Shared Links (weekly) Mar. 9, 2025
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I spotted another book review over on PyschCentral for G. H. Francis’ book: For those of us outside of that experience, it can be difficult to understand the lives of those dealing with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. In Icarus Redeemed, G.H. Francis seeks to relate his encounters with what he calls “madness.” Diagnosed with bipolar…
I especially identified with the section on maladaptive schemas that may have developed during childhood because I’ve always been a big believer that children growing up in abusive situations will develop whatever mechanism they need to survive and then carry those same mechanisms into adulthood instead of learning the things they should learn as kids.
That’s a maladaptive schema if there ever was one.
Read, and learn more below:
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Sadly, I know this science is not good news to many a survivor, because being touched is often a huge problem for childhood sexual abuse survivors. “So there you have it; scientific proof that supportive touch does much more than make you feel good (not that that isn’t enough!); it actually modifies our biochemistry and…
As I mentioned, in the workplace this is true. Very few people are going to feel safe talking about their own struggles if the leaders in the company never open up about their own at some level. But, it’s also true in our relationships as well.
How many of us wish the people in our lives, spouses, kids, siblings, friends and loved ones, would feel comfortable talking to us about their struggles, yet we never share our own? How would they know that you are a safe person to talk to if you appear to never have any struggles?
Let me give you a prime example from my own life. As many of you know, I worked from home before the pandemic started, and continued to do so all the way through 2020. It had very little impact beyond some lack of socializing, on my life, and so when I compared that to what many others were going through in 2020, I didn’t really want to complain about the things I was struggling with. Most people I did talk to, didn’t really talk about their own struggles either. Finally, however, when I wrote a post about not being OK right now, and shared it across my social media profiles, including LinkedIn, I got notes and messages from a ton of people, some who I haven’t even been in touch with in awhile, telling me about their struggles as well.
I attribute that to two things. One, I know a lot of amazing people who see someone struggling and immediately set out to make sure I knew I wasn’t alone, and two, by sharing my own difficulties, I also provided them a safe place to share their own struggles.
Isn’t that what it’s really all about?
So, what are you struggling with that you have been hiding? What good is hiding doing for you?