Shared Links (weekly) Dec. 27, 2020
Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.
Similar Posts
Sharing – How To Help De-Escalate Bad Situations When You’re In Public
I think we can agree that having a manic episode in public shouldn’t mean you can be killed. We’d like to think we would be better than that but faced with an uncomfortable situation that is exactly what happened. Probably because no one on that subway expected that the possibility existed and hadn’t considered how they would act and how it might help until it was too late. The article linked below offers some good advice for how to both keep yourself safe and also de-escalate the situation. Which is what should happen if at all possible. Escalating the situation rarely ends well. Someone died in this case. Let’s do what we can to prevent escalation so that no one has to get hurt.
Sharing – Is Mental Health Stigma Decreasing? It’s Complicated
We can, and should, do everything we can to get out good information and share the truth about mental health issues. We can, and should, share our own stories of the mental health issues we’ve survived, especially those of us who have had many of these issues due to the trauma we suffered.
But that will never be enough for some people. Knowing the truth about these issues, and knowing what people need in terms of non-stigmatizing support won’t be enough to change their actual behavior. The very topic(s) will make them uncomfortable and they will act out of that discomfort instead of relying on what they know. They will put their own comfort above any consideration of how stigmatizing their actions and words are because they simply cannot handle even the slightest discomfort in their lives.
That is their weakness, not ours.
Sharing – Talking Openly About Anxiety
I recently had a conversation with someone dealing with anxiety and trying to learn more about it. She desperately needs to know that what she’s experiencing is something that many other people are going through and have gone through. So, I’ve told her about my anxiety. I’ve told her about the times my brain just won’t turn off, and my heart beats faster for no apparent reason at all. I’ve told her about the days when I struggle to remember things because my mind is racing so fast it doesn’t process things I just heard.
My wife has been there for those conversations. She’s heard me talk about things I’ve not really told her because I don’t want her to worry. Does she worry now? Maybe. Does it really matter to me?
Yes, it does. I don’t want her to worry, but I’ll trade that for letting someone we both care about know that they are not alone. This is why we need to talk about it. No one should feel alone and ashamed about any mental health issues they may be having. There are just too many others having the same ones for there to be room for judgment instead of support.
Sharing – Seeing grieving as learning explains why the process takes time
So maybe, instead of agonizing over your friends not “being over it,” understand that they are learning a whole new way to navigate the world and figure out how you can help.
