How I incorporate therianthorpy within my life.

[Coastalbluewolf]

I see a majority of people in the therian community or should I say “kids” incorporate therianthorpy in their lives by wearing/collecting tails, having packs, and just making the whole thing out to be just one big wolf RPG.

I looked down on those kinds of things because wearing tails in my opinion just looks like a fashion statement, packs are full of drama.

The way I incorporate therianthorpy in my life is through basic things really.
I draw therian related artwork and which really helps express myself.

I try to incorporate unique foods in my diet. My theriotype being a coastal wolf, (A grey wolf subspecies that heavily relies on the ocean for substinance having 95% of it’s diet composed of marine life.) I incorporate lots of fish, especially salmon. I also enjoy; scallops, mussels, crab, shrimp, and squid. I especially love eating whole little octopies in my pasta, eel nagiri/varoius sushis, lobster bisque, and seaweed as my favorite snack!
I hate salmon roe though! That shit taste like salt water infused grapes!

I love to promote animal education! Wether it is handling birds of prey for education or learning about wolf subspecies and phenotyping in wolfdogs, (although not therian related) I find it more fun than collecting a bunch of silly tails and making up a random pack with unrealistic “pack ranks.”

Anyone else have unique ways they incorporate therianthorpy in their life?

[Wolf Daughter]

I suppressed my animal-like tendencies and behaviors for a few years throughout 6, 7, and 8th grades. Maybe through part of 9th grade too. I had instinctively started mimicking the other kids to blend in because it was obvious that no else acted like me. Then one day in high school Therianthropy just broadsided me like a freight train and there was no stopping it. After having intense phantom shifts that lead me to search the internet, I found Werelist and realized what was happening. I wouldn't say I incorporate Therianthropy into my life. I don't have to. I just live it every day whether I want to or not.

[elinox]

As far as incorporating therianthropy into my every day life, I enjoy going for walks outside. Particularly out in nature like in parks or the woods. Due to my schedule though, I don't get to do this often, but when I do, it always leaves me feeling closer to my wolf side.

However, as someone who enjoys wearing a tail, I would caution anyone from making broad assumptions based on someone else's preferences. I wear a tail when I'm feeling species dysphoric or when my phantom tail has been bugging me and since I cannot actually touch my phantom tail, wearing a real tail helps with those feelings. I only wear it in public in certain, appropriate, places so I usually just wear it in the privacy of my own home. And I certainly am the farthest from doing it for "fashion" as someone could get! But there's nothing wrong with wearing a tail if it's something you want to do for you.

Fashion is one thing, popularity is another and neither one is associated with therianthropy, nor should they be. But some of us like to wear tails (or collars, or whatever) to help us feel closer to our 'kin types and there's nothing wrong with that.

[Kisota]

Yeah, why would collecting natural history items be inherently "silly?"

And furthermore, can folks just share experiences without looking down their noses at people whose preferences and experiences differ?
It's one thing to voice a thoughtful critique of the conflation between internal experience of therianthropy and "teen wolf" style or furry self-expression. It's another thing entirely to name-call and express disdain with a broad brush and little further justification. There are certainly things I see in the community that I find concerning, especially where aesthetics start might be superceding careful introspection.

But more concerning and exhausting is dismissive sneering in place of meaningful conversation.

Anyway, I relate to the art and diet things. I haven't been drawing as much in recent years, but that used to be an important outlet.

I eat as well as I can. Coyotes and humans are omnivorous, so there's not a lot of tweaking I do to my regular eating. These days I'm eating a lot of "raw" food and fewer grains and starches, so I suppose that's a little more canine-like. All the lean meat, eggs, berries, and such in my diet are pretty satisfying in a way that intersects with animality for me. Feels good, man. I do eat quite a bit more vegetables than a canine would.

I should really post my silly coyote inspired dinner recipe in the recipe thread. A while back, just for fun, I made a whole meal inspired both by coyotes' natural diets and by their habitats. It was skewered rabbit and nopales (cactus pads, not that coyotes usually eat cactus), with a prairie / southwest spice mix including sage and spicy peppers. Also pears and berries... I couldn't find cactus fruit like I wanted. I also did a side salad with sunflower sprouts. I wanted to do some sauteed grasshoppers as well, but the weather didn't cooperate for collecting them and I didn't have another source.

What else...

I stay fit. I have worked and continue to work on honing my body into a lean and able thing that more closely matches what I feel and is capable. It helps with body discomfort, stir-craziness from being inside, and also that discomfort I have from feeling too domestic, too "soft."

I get outside as much as possible. I've also dedicated my life to working in wildlife biology. I have a Master's of Science and have made a lot of sacrifices to keep working in this field. My last field season kept me outside in remote areas pretty constantly and had a lot of travel. Helping wildlife so directly is really satisfying, as is being out not just in nature, but more proper wilderness.

