Re: ~ Toolshed 2: Power Tools for Recovery ~

@MissGremlin Hello 🙂 How are you? Thank you so much for these affirmations.

In response to: Re: ~ Toolshed 2: Power Tools for Recovery ~

MissGremlinSenior Contributor14 Mar 2026, 12:56 pm AEDT

Re: ~ Toolshed 2: Power Tools for Recovery ~

Hello @Cuddlebear my sweet, things are really tough for me. You're so very welcome ❤️. How are you sweetheart?

In response to: Re: ~ Toolshed 2: Power Tools for Recovery ~

CuddlebearSenior Contributor14 Mar 2026, 1:14 pm AEDT

Re: ~ Toolshed 2: Power Tools for Recovery ~

@MissGremlin I am sorry things are tough for you. Is there a way we can help? I’m also having tough times. But I really appreciate your affirmations.

In response to: Re: ~ Toolshed 2: Power Tools for Recovery ~

MissGremlinSenior Contributor14 Mar 2026, 1:16 pm AEDT

Re: ~ Toolshed 2: Power Tools for Recovery ~

@Cuddlebear everyone here helps just by being here, including you sweet ❤️. I'm sorry you are having tough times, you're not alone here sweet. Sending you hugs ❤️.

In response to: Re: ~ Toolshed 2: Power Tools for Recovery ~

Mustang67Senior Contributor14 Mar 2026, 10:16 pm AEDT

Re: ~ Toolshed 2: Power Tools for Recovery ~

I used to believe I had to be strong all the time.

I thought vulnerability looked like weakness.

I convinced myself that showing cracks meant I wasn’t enough.

So I learned how to wear the mask.

The brave face.

The one that said, “I’m fine,” even when I was anything but.

I believed that strength meant holding it all together.

Keeping the tears hidden.

Smiling through the storms.

But somewhere along the way, I realized something important.

I had it wrong the whole time.

No one truly has it all together.

No one walks through life untouched by struggle.

Some people have simply mastered the art of looking strong while quietly falling apart inside.

And that realization changed something in me.

Because I finally understood a truth I had been avoiding.

It’s okay not to be okay.

It’s okay to have the hard days.

The down moods.

The emotions that refuse to stay quiet.

Crying doesn’t make me weak.

It makes me human.

It means my heart is still alive and capable of feeling deeply.

I’m done pretending to be some flawless machine that never cracks under pressure.

That person was never me.

I am real.

I am imperfect.

I am flawed in all the beautifully human ways that make life meaningful.

And I’m finally laying down the armor.

Letting go of the bravado.

Choosing honesty over performance.

There will be days when the tears fall freely.

Nights when sleep refuses to come.

Moments when the weight of everything feels overwhelming.

And that doesn’t mean something is wrong with me.

It simply means I’m alive.

The people who truly love me will understand that.

They’ll accept every version of me, not just the strong one.

And everyone else?

Well… they can choose whether they see me or not.

That part was never mine to control anyway.

What I can control is myself.

My choices.

My happiness.

My willingness to feel deeply and love passionately every single day I’m given.

So I’ve made peace with the truth that every day won’t be easy.

Some days will break me down before they build me back up.

But that’s life.

And strangely enough, there’s freedom in accepting that.

Because the most beautiful realization of all is this.

I’m finally okay with not being okay all the time.

And somehow, in that honesty… in that acceptance…

I know I’ll still find my way back to happiness.

Just like I always have.

Ravenwolf

@Adge @Ainjoule @AlwaysMyself @AnnoyedSheDevil @Anonymouse1000 @AntzyPantz @Appleblossom @Applepie907 @AuntGlow @avant-garde @AzzyWazzy @balance37 @Bill16 @Blackcloud @BlueBay @Bon_courage @Bow @BrightHorizon56 @Bunniekins @ButterflyWings @Captain24 @Cat34 @Chasingsunsets @creative_writer @Cuddlebear @Dimity @Dk5 @DogMan79 @DownMoreThanUp @Emelia8 @ENKELI @Eve7 @Faith-and-Hope @Flutterbug9 @FracturedBeing @GenXmum @GezzaP @Glisten @Harmonium @heartathome @Healandlove @Historylover @Honeymoon @Jacques @Judi9877 @Jynx @Lapis_Anteater @lonemushroom @Lonewolf73 @Lostbookworm @MatchaToad @MedicinalGypsy @Meowmy @MissGremlin @Mortimer_3 @NatureLover @NightFury @NightHedgehog @Oaktree

If at any time you want your tag removed from these sorts of posts, please just let me know.

In response to: Re: ~ Toolshed 2: Power Tools for Recovery ~

Mustang67Senior Contributor14 Mar 2026, 10:25 pm AEDT

Re: ~ Toolshed 2: Power Tools for Recovery ~

I used to believe I had to be strong all the time.

I thought vulnerability looked like weakness.

I convinced myself that showing cracks meant I wasn’t enough.

So I learned how to wear the mask.

The brave face.

The one that said, “I’m fine,” even when I was anything but.

I believed that strength meant holding it all together.

Keeping the tears hidden.

Smiling through the storms.

But somewhere along the way, I realized something important.

I had it wrong the whole time.

No one truly has it all together.

No one walks through life untouched by struggle.

Some people have simply mastered the art of looking strong while quietly falling apart inside.

And that realization changed something in me.

Because I finally understood a truth I had been avoiding.

It’s okay not to be okay.

It’s okay to have the hard days.

The down moods.

The emotions that refuse to stay quiet.

Crying doesn’t make me weak.

It makes me human.

It means my heart is still alive and capable of feeling deeply.

I’m done pretending to be some flawless machine that never cracks under pressure.

That person was never me.

I am real.

I am imperfect.

I am flawed in all the beautifully human ways that make life meaningful.

And I’m finally laying down the armor.

Letting go of the bravado.

Choosing honesty over performance.

There will be days when the tears fall freely.

Nights when sleep refuses to come.

Moments when the weight of everything feels overwhelming.

And that doesn’t mean something is wrong with me.

It simply means I’m alive.

The people who truly love me will understand that.

They’ll accept every version of me, not just the strong one.

And everyone else?

Well… they can choose whether they see me or not.

That part was never mine to control anyway.

What I can control is myself.

My choices.

My happiness.

My willingness to feel deeply and love passionately every single day I’m given.

So I’ve made peace with the truth that every day won’t be easy.

Some days will break me down before they build me back up.

But that’s life.

And strangely enough, there’s freedom in accepting that.

Because the most beautiful realization of all is this.

I’m finally okay with not being okay all the time.

And somehow, in that honesty… in that acceptance…

I know I’ll still find my way back to happiness.

Just like I always have.

Ravenwolf

@papermoon @Penguincat @PeppyPatti @rav3n @Realness @Mumnme @REDLINEZ750 @RiverSeal @Rosepetal96 @Ru-bee @SaltwaterSoul @Sans911 @scruffypuffball @Shaz51 @SleeplessRaven @SmilingGecko @Snowie @Sophia1 @Spirit_Healer @StuF @Sunnyside226 @TAB @Trishthedish1 @tyme @Vin68 @Whaledone1234 @YETI-Bear

If at any time you want your tag removed from these sorts of posts, please just let me know.

In response to: Re: ~ Toolshed 2: Power Tools for Recovery ~

Mustang67Senior Contributor14 Mar 2026, 10:43 pm AEDT