Revue newsletter for Child Abuse Survivor - Issue #37
I'm working from a different location this week. Remote work has meant being at home pretty exclusively the past couple of years, but thanks to a friend's wedding, we find ourselves back in Oregon, enjoying the cooler weather, mountain views, and the beautiful coast. I enjoy Louisiana but there are good memories, and good friends, here too. Thankful for them and for the adventures we have had in life.
Hope you make some good memories soon as well!
New From the Blogs
Sharing My Own Story With Tiffany Werhner on Moments of Clarity — www.childabusesurvivor.net Yesterday, I was a guest again on my friend Tiffany Werhner's radio show/podcast Moments of Clarity. We chatted about my story of child abuse, dissociation, major depression, and eventually, my experiences with therapy and more. If you are a survivor or know someone who is who could use a reminder that the abuse does not define them, and wasn't their fault, please share this with them.
Sharing - Mental Health Recovery Burnout Is Real and It's a Problem — www.childabusesurvivor.net There's no time to be thoughtful and purposeful when you're plowing through all of your "recovery goals" at once, and without those things, you won't get there. They're kind of required. I've been heard to say in a few places that a big part of why I keep different blogs and social media profiles on different topics is because it keeps me honest. Yes, I am interested in those things and enjoy learning and sharing. But, I have been able to keep this little website going for over 20 years because it is just a part of my life, taking part of my time and part of my mental energy. It's not everything. I know it doesn't work for me if it is. That's important, and it keeps me from getting burned out.
Even LinkedIn has Mental Health Creators Worth Following — www.childabusesurvivor.net I've often tried to share lists of social media accounts, podcasts, blogs, etc. related to abuse and mental health. I think this is the first time I'm sharing such a list of LinkedIn creators. Nevertheless, here we have it.
Sharing - Taking control of your own mental health can improve it — www.childabusesurvivor.net I found this study interesting because I do believe the thing that has pushed me from mild anxiety or depression into a worse state is not believing I could do anything. Not having any hope, in other words. These folks sound something very similar:
Shared from Elsewhere
The Vicious Cycle of Depression: How to Break Out of It — psychcentral.com Depression symptoms can make it hard to take care of yourself and seek treatment, causing your depression to worsen. Here's how to break the depression cycle.
4 high school students talk mental health and how the pandemic changed them After two years of isolation and uncertainty, many American teens are struggling with mental health problems. But they're also discovering themselves — and their own resilience.
Sibling sexual abuse. Sibling incest. Sibling sexual trauma. Harmful sexualized behavior. Child-on-child sexual abuse. Maybe you don't even know what to call it yet. Maybe you didn't realize that brothers or sisters could do this to each other. — www.siblingsexualtrauma.com Sibling sexual trauma is likely the most common form of sexual harm to children. It devastates families like little else. Yet it is the least understood, least reported, least talked about of any kind of sexual violation.
Our Favourite Mental Health Podcasts | The Blurt Foundation — www.blurtitout.org Podcasts can be more accessible than TV or books. With so many available, it's hard to know where to start, so we've picked ten favourites.
10 Books To Read for Mental Health Awareness Month — bookriot.com May is Mental Health Awareness Day. Recognize it by picking up some of these nonfiction and fiction titles about living with mental illness.
From the Archives
Why I Don't Tell People I'm Struggling Either — www.childabusesurvivor.net When Laura talks about the reactions she's afraid of getting she is 100% correct. A big part of why I hesitate often to tell people when I'm struggling, feeling incredibly anxious, depressed, or just mentally out of sorts is because I absolutely do not want to hear about how many other people are struggling worse. I already know there are a lot of people struggling. People who don't have the resources I do, don't have the support I do, with poor physical health issues or being a part of an underprivileged group, etc. I know, and I understand that I am privileged to have the things that I do and the tools to try and take care of myself that others do not. And yet, my struggles are still struggles. If I am telling you about them it's because I need someone to know. I need to be heard. I need to explain what is happening in my own head to someone who will listen to me. I am not negating anyone else's struggle by talking about my own. Please understand when I, or someone else you know, comes to you and tells you that they are struggling with our mental health, it has likely taken all of our energy just to gather up the courage to tell anyone, so when you deflect like this it's devastating to us. We carry these heavy, heavy, burdens with us every single day of our lives and we simply need someone to recognize them and maybe help us a little bit every now and again.
Rock Bottom Revisited - A Personal Story — www.childabusesurvivor.net Earl K. Long Hospital, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Jan. 1997. Many people who've been through mental health issues, addiction, and so on, refer to "rock