Mental Health Monday
Authenticity
Here are some more excerpts from The Gifts of Imperfection: Your Guide to a Whole-Hearted Life, by Brene' Brown. My [insights] follow."The idea that we can choose authenticity makes most of us feel both hopeful & exhausted...Most of us are drawn to warm, down-to-earth, honest people, & we aspire to be like that in our own lives. We feel exhausted because without even giving it too much thought, most of us know that choosing authenticity in a culture that dictates everything from how much we're supposed to weigh to what our houses are supposed to look like is a huge undertaking." [emphasis added] (p. 50) [Style vs Substance. That's how I like to frame the issue.]
"Authenticity is the daily practice of letting go of who we think we're supposed to be & embracing who we are: Choosing authenticity means
- "cultivating the courage to be imperfect, to set boundaries,& to allow ourselves to be vulnerable; [Someone many years ago told me that I must be a perfectionist. This came after seeing the black hole of clutter that comprised the multiple stacks of work on my desk at school. When I expressed skepticism, he laid out his theory. "A perfectionist has trouble starting a project until everything is just right. However, since rarely is everything "just right," things tend to pile up until they become overwhelming." I think he may have been on to something.]
- "exercising the compassion that comes from knowing that we are all made of strength & struggle; & [I'm not sure I fathom this. Maybe it's psychobabble? Or a symptom of not enough caffeine yet this morning.]
- nurturing the connection & sense of belonging that can only happen when we believe that we are enough." (p. 50) [This I can fathom. It's the sense that one is never quite good enough...that there is always something more that needs to be accomplished...something more that is lacking...something missing in life's equation.
I tried to put up a good front, but I wasn't really fooling those who knew me the best [that would be my spouse] & those who worked closest w/me [that would have been my office staff]. They could see that I was drowning in a sea of administrivia which culminated in burn-out...but what does that have to do with authenticity?
I think the connection has to do w/trying so hard to live up to the expectations of everyone else that one loses sight of the answer to this question: Is it really everyone else's expectations that I was trying to meet, or was it my own expectations?
Well, this is starting to veer off into a personal track that I'm just not feeling mentally up to tackling this morning. In fact, I feel like I'm sort of rambling?!
I highlighted the passage that really seemed to speak the most directly to me. Now it's seriously time for my second cup of coffee. *
* Green Mountain Sumatran Reserve, provided by my thoughtful daughter Sarah, who also gave me this book.
Reasons for Anxiety
POLITICAL: From Lincoln Journal Star (1/8/16): "Planned Parenthood to endorse Clinton. The political arm of Planned Parenthood is to endorse Hillary clinton in New Hampshire on SUN, a Clinton campaign official confirmed." [This is no surprise. The source of anxiety is the knowledge that "she who shall not be named" could very well be our next president," & the blood-bath will continue.]
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: From "Better Health" * (Winter 2015): "Bread & rolls are the #1 source of salt in the American diet, accounting for more than twice as much sodium as found in salty foods like potato chips." [I'm not much of a chip eater, but, unfortunately, I do like ** my bread & rolls. Hence, a source of anxiety ***.]* Published by Concordia Plan Services. ** "Like" is maybe too mild to describe how I feel about bread & rolls. *** Theoretically I am supposed to be keeping a strict watch on my carbs. Theoretically. Sodium? Whatever.
TAGLINES FROM DRUDGE REPORT (1/11) BUT I COULDN'T BRING MYSELF TO READ THE ARTICLES:
- "Schlafly makes case for President Trump...
- "Human organs growing inside sheep & pigs..."
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