Finding the words to describe mental health.
I've been incredibly interested in mental health as of late, diving into any narratives about how people describe depression and isolation. (Case in point: I just finished the book, What Made Maddy Run: The Secret Struggles and Tragic Death of an All-American Teen, which I highly recommend, especially if you want to dive into what it's like to grow up in a social media obsessed culture.)
This diving into such literature and podcasts is likely because, as a writer, I'm startled by the fact that I don't have the words to describe the depths of postpartum depression that I experienced earlier this year.
And yet, I've noticed that the more I open up about this in my Facebook group, the more engagement I find with other like-minded members of my tribe who can't help but feel called to respond with their own experiences.
This is the kind of connection we're craving. This is the kind of belonging and authenticity we're searching for...
I can feel it coming. A sense that my purpose is unfolding in a greater way. And, it's a lot in part to Heather Gray, a former licensed therapist and now a mindset coach, who helped me understand that what I need now is to become acquainted with myself again.
It's not about grief or grieving the person I was, because yes, there was a time for that. But, in the midst of my becoming a mother and an entrepreneur, moving our home from an isle in the middle of the Pacific to the middle of a giant state like Texas, there's been a LOT of change.
A lot of catching up I'm aiming to do and a lot of things that I'm surprised don't mean the same to me as they used to.
This journey of entrepreneurship is an unfolding one, because we are unfolding ourselves, as well. To put all of our heart and mind into our endeavors means that there will be shifts and realizations, letting go and surrenders, aha moments and utter breakdowns.
There are plenty of things that I'm good at doing, from writing to connecting to pitching to podcasting, but what is it that I REALLY want right now? What makes me thrive NOW? What makes me come alive now that I'm the woman I've become?
That's what I'm figuring out. And, the way that I'll do that is placing one intentional step in front of another.
Let's see where we go.
