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Difficult Discussions
I started writing this post in my head last night while, across the country, my wife’s cousin was awaiting news on her toddler’s heart transplant. Ever since we learned about his heart problems and the likelihood that he would eventually need a transplant, I think most of us tried not to think about it beyond…
The People You Meet on the Journey
I’m in the middle of some much needed vacation time this week. Part of the vacation will be spent in Las Vegas, a typical vacation destination, but the first part has been in a somewhat non-typical vacation destination, Columbus, Ohio. Of course, Columbus is the area I lived in for over 20 years, and where…
Gratitude As a Habit
Each year, around the Thanksgiving Holiday in the US, I try and write something about thankfulness and remind survivors that no matter what, we all have something to be thankful for, even if it’s just that we are still here, surviving, with hope for the future. This year, however, I’ve been struggling with the idea,…
How Shame Keeps Us Disconnected
The context for this quote is a handful of stories where someone felt ashamed of an event or something that they’d allowed people to believe about them that wasn’t true. Marisa goes on to talk about how when we have something we won’t discuss, it creates a separation from other people, and that separation can take away from humanness. Our interactions with other people are blocked off. We know we aren’t sharing our whole selves with the people we should be. That block can protect us from potential pain, but it also prevents us from having all the benefits of having close relationships with other humans.
Doesn’t that sound exactly like growing up keeping our abuse secret?
We grow up with shame around something that was never our fault. That shame prevents us from fully connecting with other human beings. That lack of connection harms our mental health as adults. We struggle to heal without one of the most powerful tools in our arsenal as human beings, other people. We keep our secrets and hide our shame, meaning we will never know the healing power of being accepted and loved by those who know our whole selves.
Sad Reality of Social Media Mixed With Depression
I read this ESPN piece about the suicide of Penn Track athlete Madison Holleran and I thought there were a few pieces of the article that resonated with how I look at social media, and how we should, but also about how difficult it can be to cut through the fog of depression. Here’s the…
