Why in the world would I share my deepest feelings and experiences with any and everyone who is at all interested?
What in the world could I possibly gain by exposing m
y mental health flummoxes and foibles with total honesty? It is my responsibility…
- To stand up for what I believe in;
- To help eradicate the stigmas that I’ve been burdened with my whole life;
- To break the silence and never give in to the pressure of keeping secrets;
- To stand up for all of us who’ve been ashamed, embarrassed, debilitated by issues entirely out of our control;
- To offer hope by knowing…
- you aren’t alone –
- there is no shame –
- it’s not your fault –
- you can do something about it –
- you can take your own stand –
- you can help others too.
I am the proud product of Adverse Childhood Experiences. When I took the test, I was simultaneously horrified and empowered when I got a score of 9 out of the 10 questions. To be completely honest, I took the test several times just to make 100% sure that I wasn’t misreading it. 9 out of 10? How the hell was I still alive?
Why am I proud to have discovered my ACE score? I think it officially makes me a SuperWoman. With great power comes great responsibility.
This experience is a blog post (or 2 or 10) in itself. But, back to “Why”? Because the world deserves to know that …
- We are not defined by our issues.
- We are not defective.
- We are capable of and do great things regardless of our issues. (Heck, I give us even more credit for the things we accomplish because we are dealing with our mental health baggage at the same time.)
- We are strong.
We obviously love bullet points.
So, that’s why.
A Year of Significance 