THANK YOU Social Media - Suicide Prevention Month
As I return to the T-Factor in my new home town of London, I realize that the idea behind this business of mine has evolved during the time I was TRANSFERring my family overseas. Wanting to do it all, the Podcast, the Tall fashion, the blog, the this the that, made me realize I can’t do it all if I want to do it well and with meaning. And if you’ve read some of my previous blog posts, you know by now my mission, for myself and you the readers, is to discover and share all the tools to creating a more meaningful life all around. It is, after all, about TRANSFORMATION of the mind, the body, and the soul. Tada, just that.
So it feels damn good to be returning to work with the added step back of summer and move to give some perspective to what’s ahead for the T-Factor. And it’s not ill-fitting to be returning to my computer on Suicide Prevention Month, albeit a little late in the month already but I was busy getting 4,5 schedules aligned between my twin boys, my daughter and Cooper the dog.
One of the main reasons I started the T-Factor Blog and Podcast is to address mental illness and the growing pains of being different. Say what you want about Social Media, the added monthly hashtags in our lives allow us to take a pause, usually a second, hopefully, a few minutes (‘til the end of this blog post) to check in with ourselves and others. Yes I know, I’m a foolish optimist and I usually see the good in everyone and every situation. #suicidepreventionmonth or #antibullyingmonth have become tremendously important and effective in the unilateral efforts of so many to help out.
Social Media is a bottomless well of goodness and positivity if you let it be so.
It’s SO hard to learn how to navigate those treacherous waters though. The little rabbit hole is real and for the younger generation today to be faced with cyberbullying and online shaming, it takes mental health to a whole other level of vital concern.
There are so many lives that are being cut short because of the aches of the mind. As I’ve mentioned before in T-FACTOR, Y? every week it seems we read or hear in the media of a young soul taking his or her own life because of bullying, cruelty, and confusion. Each time it shakes my world and I want to scream that they just need to hold on a little while longer. Adequate help does change lives. From a parent, a friend, a therapist, a life coach, a religious figure.
Having recently discovered the world of Therapy, it has become clear to me that there is always some book, some article, someone who can help the mind heal itself. It was only once I had gone through the ground-breaking of the initial therapy sessions that I understood I could learn to TRANSFORM my mind with the help of all the documentation out there, YouTube being top of the list on where to find solace. I mean, did you watch the Netflix documentary I am not your Guru on Tony Robbins. I would never have watched that stuff before. I stumbled upon it on Instagram a few months ago and my mind was blown away! Yes, I agree, Tony Robbins is not a guru which is exactly why I was drawn to watching this. Voodoo-ing is not my cup of tea. But the way his well-oiled machine and his words help squeeze out all the excess fluff out of each situation and wring it down to the bare basics is mind boggling.
With that in mind, I'm really excited to be going to my first ever Entrepreneurship Event in San Diego in a couple weeks! I got my tickets before I knew I was moving to London so it'll now be an 11hr trip for a two day conference which i'm dreading but also am looking forward to. Plane rides without kids have become the best office space to get shit done.
It Pays To Be Brave is created by Angie Lee who is a master confidence and business growing lady-boss who teaches all the best approaches to chasing your dreams, even for people like me who are still figuring it out:-) Not only business tips to grow a business but also tips on mindset shifts to take upgrade your life. So thank you Social Media for bringing me to her world.
"Choose your thoughts like you choose your selfies."
- The Champagne Diet, Cara Alwill Leyba
Are you in therapy? Or have done it before?
It's shocking to me that I didn't tap into this world sooner, waiting to hit rock bottom a few years ago before finding the inevitable courage (and intelligence?) to dive into my own mental health. Why isn't that shit taught at school? And yes you might say, it actually is. But I mean, central to all teaching, not just a few parent-led efforts.
The incomparable Lauren Zander talks about the Emotional Revolution that needs to happen in Episode #10 and in details in her punch-in-the-gut book Maybe It's You: Cut the Crap, Face Your Fears, Love Your Life. Her approach to accountability and her guide to asking yourself the right questions, specially the ones with ugly answers, is what made her Handel Method the #1 Executive Life Coaching program and is being taught in schools, from NY Public schools to MIT. You don't come out the same on the other side of her method. Read her, follow her.
Here are my 5 top Social Media accounts I follow for mental health:
Let's remember that we are all affected by suicide one way or another. We all know someone who should get help, who is being helped or who, sadly, should have been helped better. So go ahead, reach out, find your help. Surprisingly enough you will find it on social media and that is fine. You can find your soul mate on it, why can't you find your soul savior on it too!?
Of course, daily hashtags like #nationalicecreamday or #nationaldonutday or #ilovemydog day don't add any value to the spectrum of intelligence and productivity. They can be damn funny though and we also need that, so why the heck not enjoy all the things social media has to offer, the good the bad and the ugly. The key is to find balance and take a major step back when consuming social media. Emotional Wellbeing is of paramount importance for this generation growing up with social media. I'm not there yet with my children, I can still deny them any electronic device without having it impact their social life. Ask me again in a couple of years though.
In the UK, there are courses like Young Minds to help identify safe practices of surfing the net. Quite frankly, these tips are for everyone, grown-ups alike.
The best boundaries I heard with social media come from non other than Kim Kardashian, (although i don't believe it one bit, coming from her) she's on it half an hour in the morning and half an hour in the evening. Again, total bs i'm sure but hey, I'll take it. There's also the 5 min breaks at the top of each hour which i've heard of, but quite frankly is it ever 5 minutes? Blocking time out in your calendar for proper surfing is a great tool to control your urges and make the scavenging actually productive.
What do you do to surf intelligently and safely?
DM me or leave a comment below:-)
Tooduloo,
ML.
