Child Abuse and Mental Health Survivors Information - Issue #45
Links and more links this week. I hope whatever your weekend plans are they include something that brings you joy. Personally, I'm going to on a plane shorty after you receive this, which is both joyful (Traveling and seeing friends), and anxiety-inducing thanks to the pandemic that never ends.
Such is life sometimes. The good the bad, the ying and the yang. And yet we continue...
New from the Blogs
Sharing - One Conversation At a Time, We Continue — www.childabusesurvivor.net On the heels of more tragedy over the holiday weekend in the US, this is such a great reminder. "One of the messages we emphasize most at Active Minds is that you don’t have to be an expert to help. There are ways to support those around you that are coping with the struggles from either directly experiencing the ills of this world or from the pain caused by seeing others experience them. And, those around you don’t have to be experts to help you, either. Through empathetic and compassionate conversations, partnered with purposeful and tangible actions, we can be part of the solution to our broken world for our families, our communities, and – therefore – our nation. We can’t fix all the problems in this world for everyone, but we can control how we show up for those around us with our voices, our words, and our actions."
Sharing - Leaders: Protecting Abusers – Not Victims – Is a Costly Mistake — www.childabusesurvivor.net As the article explains, we feel empathy for people who are most like us. Children and other victims may not look like us as much as the abuser does. We might even know the abuser and not know the victim. The mentally lazy thing is to let our familiarity with the accused abuser blind us to the reality of what is happening. The way to get out of that is to focus on the humanity of the victim just as much. When you have empathy for everyone, regardless of whether they are like you or not, you can react to the situation in front of you instead of your bias about the people involved. Everyone deserves that. No matter how different they may be from us.
Sharing - Youth mental health: Mindfulness training isn't the answer, UK study finds — www.childabusesurvivor.net What we see here is what we see for a lot of mental health solutions, it works for some, and doesn't work for others. Mental health is complicated. As the article points out, if the school environment is hurting student mental health or they are living in an environment at home that does the same, mindfulness isn't going to change that and isn't likely to have much of an overall impact even if they engage. It's complicated. The solutions are going to be complicated as well. I'd like some simple mindfulness training to be "the answer" for everyone too, but it just isn't. On the other hand, if it helps you, keep doing it.
Shared from Elsewhere
I Felt Alone As My Depression Didn't Look Like the Commercials | HealthyPlace — www.healthyplace.com Feeling alone with depression is horrible and it is exacerbated by the stigma of depression. Find out how at HealthyPlace.
Our mental health crisis is getting worse. New 988 suicide hotline can be our fresh start. — www.usatoday.com The three-digit hotline can be a new beginning in our fight to promote mental health and wellness, and better treat mental illness and crises.
Taking a mental health day can be good for you – here's how to make the most of one — theconversation.com Tackling mental health problems early can help prevent them from getting worse.
Powerful Final Photos Challenge What 'Suicidal' Looks Like | PetaPixel — petapixel.com A new campaign has utilized photographs to convey a powerful message that "suicidal doesn't always look suicidal."
Linked: The C-suite and workplace wellness — www.mikemcbrideonline.com Clearly, the reality is that work is too much for almost everyone across the entire spectrum, and there are lots of people looking for something better. Something that gives them the ability to be economically stable and also the ability to live a life outside of work with their mental health intact.
R. Kelly Sentencing: Being Abused Is Not an Excuse to Abuse Others — themighty.com On June 29, R&B singer R. Kelly was sentenced to 30 years in prison. Mighty Super Contributor Monika Sudakov shares why Kelly's history of being a victim of sexual abuse shouldn't impact the sentencing he receives for racketeering and sex trafficking.
Researchers surprised to find seven adult health conditions linked to childhood abuse | Salon.com — www.salon.com A study found a "significant" link between being physically abused as a child and 7 adult health conditions
From the Archives
Child Help Line Offers Online Course to Help Adults Recognize Signs of Child Abuse — www.childabusesurvivor.net If you have a few minutes to learn about this important topic, I highly recommend it. You should also consider sharing it with your own networks, and let them know you found it here.
Learn How to Be There — www.childabusesurvivor.net I found out about this online training recently and wanted to share it: Learn to support someone struggling with their mental health through this online course created by Jack.org in partnership with Born This Way Foundation. You can sign up on the website below and let us know what you think about it.
As An Advocate I Can't Do Everything But Together We Might — www.childabusesurvivor.net One of the worst ways I've seen people wreck their own mental health is by not knowing their own limits. If I may borrow a sports metaphor, one sure way
Another Birthday and Another Reminder That We Are Not Alone — www.childabusesurvivor.net Last year, on the day after my birthday, I was writing about how it wasn't exactly the birthday I would have planned, spending the day flying home after