PC Pro Magazine’s online portal has reported on the improvements by the Internet Watch Foundation regarding the speed of blocking and/or removing websites that feature images of Child Sexual Abuse. You can read that here.
As a society, we have, rightfully, tried to move away from doing those things, but we haven’t really gotten better at helping people build resiliency. Is it any wonder that we had an epidemic of anxiety, even before COVID-19? We’ve kind of left people with an uncertain world, in which anything can just randomly happen to anyone, while leaving intact our belief systems that teach us that the world is fair.
It’s not. It’s not even close, and yes part of the reason it isn’t fair is that there are bad people in power doing bad things, but even if we could rid ourselves of that as much as possible, (and we should), the world would still be a random place where random things happen, for no good reason.
There would still be natural disasters, accidents, and yes, even abuse and crime. There would still be people with disabilities, mental and psychical, and there would still be victims. Because we’re human, and being human is kind of messy and random.
That’s not going anywhere. The challenge is to find the resiliency to live our lives anyway. This is where we’ve failed too many people, and where we have failed ourselves, finding comfort in false “explanations” instead of facing the hard truths.
I still have my bad days but the good days far outnumber the bad. I still struggle but my struggles are much less than they once were. Now, my struggles become my teacher, rather than my tormentor. It’s always good to be reminded that there are so many survivors, just like you and I, who…
Choosing to tell your story for the first time or to a more public audience is not a decision you want to take lightly. Many of us who have done it and are “public” about our past or current issues can tell you that while there are great things that can come from sharing, there are also things you should be prepared for.
I’ll be the first to admit that I was not prepared for things. As much as I have never regretted starting this site and sharing my story, there have been times when it’s been a bit awkward. Times I did not think enough about ahead of time and might have handled differently if I had thought more about it.
So, with that in mind, let me share this resource from the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline:
Last week a student advisor sent me a message about a project her students are working on to use social media to share helpful resources for teens, especially troubled teens who might be in need of help. They call themselves the Happy Hearts Club and their mission is ” raise awareness of issues that teens…
I think Edie’s description of some clients can apply to many child abuse survivors as well: “In my therapy practice over the years, I have worked with clients who face such challenges. They tote around the bag of rocks that could have labels on them that read: “You’ll never be enough.” “You won’t succeed, so…
Catching up on the biggest stories of last week, BBC News reported on a vigilante group posing as children when online in order to build up evidence against, and then confront, suspected paedophiles. Debate was generally split on the issue. The public were mostly in favour of the move in that local town, the police were…
