A number of things happened this week that coincided w one another…some of them shared here in previous posts…some not.
Actor/producer Kevin Smith revealed he had to be hospitalized bc of a MH break that happened that caused him to lose touch w reality. He didn’t have to share publicly, but he did.
Giannis was asked after losing in the first round to the underdog Heat, if the season was a failure. He didn’t have to go into details. He could have answered w the traditional pro athlete cliché – “No, they were just the better team this series.” Instead he went into what the loss meant…why it hurt but why it’ll make him & his teammates stronger.
A fam from Long Island – on Capitol Hill became very public w the story of their son’s passing by suicide at only 16. They didn’t have to. Their pain was on full display – but so too was their healing process as they went to Congress asking for change to happen (we did a whole “We’re All A Little ‘Crazy’” podcast on this story & what social media is feeding our teens in this week’s episode).
Last slide➡️ families we are working together w started sharing their stories & pics of loved ones lost, for a campaign we collectively will be launching & sharing throughout May – MH Awareness Month. They didn’t have to share that they lost their child to suicide. They are choosing to, publicly, to help others.
When I first shared my story in 2017, right after I began to heal & had the cognitive abilities to put it on paper, I was bombarded w responses: “I went thru something similar – I thought I was the only one.” And…”Thank you for sharing, I’m going thru that right now, & thought there was no way out. This gives me hope.”
When we show our scars…when we HEAL LOUDLY, we show others they can heal too. Your physical scars may still bleed a little. May be raised & all red. But what they show you & others is – that the trauma that happened to you CAN heal.
This is true of our physical heath…AND it’s true of our MH. You can be someone’s reason for hope. Show your scars. Heal Loudly.