selfawareness

I believe this word is harmful to the mental health community. It was coined by authors who meant well, but were coming from their own experiences in childhood that formed biases towards how they saw people with mental illness. When words like “ toxic” are used to describe someone, they are no longer seen as human, the same as the word, “evil”.

When we use humanizing words such as a “person suffering from mental illness”, a “dysfunctional family”, “poor parenting skills”, “generational trauma”, we are seeing the root of the problem, rather than blaming the victims.

This by no means is dismissing the pain and trauma someone suffered as the result of growing up in a dysfunctional family system, or excuse anyone’s poor behavior. It doesn’t invalidate anyone’s feelings either, everyone is entitled to their feelings. What it does do, is allow the individual and future generations to understand the underlying issues, so they can get the care they need to heal without stigmatizing the very illnesses they have inherited or developed as a result. Now, I know this is very hard to do, to not use these words in our vocabulary. I am guilty myself and catch myself often. When I do, I bring awareness to it and remind myself that these words are not helpful for anyone. It’s especially hard when I am really angry, or have a flashback, to not regress to labeling others and stigmatizing my own community.
Self awareness is often painful, but always enlightening and ultimately healing.

#selfawareness
#destigmatization
#PTSD
#c -PTSD
#Relationships

This may not end up being a very well-liked post, but nonetheless I feel led to share it.

I pride myself on being a nonjudgmental person. I strive to put aside differences in favor of relationship.

This view of myself has recently been challenged as I am beginning to believe we all have a tendency to stigmatize others, even if it is subconscious, due to cultural upbringing. In the past several months, I have befriended two individuals, one of which practices a different faith than I do, and the other who has a lifestyle that contrasts with my traditional conservative values. My experience with them, connecting with them online and before I learned of these differences, has brought to light the fact that had I met them knowing of these differences, I would have been less inclined to see them for who they really are, amazing, thoughtful, and kind people. Before we point fingers at others for their stigmatizing beliefs, maybe we should look within to see if we, ourselves, are unknowingly doing it to others. This in no way excuses the stigmatization of others, just like their behavior in no way excuses ours.

"First take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.". - Matthew 7:5

#TheMighty #MightyTogether #Stigma #StopTheStigma #Judgement #selfawareness

When my world came crashing down, I was forced to find my way in the world. Every bad decision I made altered the course of my life. I was stuck in a rut as my father described it. Unfortunately for me; it was much worse than that.

The rut was one thing and the need to pull myself out of it was ever present. Sadly the rut was only the beginning of a life-time of negative emotions and regret. I wish I could have experienced the trauma and continued with a positive attitude and I did attempt to forget about the people who hurt me. No matter how hard I tried to forget and move on I was stuck reliving the trauma over and over again.

Angry, sadness and revenge continuously played on my mind. As time has passed I just wanted some closure from the incident as it is forever haunting me. Even an apology would make me feel a little better instead I am stuck in self-loathing and misery while the people who hurt me continue on as though nothing happened.

While everyone my age was having a good time and enjoying their youth, I would spend each weekend isolating in my room. Weekends trying to forget what happened to me with the help of marijuana. I was my own worst enemy, imprisoned and desperate for a solution. Just like everything else in my life - I was looking for an easy fix. An easy fix which I am still looking for to this day

I have come to realise that trauma will be ever present in my life. It has become a part of me whether I like it or not. The victim mindset has plagued me for years and I need to make a change. I need to let go of the negativity and anger once and for all.

#Recovery #PTSD #Depression #selfmedicate #Sadness #Pain #hurt #suffering #Addiction #Hatred #Jealousy #anger #despair #gloom #Doom #Love #Support #TheMighty #MightyTogether #Friendship #Family #people #places #things #control #Emotion #sad #feelingbetter #Slowly #Survivor #illness #struggle #adversity #Sabotage #selfawareness #Reflection

The last major social media site i used was IG. I am a creative person and i used it for that purpose. I was kind to others, tried to be real in my posts and also supportive of others who were creative people or those who enjoyed my creativity.

Over time i met artists in a few areas that i have appreciated for years. Many of them were very kind privately but publicly adhered to this role of having to maintain a public facing ego. At the end of the day what mattered was numbers of likes, follower counts and feeling better than others it seemed although privately they were genuinely great people.

