Child Abuse and Mental Health Survivors Information - Issue #71
Reach out and touch someone today
So many reminders in this issue on the importance of connections. The importance of small interactions, long meaningful interactions, and the ability each of us has to be a positive mental health influence on each other.
It’s Friday. Who are you going to send a text, email, DM or note to? Who could really use it?
Feel free to send them this newsletter if you think anything in it would help them too!
New from the Blogs
Maybe, instead of blaming people for overreacting, we should consider for a moment why they do not feel safe. And instead of beating ourselves up for overreacting, we consider how to ground ourselves and remind ourselves of our safety when the need arises.
What Matters Most for our Mental Health? Each Other
We found that the strongest predictors of who not just stayed happy but who was healthy as they went through life – the strongest predictors were the warmth and the quality of their relationships with other people.
Sharing – Seeking sunshine: Finding light in dark times
Naomi has put together a nice list of little things we can all look for daily. Most importantly, she starts with this one, a reminder that what I find helpful in dealing with my anxiety or whether I need support doesn’t have to match what works for everyone.
Lifehacker Lists Mental Health Podcasts - What’s your favorite mental health podcast?
Shared from Elsewhere
I imagine that with time, I will stop assiduously tracking its lapse. Time is our friend in that it is the only thing that can dull the sharp edge of grief, although it can’t end our grief, which is forever. Eventually, however, the grief changes from a stabbing pain to a dull and loving ache, the sands of time weathering it like sea glass. But even as that happens, we look back wistfully every now and then, wishing to reel in the days and bring the past, and our loved one, close again.
This is the real struggle for many of us, isn’t it? - How to Love Yourself
5 Ways Writing can Help Improve your Mental Health - Maybe writing can help you? Maybe writing a newsletter like this one?
Suicide prevention means child protection
The most effective, affordable, and decent thing we can do to prevent suicide is to prevent the lifetime of pain ACEs cause.
Notes on Loving Someone with a Dissociative Disorder - This is an interesting deep-dive into what it’s like to live with the disorder and what to expect. It’s honest, it’s raw, and it’s educational. Set aside some time to read it if you want to understand someone you love.
From the Archives
Sharing – Life-Changing Benefits of Self-Compassion
You can’t have self-compassion and also believe the abuse you suffered was your fault. We have to get past this idea that the world is fair and we get what we deserve. It’s simply not true. We have to be willing to have the same compassion for ourselves that we would have for another crime victim.
You Are Not Good At Predictions - If you feel like your life will never change, the good news is most of us are terrible at predicting the future.
Finally, something we should all work on - Sharing – How to Be a Good Listener: The Experts’ Guide