What We Really Need is Compassion

What We Really Need is Compassion

ByMike McBride Reading Time: 2 minutes

I see this a lot in our communities as well. Again, empathy when dealing with an individual child, or supporting a loved one with a mental health struggle is great, but trying to feel the pain of all of the abuse survivors we are likely to come across in the world online, is a sure way to overwhelm yourself and burn out. I’ve seen it over and over again. Much like COVID-19, these issues are global, and huge. Trying to take on that much pain is an impossible task, and isn’t actually going to be helpful. Much better, is to develop compassion. As the guests on the show discuss, compassionate emotions push us to act. That act, helping others, does more good for them, but is also good for us. Instead of feeling overwhelmed, and shutting down, we are taking some small amount of control over the situation, and acting on it in a way to helps. We become the helpers that Mr. Rogers so famously talked about. Being a helper, makes us happier. It sets aside our own anxiety and struggle to do something, which is always a good way to move beyond those things.

So, the question may be not only what are you doing to take care of yourself during this time of great anxiety, but what are you doing to help others?

The Struggle of Getting Affordable Mental Health Care
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The Struggle of Getting Affordable Mental Health Care

ByMike McBride Reading Time: 2 minutes

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!

Dak Prescott, Skip Bayless and Blaming the Victim

Dak Prescott, Skip Bayless and Blaming the Victim

ByMike McBride Reading Time: 2 minutes

If you aren’t a big sports fan, please indulge me for a minute, because this story, while it takes place in the football world, isn’t really about football. It’s about stigma, and also blaming the victim. In a nutshell, Dak Prescott, the Quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys, gave an interview in which he talked about…

Talking About World Suicide Prevention Day
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Talking About World Suicide Prevention Day

ByMike McBride Reading Time: 2 minutes

In between work conference calls today, I had the opportunity to spend my lunch hour talking to Tiffany Werhner and the Moments of Clarity audience about being a survivor and the importance of World Suicide Prevention Day. I enjoyed having the opportunity to talk a bit about some of the really important issues, especially the…

Quick Thought #15 – Do what you can, it’s good for you.

Quick Thought #15 – Do what you can, it’s good for you.

ByMike McBride Reading Time: 2 minutes

I want to share some research with you from this article: Do good, feel good: Random acts of kindness improve wellbeing, physical health The report in the journal Psychological Bulletin reviews 201 independent studies on prosocial behavior and its affect on well-being. After examining data on over 198,000 participants, Hui’s study reveals there is a modest link…

Cancel Culture Exists Online, It’s Just Not What You’re Expecting

Cancel Culture Exists Online, It’s Just Not What You’re Expecting

ByMike McBride Reading Time: 4 minutes

It’s enough to make you just give it all up and walk away.

That, to me, is cancel culture. I know there’s a lot of talk about cancel culture and whether it even exists or not, but frankly, to me, the real canceling that goes on online is when the good, thoughtful and caring, people just walk away instead of being here and having their voices matter. Because they’re tired. They’re tired of the constant outrage, the constant anger directed at them for not doing, and believing, everything random people expect them to. The vitriol directed at them in direct messages, comments, and tweets for simply trying to have a conversation, from all sides. For not supporting conspiracy groups, for not using the correct words, for not advocating for exactly the same things, in exactly then same way. Because if you don’t “agree” with them and show your support, in clear, and often financial, ways, you are the enemy.

Seriously, it gets old. It’s toxic. It’s exhausting. It makes you question why you even bother with this at all. I, for one, don’t need this in my life on a regular basis. No one does. So, instead of having real conversations about real issues, and doing real education, we’re walking away and letting the worst kinds of people win the internet.

I’m tired, but I’m not ready to do that. If 19 years of working to educate people, and let anyone know that they are not alone as a survivor, or as a person dealing with mental health issues, isn’t enough for you, and you can’t understand that all of the things I do online to make this happen I do in my spare time, for free, then you can go somewhere else.

Take all of your fake outrage and fake “facts” with you too.