Summer tips for Otherkin

othermagic:

I don’t see enough posts dedicated to helping kin feel more in touch with their “other” side, and summer is often a time for people to relax, enjoy themselves, and generally have fun. So, why not make a post giving some ideas (and hopefully some safety hints) for some neat activities? For a lot of people in the northern hemisphere, summer is on its way. What’s an otherkin with seasonal-specific needs to do?

REMINDER: Please, please, please use common sense when engaging in ANY activity. You are still physically human. Your human body has human limitations. Also please keep in mind any laws or regulations specific to your location.

For otherkin from warm habitats:

• Spend time outside! Especially if it gets cold in the fall/winter where you live, use the weather change to your advantage.
• Remember, just because you aren’t human internally doesn’t mean your human body has the same immunities. Even if you love running around all day in the sun, you’ll need lots of water, juice or Gatorade. Tips for how to prevent dehydration can be found here.
• If it rains a lot, don’t fret! Just grab some blankets or a space heater and watch some movies that take place in warm climates.
• If you have nature trails or parks near you, go on a hike and take your favorite book. Make sure to pack snacks and water, you don’t want to collapse. Ideally, you should bring a friend or a close family member.
• If you have kin friends, plan a get-together with food, activities, or whatever that suit your kintypes. Here’s a cool blog with recipes sorted by kintype and ingredients.

For otherkin from cold habitats:

• Eat cold foods or ice cream. Take some time to make new drinks or popsicle flavors, then eat them! There are plenty of kin and non-kin recipe blogs on Tumblr, and Google is always your friend.
• Don’t feel bad about spending time inside. If you need to chill (literally), you need to chill. If AC won’t cut it, take cold showers occasionally.
• Just like with warm-climate Otherkin, don’t push yourself. If you start feeling uncomfortable, step outside for a bit until you’re feeling better.
• If you live alone or have a personal computer that can play movies, don’t feel bad about watching Christmas movies in the middle of summer. If anyone asks, just say something like “I’m feeling nostalgic for holiday movies” or “Summer weather is the worst, so I’m watching movies with lots of snow.”
• If you’re able to take tours to cold places, do it! Look online to see if there are any neat places like ice bars or mountain caves that stay frozen year-round that you could spend a few hours at. Make sure to bring a winter jacket, though, and stay safe.

For otherkin with strong elemental ties:

• Water-dwelling kin and related–seriously consider getting a pool membership or water park season pass. In some places pools only stay open from about Memorial Day to Labor Day, and if you need that sort of thing, the investment is well worth it. If you’re lucky enough to live by a beach, why aren’t you there right now?! If you don’t know how to surf/bodyboard/etc., learn how to. Get SCUBA certified if you can, or just buy a snorkeling set if you don’t really want to make the full commitment.
• Fire-related kin–If you live somewhere without fire restrictions, buy some fireworks (with adult supervision/consent if you aren’t old enough) and set some off every night or every week or whatever. If you know people who are interested, set up fireworks displays together and invite the neighbors to watch. Use a backyard fire pit if you have it whenever you can to roast marshmallows or leaves or something. Learn how to cook over an open fire, too. If you have fire restrictions, candles are most likely okay, and citronella candles keep annoying bugs away if you’re out on your porch or balcony.
• For kin from forests and other similar locations–Summer is a great time to go camping with family and friends. Go out, spend some time in the woods, go bird-watching or learn how to track animals. If you can’t make a commitment to more than a day, see if there are botanical gardens or nature parks near you. Take a sketchbook or a small bag to collect things in, but make sure to check the legality of things like collecting bones or feathers in wherever it is you want to go.

Other fun ideas and tips:

• Glow sticks. Incorporate them into a glamourbomb or put them all over your room/blanket fort/attic/secret space/etc. and meditate. Most people are off school in the summer, and if you work, your hours will likely have changed. Take some time to relax.
• Kin parties. If you have some friends or a group you do kin stuff with, take advantage of the longer twilight hours in the summer and throw together some related activities, maybe even some sort of group ritual if you’d like. Once again, glamourbombs are a great idea.
• Learn how to induce a shift or how to banish one if you don’t know how. It’s a very handy skill and can save you some weirdness in the long run, especially if you’re doing things with family over the summer and they’re not aware of your kin side.
• See if any public classes/events are being held that you feel are beneficial and fun to your kin side. This can be art classes, metaphysical seminars, pop culture conventions, anything you like. If you don’t know what to do, check the website Meetup and look for activities that interest you near you, and make sure to check any restrictions that may be in place.

Cloud (Portal)