None of this probably is a surprise to anyone here reading this but after awhile i found it difficult to watch other people, creative or not, well known or not, feel as though their self worth depended on like and follower counts. It became incredibly depressing to see people liking their own posts to increase counts to inflate their status in some artificial way. It became so obvious none of it was healthy no matter how many genuine connections could be made there, the platform itself was the issue.

I had stopped using other major social media long before IG was the only one left. Extremism and negativity that prevails on all sides of every issue became overwhelming and i saw it for how nonsensical and toxic it is.

Now i spend my time offline mostly or when i'm online viewing content and not participating on platforms that deliver it otherwise (YouTube, private Twitter to see news on things i follow / enjoy / am interested in).

For years as i struggled with my own mental health i felt as though i was unhealthy, but the more i pay attention, the more i see in the world around me...

I see how far i've come and how well i'm doing considering the health issues i have. I'm not attacking people online, arguing with strangers, yelling into the void picking fights, and i'm no longer spending my time being depressed by seeing good people get turned into egomaniacs seeking likes and followers on IG.

I may not be perfect, i may still struggle at times, but as far as i can see in 2022 given life on Earth in general, i'm doing pretty well considering and that's what counts.

#SocialMedia #Instagram #Ego #MentalHealth #Awareness #selfawareness #OnlineHealth #online #Society #BipolarDisorder #Anxiety #PTSD #Perspective

I found this post on one of The Mighty's stories and felt it would be useful if shared :)

Read it when you have time

Have a good day

Don't give up :)

#selfcare #selfawareness #happylife #dontgiveup

There are five different types of self-care: physical, emotional, psychological, spiritual and professional care.

1. Physical self-care

While physical self-care can be anything from a Netflix binge to a day at the spa, there are many other activities you can do to enhance your overall physical well-being to contribute to better overall mental health. Examples of this include: eating healthier, getting regular exercise, wearing clothes you like, or taking time out of your day to get your hair or makeup done or getting. While many of these activities might be considered more “superficial,” I think they are essential to maintaining lower levels of stress. So go ahead and go to your favorite beauty store and splurge on one of those bath bombs for a night in the tub — you deserve it!

2. Emotional self-care

Digging a bit deeper now; emotional self-care is often simply the act of allowing yourself to feel your emotions for what they are — with little to no judgement. This can be especially hard at first, but the more you do it the better you can become. Some activities in this area include finding things that make you laugh, complimenting yourself when you look in the mirror, allowing yourself to cry when you feel sad, spending time with loved ones and re-reading/re-watching your favorite book or movie until you can recite every line word for word.

3. Psychological self-care

In my opinion, this is one of the most neglected areas of self-care that most people (including my past self) are lacking engagement in. For instance, it’s OK to say “no” to extra responsibilities in your life. This is a very small but effective way you might be able to reduce stress. Some other activities in this area include engaging your intelligence in other topics (like going to an art exhibit or history museum), be curious for a day, practice receiving compliments well from others, make time for self-reflection and last but not least, pay attention to your inner experience (thoughts, feelings, attitudes and so on). You might be surprised at how even doing one of these activities a couple times a week can have a positive effect on your mood.

4. Spiritual self-care

Whether you believe in God, Allah, Buddha, are agnostic or atheist, it’s important to embed spiritual self-care into your daily routine. In this case, spiritual doesn’t refer to religion or believing in a sort of higher being (although, it absolutely can if that is what helps you). Instead, in this sense, spiritual self-care is the act of getting in touch with your inner human spirit and soul. Some examples of this include contributing to causes you care about (donating money or volunteering), meditating, spending time in nature, engaging in inspirational videos or literature and highlighting the nonmaterial aspects of life. I realize that some of these suggestions may be vague, but they can be done simply by thought or writing them down in a journal. Essentially, everyone is different and it’s up to you to engage in whatever form of makes you feel best!

5. Professional self-care

Engaging in professional self-care is essential for those in the workforce, however, these examples can be easily applicable to those still in school. Some of these examples are very basic, yet often missed throughout a busy work or school day. They include: taking time to chat with coworkers/peers, decorating your workspace to your liking, balancing your workload (literally meaning taking breaks as needed), developing an outside hobby or area of interest and creating a quiet and reserved area to get your work done. Ultimately, when you are able to give your professional life balance, lessened stress may allow you to succeed in other areas of life.

