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Practice Setting Boundaries
I like the fact that they not only offer concrete things to say but also some background on how to define your own boundaries and what that means. I know for may survivors, we have to first address the core issue, the elephant in the room, before we can start the practice, so let me just go ahead and say that:
You deserve to set your own boundaries.
Full stop. Let that sink in, let it rattle around in your brain, keep reading it until you believe that about yourself.
Then, go take a look at the practical examples of doing that.
What boundaries do you struggle with? What has helped you do better at maintaining them?
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Sharing – New Bilingual Materials Boost Awareness of Latino Mental Health
It’s good to know that these publications are available for anyone to download, or to order printed copies of to distribute, and given the prevalence of Spanish-speakers in the US, it’s also great that they are available in that language as well.
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Sharing – Is Mental Illness “Abnormal” If It’s Super Common?
I like this comparison to the flu, because the flu is something we all deal with in one form or another, and most people struggle with it for a time, and then get better. Some get treatment, and get better. Some get treatment, and don’t get better. Some have it worse than others, some let it linger without treatment and it becomes a more serious problem, etc. And some people, just don’t get the flu much at all, for some reason.
That sounds a lot like the diverse ways many of us deal with mental health struggles. Some are more dangerous than others, but many, many people end up dealing with it, even if just for short time.
Perhaps, if we viewed depression, anxiety, as something closer to the flu, as opposed to something to be kept secret at all costs, more people would have minor cases that are treated and recover quickly, as opposed to letting them fester and become more complicated. And the folks with more complex issues, akin to pneumonia, would not be told to just suck it up because it’s all in their head. They’d get the treatment that their illness requires, because we all recognize that mental health issues are easily as common as physical health issues, and there’s no weakness associated with them.
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Sharing – 70% of Calls to India’s National Mental Health Helpline Were From Men
One, it’s clear that talking about mental health issues is something that younger people are more comfortable with, and the prevalence of people under 40 who called this helpline shows that.
Two, the fact that this helpline was completely anonymous, and that most of the callers were men, would indicate that the stigma surrounding men asking for help is still alive and well, in India, and I would guess many other places as well. But, give them a way for them to discuss it anonymously, and they’ll be on it.
So how do we address that stigma so men don’t have to find an anonymous helpline and can talk about mental health issues among family, friends, and therapists.
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