Sara N
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sarathedragonfly.bsky.social
Sara N
@sarathedragonfly.bsky.social
190 followers 8 following 93 posts
Writer + Illustrator (she/her)
Creator of the webcomic "Julienne." (Among other things!)
I make stories about friendship, courage, and complex trauma.
linktr.ee/snutter
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sarathedragonfly.bsky.social
(2/2)
PANEL 1: A lizard stands with their little pitchfork, confused. "Lizard brain hijackers to watch out for: 1. Absolute statements ('All snakes do crimes.') 2. Attempts to illicit strong negative emotion ('You're stupid if you like snakes.') 3. Fearmongering or 'us vs them' language ('The snakes are coming to get you!') 4. Misinformation/disinformation ('I saw this study that proves snakes are evil!' No source, or the study was on one single evil snake.') 5. Constant onslaught of information to reinforce beliefs ('Snakes are evil. Snakes are evil! SNAKES ARE EVIL!') 6. Black-and-white statements ('If you sympathize with snakes at all, then you're evil too.') 7. Claims to have all the answers ('This guy will solve all the snake problems.') PANEL 2: "What can we do? Take good care of your nervous system. Clarity is your best friend." On one side of the panel stands a tree, the other a ladder down into a mud pit. The panel is split into 3 zones. The upper zone, a person clings to a high up branch in the tree, unable to get down. In the lower zone, a person's feet are stuck in the mud. In the middle, colors are normal, things are calm. The middle zone is the "window of tolerance: the zone of stressor types and levels where the nervous system can process and return to calm successfully. Like the amount a rubber band can stretch without breaking". The upper zone is "Hyperarousal: examples of this state are rage, panic anxiety", the lower zone is "Hypoarousal: examples of this state are freeze, shutdown, despression, numbness". Additional information: "Take breaks. Social media is not good for brains. Try to stay inside your window of tolerance as much as you can. (Window of Tolerance is not the same thing as your comfort zone.) PANEL 1: "Honestly, removing the stressor is also a big part of things, but we have a lot of THIS going on, and it's not leaving any time soon." The arrow points at the derpy lion int the thundercloud. "Instead of 'Try to be calm,' may I offer some more practical advice:" PANEL 2: One person hugs another, who's tired and crying. "Notice how things affect you, and identify what you need for support (this takes practice). Examples: 1. stillness or meditation 2. hobbies 3. a walk (bilateral stimulation!--low frequency music that does this is nice too. 4. Emotional or physical support from a safe person 5. Talking about it/journaling 6. Therapy 7. EFT tapping (a nervous system support thing) PANEL 3: "Signal to your body that it's safe in the moment via physical support strategies such as: 1. breathing exercises (I still struggle with this one) 2. Exercise or muscle clenching (this one helps me when I'm in "fight"). This can offload the reaction energy and signal to your body that you ran from or fought the danger. 3. Co-regulation: a hug from a safe person 4. Acupuncture can also help kickstart stuck stress cycles to start processing properly. (I've had really good luck with this one!)" Image, a person runs as hard as they can, thinking of the lion. PANEL 4: The thundercloud lion swipes at a person, but another person has grabbed their hand, trying to pull them to safety. Behind the second person, a third person has their other hand, pulling them. "Safety, agency, and connection DO exist in this world. We create it for ourselves. We create it for each other." PANEL 1: A person has their hands to their chest, exhaling long and slow with their eyes closed. "Chronic, high stress as a baseline has been normalized in many cultures. It's so destructive to our health, relationships, and communities, and in many ways, systems that keep us busy and exhausted out of our minds are set up that way by design. We feel the weight of it: anxiety, depression, loneliness, physical symptoms...But these very important warning signs are dismissed as shameful, irrelevant, or unrelated. If given even a little space and support, your body knows how to heal. With healing comes clarity, perspective, courage, and the ability to connect with others." PANEL 2: A person's head breaks the surface of water, and they gasp in a breath. "It's something we'll have to fight for, but if we can give our nervous systems the space to come up for air, even just a little bit," PANEL 3: Reverse, the person in the water is facing the shore, where people are assembling a picnic. The sky is clear, birds fly in the air. It looks peaceful, safe. "We'll find we're never as alone or powerless as we previously thought."
October 8, 2025 at 12:31 AM
sarathedragonfly.bsky.social
💛💛💛 I have been very chill this week puttering around haha
August 30, 2025 at 7:05 AM
sarathedragonfly.bsky.social
Thank you!! 😭💛💛💛
August 26, 2025 at 9:34 PM
sarathedragonfly.bsky.social
(2/2) I'm hoping it won't mean a full hiatus, but I really can't push this away anymore. Gonna have to get creative haha
August 25, 2025 at 11:10 PM
sarathedragonfly.bsky.social
Thanks for the boost! 💛 The main site actually hit 200 pages this week. ✨️
August 9, 2025 at 12:51 AM
sarathedragonfly.bsky.social
Thank you!! 🥳🍰✨️
July 8, 2025 at 10:04 PM
sarathedragonfly.bsky.social
It's about lonely young workaholics who become friends vs an evil corporate biotech cult. 🤖🔥
July 8, 2025 at 10:04 PM
sarathedragonfly.bsky.social
Thank you!! 🍰✨
July 8, 2025 at 2:56 AM