Health

  • Choose Your Words Carefully – You Impact People Around You

    ByMike McBride Reading Time: 2 minutes

    I have said it many times – the reason you don’t “know anyone with mental health issues” is most likely because you aren’t a safe person to talk to about those issues. More than that, by creating an environment where mental health is not talked about, or is maybe even stigmatized, you are making it less likely that the people you care about will seek out help when they need it. 

    Suppose your family and friends can have open conversations about mental health, including their own experiences with therapy or other resources. In that case, it’s more likely that the people you care about will seek the help they need. 

  • Quick Thought #23 – Change is Needed, but Callousness is Not

    ByMike McBride Reading Time: 2 minutes

    As I have said many times, solving the mental health issues that plague the US will involve a lot of hard work, difficult conversations, and measured steps to create positive impacts for all of us. Adults need to be adults and have mature discussions about how to help as many suffering people as possible. 

    What we’re seeing from our government now is anything but adults being mature.

  • Seeking Simple Answers is The Opposite of Emotional Intelligence

    ByMike McBride Reading Time: 2 minutes

    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. 

    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. 

  • Social Media is Not What It Promised to Be – a History

    ByMike McBride Reading Time: 4 minutes

    You are my online community, and while your numbers might not be as large as the number of followers I had on other platforms, I’m not worried about how this platform will change and become dangerous to any of you. This platform, MY platform, is safe for survivors, for those of you with mental health struggles, and for those of you dealing with illness, oppression, hatred, and discrimination. There are no shareholders to be beholden to, no one tracking you, no ads. There’s nothing here but one guy reminding you all that you are not alone.

  • Why Finding your Current Baseline Matters

    ByMike McBride Reading Time: 3 minutes

    Many people give up on healing because they can’t see how far they’ve come. They can only see how far away their ideal self is from where they are now. Sadly, this ideal is often unrealistic. We are also blind to our progress because we didn’t set the baseline. We look at our status today and can only compare it to what we think we should be instead of looking back and seeing how much improvement there was. 

  • The Difference Between Knowledge and Life Experience

    ByMike McBride Reading Time: 3 minutes

    You should not feel sorry for me. This post isn’t about me. As I said, I have a condition that millions of people deal with every day. I’ll do the same. It’s about the reality that people around us are living with things that require efforts that we don’t understand. Just showing up for life every day requires effort and dedication from everyone you know. The amount of effort and challenges are different, and they are not distributed equally. You shouldn’t dismiss anyone’s struggles, especially if you’ve not been in those same circumstances yourself. 

    Some things have to be experienced to see all the details. When someone is willing to share the details of their challenges, listen and learn. Raise their voices instead of assuming you know the answers. 

    Experience is a hard teacher. We all can learn the lessons from those who’ve lived it.