Why do we get Stressed About Replying Quickly?

Why do we get Stressed About Replying Quickly?

ByMikeM Reading Time: 2 minutes

My first thought, obviously, was about the workplace and the culture we have created there that rewards being “always-on” but I think so much of this pressure permeates beyond work. As technology has become commonplace we all live with this pressure and this expectation. Think about it, how many times in a given week are you apologizing to friends and family because you couldn’t get back to them right away?

I do it all the time.

Heck, I’ve gotten text messages while having lunch or dinner with a friend, catching up with someone I haven’t gotten to see much for the last couple of years, and then apologized for doing that and being unavailable. Why? That makes no sense but we live in a culture where being connected to technology all the time also means that we should be responsive all the time. Or at least we feel like we should. Frankly, that’s a lot of pressure.

Sharing – “Tetris for Trauma” Viral Twitter Thread: A Master Class in Misleading Psych Research

Sharing – “Tetris for Trauma” Viral Twitter Thread: A Master Class in Misleading Psych Research

ByMikeM Reading Time: 3 minutes

Again, as Peter goes on to describe the issue is not that people might suddenly play some Tetris when dealing with trauma. That’s probably not going to harm them much, it’s that we, as a society, will come to expect that is the “magic pill” to help everyone deal with trauma and start dismissing it as something that’s easy to fix with some Tetris when it’s much, much more complicated than that. We shouldn’t lose sight of that fact.

Sharing – 5 Crucial Mental Health Tips for Bloggers

Sharing – 5 Crucial Mental Health Tips for Bloggers

ByMikeM Reading Time: 3 minutes

Whenever anyone asks me about blogging, especially about child abuse and mental health, I tell them that they need to decide two things, and always stick to them.

1. Decide what you will share about your own story, and what is off the table. Don’t share so much of yourself that you wind up becoming overwhelmed and find yourself dealing with the fallout. Remember, once you share it, you no longer control how other people respond. If you’re not ready for that, there’s no shame in it. Just know before you start.

2. The second one, is to decide what you’re willing and able, to give to your readers. This is the hardest one, as the article below mentions:

Practice Setting Boundaries

Practice Setting Boundaries

ByMikeM Reading Time: 1 minute

I like the fact that they not only offer concrete things to say but also some background on how to define your own boundaries and what that means. I know for may survivors, we have to first address the core issue, the elephant in the room, before we can start the practice, so let me just go ahead and say that:

You deserve to set your own boundaries.

Full stop. Let that sink in, let it rattle around in your brain, keep reading it until you believe that about yourself.

Then, go take a look at the practical examples of doing that.

What boundaries do you struggle with? What has helped you do better at maintaining them?

Shared Links (weekly) Jan. 24, 2021

Shared Links (weekly) Jan. 24, 2021

ByMikeM Reading Time: 1 minute

Why Toxic Positivity Can Be Damaging to Our Mental Health

Taking Men’s Mental Health More Seriously

Mental health check: What to ask and how to know if you need help

Female child sex abuse ‘remains taboo’ while victims struggle

Overwhelmed? You Are Not Alone

6 Ways to Stop Feeling Embarrassed About Your Depression

Lack of diversity and the pandemic challenge colleges to address mental health issues for students of color

French incest affair sparks ‘hundreds’ of #Metooinceste testimonies on Twitter

Tomorrow Is World Mental Health Day, and If You Don’t want to Participate, That’s Cool

Tomorrow Is World Mental Health Day, and If You Don’t want to Participate, That’s Cool

ByMikeM Reading Time: 3 minutes

So let’s get this out there. Tomorrow is a day to raise awareness about the importance of mental health. It’s an opportunity for anyone who is dealing with mental health issues to see that there are many people who get it, and do support them, even if only virtually. It’s also a day to be reminded, sometimes literally, that there is still far too much stigma, and far too little investment, in mental health. That’s not fun. That’s not uplifting.

Taking care of yourself is an incredibly important part of looking out for your own mental health. Tomorrow is also Saturday. If your mental health will be better off by you not being online tomorrow, go do exactly that. Go enjoy your weekend, and know that I see you, and I feel what you’re saying. Your frustration is my frustration too. Being tired of the stigma, and how hard it is for people to get help is normal. I’m exhausted. I’m tired of talking about it, tired of reading about it, and tired of seeing stories of people who can’t get help when they need it, all around the world. I’m also tired of all the people on social media who make talking about it even harder than it already is, who want to troll, or just create drama because it’s never enough for them. 

Again, I’m exhausted. I also know how incredibly lucky I was the get help, and I want that same thing available for everyone. So, I’ll find away to continue talking about it here, while also taking care of my own mental health. I hope you will too, even if we don’t all take part in the same events.