Firefly Aftercare Resource List

A place to go when you need a little support after something hard has happened in your creative life.

Creative work brings us to our edge.

It propels us to the things that scare us, shake up, and light us up. This is a complex place to be. It’s not unusual to write something that leaves us feeling big things – things like grief, shame, anger, overwhelming empathy, and more,

Writing in community has its own edges – we want to lift each other up, but sometimes our arms are tired. We want to make space for other’s voices, but sometimes they say things that hurt or anger us. 

Working through these moments isn’t separate from the creative process, it’s part of it. It’s how we learn to co-exist with care and creativity and self-compassion.

Feelings are welcome in our spaces! Back when we would always meet in person, a lot of us would say — I’ve cried in every chair around this table. Emotions are part of creating, for some of us more than others. They are always allowed to show up.

And while that’s true, we also know it’s not always enough just to welcome them. We want to offer you care beyond our reach, for any moment you might need it.

So, here are some resources we’ve compiled to help find solid ground when it feels far away.

  • Maybe you wrote something that brought you to a raw place in yourself.

  • Maybe you heard something in a workshop that left you feeling shaken.

  • Maybe one of us has done something that made your feel unsafe.

We hope you’ll tell us, but for now, we hope you can access some ground and deep breaths to come back to your center.

Self compassion holds

These are simple body postures that can help us come back into balance. We keep them on hand and use them often.

Journaling prompts

Writing can be the source of tension, and also the source of deep ease. If you want to explore this, set a timer for 10 minutes and start with the line “What I need right now is…” When time timer goes off, set it for 5 more minutes and start with the line, “I can soothe myself by…”

Guided writing videos

If you want a little more structure to write yourself into softness, our “Messy Beautiful Pages” videos might be the next step.

  • This one, guided by Mari, is about connecting to inner softness when there’s conflict around us.

  • This one, by Chris, is about connecting to certainty and uncertainty.

  • This one, guided by Sophia, is about making space in our writing for anger and rage.

Guided meditations

Can we find some free one to recommend? Valarie Kaur? Tara Brach?

Therapy

There’s nothing like dedicated 1-on-1 support when the seas are choppy. Here in East Toronto, The Healing Collective has an ongoing roster of therapists without waiting lists. Hard Feelings in the West End offers low-cost therapy. Bounce Back is a free therapeutic skills program offered to adults and teens over 15 in Ontario.

If you’re not in Toronto, Seven Cups offers free online therapy (some of which is assisted by AI so make it clear if you don’t want that) across the globe, and there may be other free or low-cost options locally.

Crisis intervention