It might not seem like much, but the more we learn about depression, the more we might be able to do for more people. That’s why the article linked above gives me some hope. We need more information from research, from professionals, and from those with lived experience if we are going to make a dent in treating depression. Lives are at stake.
There are certain books that I’ve seen discussed in the survivor community so often that it can be easy to overlook them when talking about recommendations for someone starting out on their healing journey. Bessel van der Kolk’s book about healing from trauma, The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind and Body in Healing Trauma, falls into that category.
I saw this post earlier today, and let’s face it, we all could use some help occasionally with fear and anxiety. As the author says: Because there are many self-help books on the market, it can be difficult to decide which one to read. So I have recommended three: Brantley’s Calming Your Anxious Mind, Bourne’s…
“Here’s a theory: Maybe I had not really been broken this whole time. Maybe I had been a human—flawed and still growing but full of light nonetheless”
I want all of us to ponder that line for a little bit and think about it. Consider the possibility that you, as a survivor, are not broken. Maybe you are just human. Maybe everything you see as broken is just a natural reaction to abuse in the same way every human carries things forward into their lives from their past. That’s not to say the harm isn’t real. Indeed it is very much real. It might not, however, have changed the possibility of our light still being inside us.
You are still human and you still have value in this world.
Growing up, I was timid and socially awkward. There are other reasons for this, but let’s be honest, hiding my secrets and being much too busy surviving to bother with learning social skills played a big role. I had to learn later in life; even at age 54, I’m still learning. If you find yourself in the same situation, perhaps one of these could help. If you know of a teen or child, who could use some help with social skills, there are items on the list for them too.
If this gap feeling describes where you are in your healing, turn your gaze around from looking at the goal and how far it may be to how much further along you are on that path than you were 1, 3, or 5 years ago.
You might be surprised by how far you’ve come in that time. You might even take a moment to feel proud of yourself.
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