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Trafficking Happens In All The Places We Assume It Doesn’t
ByMikeM February 5, 2024February 5, 2024 Reading Time: 2 minutes

Kathleen’s point is an important one. We aren’t going to see change when so many people see trafficking, abuse, etc., as something that happens to “those other people.” We need to continue telling our stories so that we remind people that trafficking isn’t something that happens only with immigrants or poor people. It’s the same thing with abuse, sexual assault, mental health. It happens everywhere, and if you don’t know anyone who was trafficked or survived sexual abuse or assault, it’s probably because you don’t seem like a safe person to talk to about it.

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Responses to Elmo Show How Traumatized Many of Us Are, And How Few People We Can Talk To About It
ByMikeM February 1, 2024January 31, 2024 Reading Time: 2 minutes

What I find interesting about this, beyond the obvious take that many people out there are not doing well, is that if you asked this same question to many of your friends, coworkers, and acquaintances, you probably wouldn’t see the same thing. There’s something about trauma-dumping to a fictional character that allows us to be honest without fear that we are too much for people to deal with. I worry about it all the time. If you asked me how I am on any given day, 99% of the time, I’d say something like “Not bad.” I might admit to struggling the other one percent of the time, but also probably downplay it.

Let me tell you a secret. I struggle much more than one percent of the time. I also don’t want people to worry about me, and I don’t want my struggles to be too much for the people in my life. I make my emotions small to protect other people. I know I’m not the only one.

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UK Study Shows Online Therapy Works as Well As In-Person and Why That Matters
ByMikeM January 31, 2024February 1, 2024 Reading Time: 2 minutes

They need to be better about that if we are going to make any kind of dent in the mental healthcare accessibility problem. Online therapy can be a difference maker if it can help people quicker and cheaper and with the same effectiveness. Those are the keys right now to improving the care system for all of us.

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Sharing – What the Most Common Advice About Grief Gets So Wrong
ByMikeM January 30, 2024January 29, 2024 Reading Time: 1 minute

Fixing someone else’s grief, just like healing their trauma, isn’t possible. It’s not your job. Your job is to keep the space open for them to heal.

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Sharing – How I Misunderstood the Meaning of Rest
ByMikeM January 26, 2024January 25, 2024 Reading Time: 2 minutes

I say this applies to all forms of self-care because we have a culture that tells us all the time that being productive and getting things done is the entire basis of our value as human beings. Naturally, we look at activities like resting, eating, and other forms of self-care as a necessary part of being productive, but we never see their value on their own. We’re resting because we worked hard during the week or because our bodies are exhausted and need a refresh before returning to it. We eat because we need the calories to burn. We meditate so that we can focus better on our work. We spend time with others to build relationships and extend our network. We read to seem interesting to others.

We never do things just because we want to.

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Good News From 2023
ByMikeM January 22, 2024September 18, 2024 Reading Time: 2 minutes

Those issues aside, the list is a reminder that for all the negative talk, many good things are still happening in the world. I know I appreciated the reminder.

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