All in all, the best things in life come with balance. While certain stress in life can be necessary and even beneficial in some situations (hey, we’ve all put off our work until the last minute and felt the surge of adrenaline to help us turn it in on time), it’s easy for everyday events to become overly stressful and unmanageable. Yet, change isn’t easy. It’s said that it takes about 25 days for something to become a habit. In the process of incorporating some, if not all of the topics listed, I highly recommend doing one thing at a time at your own pace. This way you can see how each aspect of self-care benefits your mental health, and you won’t become overly critical of yourself if you miss the gym one day, forget to take a break, or fail to spend more time with yourself. After all, life is just a journey in which we should do our best to enjoy it and not be too critical of ourselves when we don’t need to.

Bruce Lee was a Hong Kong American actor, filmmaker, martial artist, and the inventor of Jeet Kune Do, a style of martial arts. He was also an impressive philosopher who had a brilliant outlook on life.

These are my favorite bits of advice from him.

1. Be yourself no matter what.
“Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself, do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate it.”

2. Don’t be afraid to own your mistakes.
“Mistakes are always forgivable, if one has the courage to admit them.”

3. Don’t waste your time on nothing.
“If you love life, don’t waste time, for time is what life is made up of.”

4. Always go with the flow.
“Notice that the stiffest tree is most easily cracked, while the bamboo or willow survives by bending with the wind.”

5. Don’t anger on a whim.
“A quick temper will make a fool of you soon enough.”

6. Humble yourself.
“Showing off is the fool’s idea of glory.”

7. Whatever you do, give it your all.
“I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.”

8. Life is about more than yourself.
“Real living is living for others.”

9. Strengthen your endurance.
“Do not pray for an easy life, pray for the strength to endure a difficult one”

10. Develop love wherever you go.
“Love is like a friendship caught on fire. In the beginning a flame, very pretty, often hot and fierce, but still only light and flickering. As love grows older, our hearts mature and our love becomes as coals, deep-burning and unquenchable.”

11. Keep it positive.
“As you think, so shall you become.”

(From tracking.truthfinder. com)

I thought I had as much natural confidence when I was able, productive & was part of society, but since being chronically ill, losing mobility & the supportive networks through not understanding this level of chronic illness has changed all of that. All of these situations I understand, I forgive too as it was all misunderstood. I have knocked my confidence within going through these situations repeatedly. I don't know how to build confidence back up. How do I gain confidence to something I never felt confident with? I became disabled in my late teens but instead of being encouraged to learn how to live at that level of disablity I was told repeatedly by healthcare & family that I just needed to try harder, think better to control the pain to make it a level I can still be able at. For 9 years this was said to me by everyone accept my amazing husband & my mother in-law, who were the ones who saw my symptoms daily, 9 years I'd been offered therapy to "fix" something I was born with. Only, when I was 5 & dealing with this disabling level I was told it was "bone sickness" & something that would cure once the infection cleared, then it was due to growing once the bone pain didn't go completely with the infection. At 19 it became disabling & they told me it was due to surivivng truama in my early teens although it always felt like it did when I was 5.

Now, I'm confident in what I experience within my body since being diagnosed correctly with hEDS. I know my pain is real & isn't related or caused by truama or emotional stress. Now I know, yet I still have all of the negative words I heard over the years telling me I'm not trying hard enough & somewhere along the line that became "you're not enough" I don't know how to undo that. Where do I start? I love myself unconditionally, I know I'm enough but I still feel like that "you are not enough" has been put on me by society in every way, on every level externally, repeatedly, since the day I became disabled in late teens. I'm not a teen now but I feel like I'm finding myself again externally & I don't know how to build that confidence again. I feel like I'm in a mid life crisis at 28 from being diagnosed correctly. 😂 I'm now trying to get a health team together who understand hEDS & my other illnesses. I know there's a lot of changes & this is a journey. But I'd like a head start on the confidence building whilst disabled. Me & my husband lost our 20's due to this & I'd like to experience our 30's 😂 Any advice would be highly appreciated!! #newlydiagnosed #DisabilityAdvocacy #Selfcare #selfawareness