Progressing Not Perfecting Community Guidelines

Welcome to the Progressing Not Perfecting Community Forum — a place for people who are rebuilding, exploring, healing, learning, and growing together.

Many members here have lived through difficult experiences including addiction, trauma, mental health challenges, major life transitions, or spiritual awakenings. Because of that, we prioritize respect, empathy, and awareness in how we communicate with one another.

These guidelines are not meant to be restrictive. They simply help us protect the supportive environment we are building together.

1. Lead With Respect and Kindness

This community exists to uplift and support one another.

Please communicate in a way that is:

• Respectful
• Thoughtful
• Constructive
• Compassionate

Disagreements are welcome — personal attacks are not.

Healthy discussion is encouraged, but insults, harassment, bullying, discrimination, or targeting others will not be tolerated.

When in doubt, ask yourself:

“Would I say this to someone face-to-face who is trying to heal?”

2. Use Trigger Warnings When Needed

Because many members have lived through difficult experiences, some topics can be emotionally triggering.

If you are posting about sensitive subjects, please add a Trigger Warning (TW) at the beginning of your post.

Examples may include topics such as:

• addiction relapse
• overdose
• abuse
• trauma
• self-harm
• graphic descriptions of violence
• explicit content

Example:

TW: addiction relapse

This allows members to decide whether they are in the right space emotionally to read the post.

3. Share Authentically, But Responsibly

Honest sharing is one of the most powerful parts of a healing community.

However, please avoid:

• Graphic descriptions of trauma or drug use
• Content that glorifies harmful behavior
• Explicit or disturbing imagery
• Encouraging dangerous actions

The goal is support, reflection, and growth — not shock value.

4. Protect Privacy (Yours and Others)

Please respect the privacy and safety of everyone in the community.

Do not share:

• Someone else's personal information
• Private messages without permission
• Phone numbers or addresses
• Screenshots from the community posted elsewhere

This space works best when members feel safe speaking openly.

5. No Harassment, Hate Speech, or Discrimination

This community welcomes people from many different backgrounds and life experiences.

We do not allow:

• Hate speech
• Racism
• Sexism
• Homophobia or transphobia
• Religious discrimination
• Personal attacks or intimidation

Everyone deserves to feel safe here.

6. Stay On Topic and Add Value

When posting, try to contribute in ways that help the community.

Examples of great posts include:

• personal insights
• questions about growth or healing
• sharing tools or practices that helped you
• thoughtful discussion
• encouragement for others

Posts meant to provoke conflict or derail conversations may be removed.

7. Avoid Excessive Promotion or Spam

This community is not meant to be a marketing platform.

Please avoid:

• posting the same link repeatedly
• promoting services without context
• unsolicited messages selling products
• affiliate spam

If you want to share something helpful (a book, video, tool, etc.), make sure it genuinely contributes to the conversation and share it in Share Helpful Content, Tools & Promotions.

8. Respect Different Beliefs and Perspectives

Our community includes people exploring many paths, including:

• spirituality
• personal development
• recovery
• mental health
• holistic healing

You may encounter ideas that differ from your own.

Curiosity and respectful dialogue are encouraged.

Trying to convert, shame, or belittle others for their beliefs is not.

9. Moderation and Community Safety

Moderators help maintain the health of the community.

If a post violates the spirit of the community, moderators may:

• request edits
• add trigger warnings
• remove the post
• issue a warning

Repeated violations may result in temporary or permanent removal from the forum.

These actions are not taken lightly and are always intended to protect the community as a whole.

10. Report Concerns Rather Than Escalating Conflict

If you see a post that feels inappropriate or concerning:

Please report it to a moderator instead of engaging in conflict.

Moderators will review the situation and take appropriate action.

11. Progress Over Perfection

Above all, remember the core principle of this community:

We are all works in progress.

People here are learning, healing, growing, and sometimes struggling.

Offer grace.
Offer patience.
Offer encouragement.

You never know how much someone may need it.

A Final Note

This forum is still growing, and we are building this community together.

Your participation, kindness, and willingness to share your experiences are what make this space meaningful.

If you ever have ideas for improving the community, we welcome your feedback.

Together, we are creating something powerful.

Progressing — not perfecting — every day.