Sharing – Saying these words when someone is upset is the best thing you can do
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Sharing – Saying these words when someone is upset is the best thing you can do

This seems like the should be obvious, but it’s not: When someone is upset about something, validating and understanding their feelings isn’t going to necessarily make them suddenly forget why they’re angry. That person will still be upset, but validation helps them maintain some self-worth and optimism. So often, when we talk about our mental…

Are You Doom-Scrolling the News and Want Something Else?
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Are You Doom-Scrolling the News and Want Something Else?

This collection of articles on Pocket might be a place to look for something else to do. https://getpocket.com/explore/item/how-to-destress-from-the-news Let’s face it, we’ve spent months dealing with bad news, uncertainty, and well, just kind of life being a mess in so many ways. Far too many people are feeling stuck in anxiety and depression, with no…

Sharing – Understanding the ways children cope with threats
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Sharing – Understanding the ways children cope with threats

Again, another reminder that if you simply froze in response to abuse as a child, instead of trying to get away, or fighting, that’s actually pretty normal, and beyond your control: The stress response is a survival response.  It is an innate biological response to threat or perceived threat. It prepares the body to fight…

Therapy – It’s Not Just The Last, Desperate, Option
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Therapy – It’s Not Just The Last, Desperate, Option

Let’s face it, if I suggested to most people that they could benefit from some therapy, they would be insulted. Heck, it’s a widely used insult across society. But what if I told you there are lots of ways that therapy could help you without you having to be diagnosed with a mental health issue,…

We Need More People Telling Their Stories – According To Science
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We Need More People Telling Their Stories – According To Science

Yes, it’s true. According to research done University of Nottingham, hearing recovery narratives can be helpful to people dealing with mental health issues: So, from the perspective of a person facing mental health problems, does it help to have access to other people’s recovery stories? A new systematic review conducted by researchers from the University…

Link – How Brain Handles Trauma Could Explain a Lot About Sexual Abuse Survivors’ Testimony
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Link – How Brain Handles Trauma Could Explain a Lot About Sexual Abuse Survivors’ Testimony

This has been my experience, and from talking to many other survivors over the years, I know it’s fairly common. “A PTSD sufferer can have trauma memories that are alarmingly vivid and, at the same time, infuriatingly vague. Or, in some cases, there is total amnesia. This paradox has been at the heart of the…