Happy New Year!
Here’s hoping that 2007 is a great year full of healing and health for all of us.
And thank you all for reading, and contributing to the survivor community on-line. 2006 was a great year, I look forward to more of the same in 2007!
Similar Posts
The Struggle of Getting Affordable Mental Health Care
We often talk about the mental health care system being broken when it comes to treatment and patients, but I think this article opens our eyes a bit to the fact that it’s broken for providers too. Is it any wonder we have such a shortage of providers? Who would volunteer for this? We should be thankful for the people who do!
Seeking Simple Answers is The Opposite of Emotional Intelligence
Accepting that reality and moving forward is maturity. It’s how we find solutions to complicated problems like a lack of mental health resources, addiction, oppression, poverty, etc. Those answers will not be found in conspiracy theories or blame games. It’s how we sit with people who have suffered loss and trauma without dismissing their pain.Â
Sadly, too many people seem to be looking for the easy answer to ease their discomfort rather than the answers that will bring about real change. We all pay for not teaching people how to be emotionally intelligent enough to do that.Â
Loneliness and the Loss of Third Places
We are much more likely to watch Netflix instead of spending time in a third place. We are a culture that is seeing less and less interest in churches, club memberships, leagues, etc., and one that provides fewer clubs, small events, and other spaces for people to hang out in. That has hurt us socially. Media has made us much more afraid of each other, pushing us away from forming communities. (Fox specializes in terrifying their own audience and telling them to keep coming back to learn all the things they should be scared of, and others have followed in their footsteps.)They have helped us become less and less interested in creating third places. If we do gather, it’s usually for some specific purpose or event, not something we do on an ongoing basis. So, we never form the bonds that give us a sense of belonging.
We are lonely. That loneliness is causing immense harm. We don’t belong anywhere, but we should belong and try to find ways to create a space where people can belong.
Where are Kids Supposed to Connect?
If we consider what has changed for kids over the last couple of decades, the issues are similar. Kids don’t wander around our communities on their own anymore. We’ve decided that was too dangerous. Outside organized sports, there aren’t many places where teens can socialize offline.
Naturally, in a world where they no longer had access to peers outside of school, they turned to the internet. Phones and social media were the fallback for connecting. Now, however, many find that the option has been taken away as well.
