Blogs

  • Sharing – Mental Health Recovery Burnout Is Real and It’s a Problem

    ByMikeM Reading Time: 2 minutes

    There’s no time to be thoughtful and purposeful when you’re plowing through all of your “recovery goals” at once, and without those things, you won’t get there. They’re kind of required.

    I’ve been heard to say in a few places that a big part of why I keep different blogs and social media profiles on different topics is because it keeps me honest. Yes, I am interested in those things and enjoy learning and sharing. But, I have been able to keep this little website going for over 20 years because it is just a part of my life, taking part of my time and part of my mental energy. It’s not everything. I know it doesn’t work for me if it is.

    That’s important, and it keeps me from getting burned out.

  • Sharing – Why Is It So Hard to Explain Mental Illness?

    ByMikeM Reading Time: 3 minutes

    In 2022 we could say the same thing about “sad” but I would argue that we see the same thing even more so with the word “anxious” or “having anxiety”.

    Of course, with a war going on in Ukraine, two years’ worth of pandemic, political turmoil, and everything else we see when we tune into whatever news source we follow, almost everyone would consider themselves anxious, so how do we differentiate between being anxious about the state of the world, and the kind of anxiety where we are consistently dealing with panic attacks at the very thought of leaving the house?

    We don’t have a different word for that. We only have anxiety, or panic, which again, just seem like normal reactions to what is going on around us.

    On top of that, when I try and describe my anxiety to someone, even if I can get them to understand that it’s something more than just watching the news and feeling a bit nervous, I can’t really describe it. I don’t understand it. If I did, I might be able to just fix it and be better, but I don’t.

  • Sharing – Talking Openly About Anxiety

    ByMikeM Reading Time: 2 minutes

    I recently had a conversation with someone dealing with anxiety and trying to learn more about it. She desperately needs to know that what she’s experiencing is something that many other people are going through and have gone through. So, I’ve told her about my anxiety. I’ve told her about the times my brain just won’t turn off, and my heart beats faster for no apparent reason at all. I’ve told her about the days when I struggle to remember things because my mind is racing so fast it doesn’t process things I just heard.

    My wife has been there for those conversations. She’s heard me talk about things I’ve not really told her because I don’t want her to worry. Does she worry now? Maybe. Does it really matter to me?

    Yes, it does. I don’t want her to worry, but I’ll trade that for letting someone we both care about know that they are not alone. This is why we need to talk about it. No one should feel alone and ashamed about any mental health issues they may be having. There are just too many others having the same ones for there to be room for judgment instead of support.

  • Sharing – Why Mourning for the Self Is a Necessary Part of Healing

    ByMikeM Reading Time: 2 minutes

    It’s the step where you can truly understand at the deepest level that what happened was not your fault. Many a survivor will say that without ever really feeling it, and you can tell because they will say that and immediately begin talking about how weak or needy they were as a child. As if that explains why they were abused, when in fact the only explanation necessary is that someone decided to abuse them.

  • Sharing – Trauma Stands Between Us and Healthy Communication

    ByMikeM Reading Time: 1 minute

    Our trauma taught us how to react during childhood in ways that are, in fact, not at all appropriate to the reality of adult life. Things that remind us of our abuse can set off a panic in us, causing us to do, and say, things that are not appropriate to the current situation, and people on the receiving end of that communication can have a difficult time understanding what has happened. Interactions between survivors can be rife with underlying messages and reactions that have nothing to do with the current situation because we are all bringing our own trauma into the conversation.

  • Sharing – Lean on Your Support System When You’re Anxious

    ByMikeM Reading Time: 1 minute

    It’s grounding. It doesn’t solve the thing I’m anxious about, but it stops the cycling, and allows me to focus on the reality of the situation, which is usually not nearly as bad as I’ve made it out to be.

    But, it also assumes that I have someone to talk to about it. This is really the challenge for far too many people, who don’t have anyone to talk to.

    Can you be the person who just listens? I’m willing to bet someone in your life could really use that.