Child Abuse Survivor - Issue #165
Still kicking after all these years.
Last week, in my other newsletter, I shared this, and I think it relates to a lot of what I have been doing with the blog, social media, and this newsletter since I started the website in 2001.
Thank you for reading the Child Abuse and Mental Health Survivors newsletter. Each week, I share new blog posts and other resources that aim to help survivors of childhood abuse and those who are struggling with mental health issues feel less alone as we discuss the issues surrounding our issues.
For more information about me and why this newsletter exists, visit the website, Child Abuse Survivor.
In short, these are the things I’ve been thinking about and wanted to share with you for the last two weeks.
It’s that simple. 😉
If you find anything that helps you learn something new, share it with people who are also interested in learning new things. I don’t have a marketing budget to promote the newsletter; it only grows by word of mouth.
It’s about creating community by sharing what I learn about being a survivor and mental health advocate. This issue contains many links related to community and connection. It’s essential that we create those where we can.
Who else should be in this community?
New from the Blogs
Choose Your Words Carefully - You Impact People Around You
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.
Sharing - Resources to Destigmatize Mental Health and Support Understanding
To mark Mental Health Awareness Month, KQED compiled a list of shows related to mental health and youth mental health for listeners.
Sharing - Adolescents with mental health conditions show different social media habits.
The point I want to make is not that social media is perfectly safe. I want us to understand that it is nuanced, and the impact on any one kid is undetermined. We know that kids with strong connections are safer and have better mental health. Instead of assuming that we've solved the youth mental health issue by blocking social media, let's make sure our kids have the kind of community that helps rather than harms their mental health.
Related to that previous post:
Sharing - Tips on navigating online communities while supporting your mental health
Navigating the online world takes some skill, but getting it right can provide significant benefits to our sense of belonging, community, and act as a decent accessory to our offline relationships.
Just be careful not to get into communities that do the opposite, and leave them quickly when that becomes clear.
Linked - Microsoft’s layoff: How corporate downsizing is sparking a global mental health epidemic
We also need to talk once again about the mental health of both those who were let go and those who are left behind. The shock of having your life turned upside down on the whim of an organization's managers is overwhelming. Anyone who has been part of a layoff can tell you that. I went through it, and I know plenty of others who have also done so. It's a traumatic experience.
I've also had the experience of watching people I worked closely with get let go more than once as part of a downsizing. That is also traumatic, and the impact goes much further than being sad the day it happens. You're also likely adjusting schedules and workloads, taking on more work and stress for the same pay, and feeling guilty because you are at least still getting paid while others are not.
So, if you know someone affected by these layoffs, please reach out. Keep in touch with them as best you can and help keep them connected to a community within their industry.
Shared from Elsewhere
Continuing on the theme of prison not being a good place for mental health issues, In a broken mental health system, a tiny jail cell becomes the institution of last resort.
There’s a lot of uncertainty these days:
This is a very good look at what our mental healthcare system looks like to someone trying to report on it - What I wish I’d known when I started reporting on mental health.
Lonely Together: The Mental Health Toll of Disconnection in Relationships
We don’t heal alone. This Mental Health Awareness Month, discover why connection is your most powerful, overlooked mental health tool.
Related:
Also, show up for each other:
Also - From Empathy to Action: How Young Adults Can Better Support Each Other’s Mental Health.
Understand, however, that toxic positivity does not foster connection:
The biggest reminder on this topic - You’re Not Alone :)
If we want to prevent suicide, information like this is invaluable:
Making a Difference:
Taraji P. Henson launches mental health initiative at Coppin State University
Bowling for Soup’s Jaret Reddick Advocates for Mental Health Awareness
‘Motivated and inspired’: California inmates are improving mental health behind bars
From the Archives
Rock Bottom Revisited - A Personal Story
That is what is left of Earl K. Long Hospital. A "closed" sign behind a barbed-wire fence on an empty lot overgrown with weeds. The building was demolished a few years ago. None of the people who treated me and helped me take the first few steps out of rock bottom are there. They've all gone off to different places. Nothing about that place is the same as it was 20 years ago. And very little about me is the same as 20 years ago.
Thoughts on Mother's and Father's Days
So, with Mother's Day behind us, but Father's Day coming up, I hope you will take the time to perhaps mourn for the lack of relationship you may have with a parent, but also choose to acknowledge the people around you who bring motherly nurturing, or fatherly guidance to you, no matter what their "relation" to you may be.
Why Should I "Earn" The Things That Are a Required Part of Life?
If you want to eat, eat. Your body needs food.
If you want to sleep, sleep. Your body needs sleep.
If you need to do something for your mental health? Do it, your mind needs care.
If you want to work out, work out. It's good for you.
If you want to work hard on a project, work hard. The sense of accomplishment you get from hard work is great.
Do any of these things, it's your choice. But don't let your view of the things you need be altered by things you might want to do, and don't let anyone else tell you how to earn those things. You don't have to earn food and rest, they are a required part of being a human. You're allowed to be human, no matter how hard you work out.
Overcoming Childhood and the Stories We Tell Ourselves
It's an interesting episode, and I think many of you might learn a thing or two about how the stories we've been told about ourselves in childhood can be rewritten and how a good therapist might assist in that.
Thanks for reading. If you find this newsletter informative and helpful, please share it with others. That’s the best way to express gratitude for my weekly efforts.