It’s All About Connection
We all have the ability to create these moments of connection. Unfortunately, too many of us choose not to. That is to our own detriment as well as the other people we could impact.
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Why Advocates Should Think Twice About Laws They Support
Law enforcement officials don’t just want to be able to scan for CSAM. That’s the excuse to get the public to buy into mass surveillance. “It’s for the kids” is disingenuous. It’s not for the kids to them, it’s to open the door to the police, and anyone with some skill, to watch ALL of our communication and use it in any way they see fit.
Yes, that will include that cop who’s a little too friendly with the teens in the neighborhood, the one abusing his wife, or the one stalking an ex. It’ll also include officials with political leanings spying on opponents, dictators with unfettered access to all communication coming and going to their citizens, and hackers getting access to blackmail material.
All of it. Out there for anyone with the keys to see, store, and use as they see fit.
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Sharing – How I Got Better at Sharing My Story
They can’t go down to the local community college and sign up for a class where they can practice explaining all of the complexities of their mental health in simple terms. They’re experimenting with what works, what is comfortable, what is confusing, etc. Give them some space to do that and know that when they are still at this uncomfortable level they trust you to be someone they want to talk to.
Don’t ruin it for them by being dismissive or not listening. They need you to listen and they need practice in telling their stories. Be the same place for that.
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Online Education – Not Just for Tech and Career Skills
I’ll admit it, if you asked me where online you could educate yourself about Mental Health and self-care, LinkedIn Learning and Coursera wouldn’t have been at the top of my mind. Thankfully, the Make Use Of website knows better. They’ve shared some recommendations on courses you can take online:
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Two Reviews Elsewhere – Breaking Through Depression; The Balanced Brain
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.
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Sharing – Tips for dealing with anxiety, the ‘check engine light’ of the brain
I love thinking about anxiety as the check engine light. It fits if we think about it, because sometimes that light tells us that there’s something wrong, but sometimes the light itself is malfunctioning.
That’s anxiety to me. Sometimes there really are things the be anxious about, and sometimes those things have caused an overload in our brain such that we can’t figure out what to do with that check engine light