I hunt when I get the chance, but I sort of missed out this year. I like to go hunting with falconer friends. It's been a while. I'll go fishing when I can, too, though I'm quite a noob. Catching my own food is pretty great when it actually happens, though.

I get involved with wildlife advocacy and research projects as well. Pretty much anything nature and animal-related, I'm there. It's my whole life and intertwines pretty well with internal animality.

I collect skulls and antlers and things. Another good excuse to get out and scrounging around. Also a good excuse to grab up dead things as I often find myself wanting to do anyway. I'm interested in learning tanning, getting proper requirements for salvaging, and possibly learning taxidermy; I have friends who do some of these things so maybe I'll have the chance sometime.

Those are the big ones that come to mind right now... the things I do at least in part because being animal drives me to. I don't think there's anything I do specifically to incorporate therianthropy into my life. It's just there whether I'm engaging in these things or not. But being animal can definitely help inspire certain choices I make more than others.

[Somnia]

I wouldn't say I incorporate Therianthropy into my life. I don't have to. I just live it every day whether I want to or not.

Yeah, this is pretty much how I feel with my own Therian experiences. It's just something that "is" but there are certain things that really ignites the animal within more than others.

I'm also very big into eating salmon when I can get it, and the rawer the better! Ahhh Sashimi! ^__^

Eating any kind of meat that still has the bone in it really makes me feel primal and more wolf than usual. I love gnawing on bones and especially if I can get to the bone marrow. It's a heavenly experience for me!

Other things, hmm... I reckon being out in nature is a given for most Therians. Just the feeling of being connected to Earth and nature in general (even when the weather is unpleasant and/or full of bugs, lol), my mind shifts into a more primal and animal mode at times if I'm feeling the shift deep enough...

[elinox]

Eating any kind of meat that still has the bone in it really makes me feel primal and more wolf than usual. I love gnawing on bones and especially if I can get to the bone marrow. It's a heavenly experience for me!

Lamb on the bone is particularly amazing for this!

[Accalia]

Considering that therianthropy affects just about every part of my life, I don't really have to actively incorporate it into anything. That being said, there ARE several things that I do in my life which are influenced heavily by my identity! To name the big ones:

-I work with animals for a living. I am very passionate about working with animals, not only because I'm awful with people/hate them, but because I find myself being able to learn from and relate to animals more. I really enjoy observing the dogs that I work with, for example. Animal behavior is something that will never cease to fascinate me. In learning about it, I'm also learning about myself in a way, because I believe we all show very, very subtle hints of our animals identities at all times, whether we notice it or not. It can be anything from snapping your head at a sound because that's where your pivotal ears would be facing, to compulsively sniffing something as a means of investigating, and so on. Just small things, yet things we do not notice in ourselves. It's definitely something that non-therians pick up on, though, from what I've been told. That can be a big reason that we may come off as weird in very subtle ways. Or maybe I'm crazy and it's just me? Disclaimer that I am not a canine but I share many traits with them, hence why I see myself in them in certain aspects.
Anyways this is getting long oops. TLDR; Therianthropy impacts my interest in job-seeking and everyday behavior.

-My ambitions are driven by my identity. I am majoring in a wildlife field in college so that I can find work with other animals in the future. I plan on applying for an internship at my local zoo, as well as volunteering my time at the local big cats sanctuary when I can. Maybe some day, in the future, I can enter a program that allows me to visit Africa or the Middle East and study their wildlife, where my theriotypes are native. Everything I want to do in life is motivated by wanting to be around animals and learning about them.

-I love to fursuit, because that's about the only time I can come off as "not human" and strangers will entertain the idea. It makes me feel great about myself as an animal, and of course it's just fun in general!

-I do occasionally wear a tail because it feels good. Like Elinox said, if I have a phantom tail but can't feel it, it's a good alternative to wear a tail and have something to feel there, even if it's not yours.

-My art is often the product of my therianthropy self expression. I often draw my theriotypes and showcase how I'm feeling by drawing them in whatever mood I'm in. It's easier to express myself through that than through words.

That's all I can think of at the moment. I'm sure there's more, and if I can think of them, I'll add more to this thread later!

[Vintage]

I would agree with everyone else in the fact that I shouldn't have to actively incorporate therianthropy into my day to day life- but when the feelings of doubt rise, or there is a long stretch of weeks without shifts and I momentarily forget who I am- yes, I work to incorporate therianthropy into my life a little harder. I write, I draw and revise the way I believe my form looks as well as my species. I wear therian related jewelry and become more aware of the smaller shifts I may have.

My supposed career in life is unrelated to my therianthropy- I rather not say much about that. I learned through my therianthropy that I am often territorial around animals and get annoyed with some of their personalities quickly/view them as a threat- so I don't work with them for a living. My only exception to that is horses, as I have a stronger herd mentality.

[Coastalbluewolf]

You should check this out then! I really want to make it myself. http://www.foodblogs.com/the-chinese...r-healing-soup