I originally wrote this in 2019 and thought it might be good to share it here. This article really hit home for me. For me, It came to a point last year where my wife finally said to me that she’d noticed a slow and gradual change in me, I wasn’t the happy person she’d married, I’d lost interest in doing social things, that she couldn’t be the one to keep the relationship healthy and I couldn’t be relied on anymore. It’s difficult with a busy home and work life to find the time/money for therapy and I found myself relying on my wife for emotional support and running the household which made things way harder for her and it wasn’t fair.
Great stuff - the idea of having an outlet is bang on.
Also, Ive not been involved in group therapy but I’ve been involved in group discussions where someone will drop a line about their vulnerability and it’s followed by “yeah mate, me too” or something of that nature.
You can almost see the weight come off their shoulders in real time.
Talking, even if it’s just an acknowledgement, is so powerful for reducing the strain.
I used to think that if you said something to someone and they didn't give you the right response that it would make things worse. The reality is that it doesn't take that much, like you said, a simple 'yeah, same' can make you realise that you're not the only one going through stuff.
I’ve seen this happen to a room full of hardened road workers during a lessons learned after we revived a truck driver with a defib who would’ve certainly died otherwise.
Often the least expected person opens the floor up. It was a crazy experience but extremely gallivanting for the entire team.
It's always great when the least expected person opens up about something, really jolts people, especially if they see that person as being strong. Definitely need more of it
It's hard to pin point a reason and it happens so gradually that it just becomes your new normal. I'm so grateful Till could see it and was able to bring it up with me.
Great stuff - the idea of having an outlet is bang on.
Also, Ive not been involved in group therapy but I’ve been involved in group discussions where someone will drop a line about their vulnerability and it’s followed by “yeah mate, me too” or something of that nature.
You can almost see the weight come off their shoulders in real time.
Talking, even if it’s just an acknowledgement, is so powerful for reducing the strain.
I used to think that if you said something to someone and they didn't give you the right response that it would make things worse. The reality is that it doesn't take that much, like you said, a simple 'yeah, same' can make you realise that you're not the only one going through stuff.
I’ve seen this happen to a room full of hardened road workers during a lessons learned after we revived a truck driver with a defib who would’ve certainly died otherwise.
Often the least expected person opens the floor up. It was a crazy experience but extremely gallivanting for the entire team.
It's always great when the least expected person opens up about something, really jolts people, especially if they see that person as being strong. Definitely need more of it
Yep. 100%. Can have a significant impact on the younger or more impressionable people in the room.
"I wasn’t the happy person she’d married, I’d lost interest in doing social things" I was definitely heading down this path the last few years.
Not entirely sure why, but I think it was because I'd become so focused on work and lost sight of the importance of having fun.
It's hard to pin point a reason and it happens so gradually that it just becomes your new normal. I'm so grateful Till could see it and was able to bring it up with me.
Good stuff mate, I resonated with just about all of this!
Awesome! It was pretty confronting when my wife told me her thoughts, a big wake up call