Mental health wasn’t really a thing we looked at until recently. We may have, however, over compensated for the lack of coverage through the past few millennia. We’ve found the need to dissect every personality, bunch it’s complexities into a category and throw it into a box with look-a-likes, leaving nothing and no one “normal”.
Labeling our difficulties can be helpful sometimes, as it allows us to understand and communicate our experiences. It provides a framework for discussing mental health and seeking appropriate support. However, we must also recognize the limitations of these labels and the potential harm they can cause.
The concept of a “disorder” implies that there is something inherently wrong or abnormal about a person’s mental state. It suggests that certain thoughts, emotions, or behaviors are deviant and should be fixed or eliminated. But is this perspective fair? Isn’t it just another way to pathologize and stigmatize human experiences that may be complex, nuanced, and varied?
The human mind is a vast and intricate landscape, encompassing a wide range of emotions, thoughts, and behaviors. What may be considered “disordered” in one culture or context may be completely normal in another. Moreover, the line between what is considered a disorder and what is simply the depth of human existence can often be blurry.
By focusing solely on labeling and categorizing, we risk oversimplifying the complexities of the human mind. We undermine the uniqueness and individuality of each person’s experience. Instead of concentrating on labels, perhaps we should prioritize understanding, empathy, and support for those who are navigating the ups and downs of life.
Rather than viewing differences as disorders, we can learn to appreciate the richness they bring to our collective human experience. Let us foster an environment that encourages acceptance, diversity, and understanding, allowing individuals to embrace their uniqueness without judgment or shame.
While labels can provide a starting point for discussions about mental health, it is crucial to approach them with caution and take into account the broader context of human existence. Let us strive towards a more compassionate and inclusive society that celebrates the intricacies and nuances of our shared human experience.
Not a single one of us is the same but we all experience life with a fierceness that threatens to shatter us at times. The complexity and potency of our emotions is what makes us human. We need to learn how to wield that power rather than trying to fight and numb it.
This was an amazing episode and perhaps the only one where we were able to stay on a single topic for the entire duration. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Let us know what you think by rating and reviewing!
Beginning –
Pragmatic alchemy and how it integrates the “woo-woo” with the science of spirituality. As a society and culture imbedded in “concrete” physicality, many of us need to understand why and how things work in order to implement properly.
Pathologizing the human experience is the culture of mental health right now. Human nature is to box everything up so that we can categorize and understand everything. We tend to want to label things as a problem and make them go away instead of learning how we can utilize them. They very well could be a super power. Example: ADHD being “omni-directional thinking”.
Normal doesn’t exist. Each and every one of us is completely different and that’s beautiful.
7:35 –
We base everything in our lives on external factors. How everyone, everything, culture, media, etc. says we “should” be. No one ever finds satisfaction in that. It’s a “running in place”. Everyone must decide what works best for them specifically and design their own lives.
Standardizing starts in the school systems where everything is measured against a scale and if you don’t measure up, the message is immediately that something’s wrong with you.
The system is designed to keep us small because smallness is easy to control. Fully accepting yourself makes you powerful which is terrifying to those in power.
11:05 –
We see the issues with the school system but we don’t really know what to do about it. The school system hasn’t been around for very long. We can change things.
Social media helps us connect with others who don’t fit the assigned “normal” boxes which has led us to the understanding that things like neurodivergences are not as uncommon as we’ve been led to believe.
16:10 –
Our language creates our reality and how we feel about ourselves. Words are spells. The language and words we use around mental health “disorders” is problematic because it can keep us small and self conscious. Some people do fine with these word frames, others hide behind them or completely succumb to them. Believing they “can’t” and refusing to try because they’re “disorderly”.
All we have is the present moment and we get to choose how to interpret the moment. We say we’re “trying” because trying sounds softer than “doing” and we don’t want to be intimidating or whatever.
Just be honest and tell the truth because trying to frame it in a positive manner often causes an inner conflict that makes it feel worse because you want it to be how you’re framing it but it isn’t.
22:45 –
The internet is a neutral tool that only becomes “good” or “bad” with how you use it, as is with everything.
People get overwhelmed because decision fatigue is a thing and the internet has brought all of the information to the forefront and it’s terrifying to learn that everything we knew and know to be true isn’t. Now changes have to be made but that’s hard and it’s much easier to relinquish control to someone else in the form of doctors, teachers, the government, etc.
We can’t opt out of the uncomfortable emotions without losing them all. Instead of labeling feelings as “good” or “bad”, we need to reframe them as big or small or we can use temperatures to describe them. They’re neutral, they just exist. It’s what we do with them that matters.
30:05 –
Being in a female body is hard because we’re the ones that are primarily told to be less and control ourselves. Being taught to be seen, not heard.
All of the systems are being broken down because we’re seeing what’s not working and trying to create systems that work for everyone. However, that’s going to look nonstructural and messy for at least a while.
Under the best of circumstances, none of us can do everything that society asks of us. It’s simply too many things for even 2 people to accomplish. It truly takes an entire village just to meet the bear minimum of what’s expected of us.
Covid pushed us all further apart there for a bit but it’s springing back to bring us all closer together.
40:25 –
Functioning level may just mean resourced level. We should stay in a “beginner’s mindset” at all times when interacting with the world. We don’t know what people are dealing with or where they’ve come form so it’s best to approach everything with a sense of open curiosity and let them tell us.
None of us have anything figured out. Just accept it.
If you view the world as terrible, it will, in fact, be terrible.
About Our Guest:
Courtney Edwards is a wellness professional, entrepreneur, and podcaster. She holds a master’s degree in Counseling from Pace University and is a Board Certified Coach through the Center for Credentialing and Education. She holds additional certifications as a Relationship Coach (IAP Career College) and as a meditation instructor (Aura Wellness). In 2018 she founded Alchemy Coaching, offering behavioral health, life, and relationship coaching. Courtney is the host of the rapidly growing Pragmatic Alchemy podcast and lives in New York’s Hudson Valley with her family, pets, and books.
Links:
- Web: www.shineandsoar.com
- Socials: @alchemybhc
- Podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pragmaticalchemy
Other Articles You May Enjoy:
- How to Navigate The Stigma of Neurodivergences and Learning Disabilities
- How to Find Energy Patterns that Alcohol is Masking so You Can Find Purpose & Fulfillment
- How Past Life Regression Can Help You Understand, Heal & Create Your Own Reality
- How to Trust Your Intuition & Give Yourself Permission to Grow & Manifest Abundance
- How to Ease the Grief Process by Normalizing Death in Our Society & Culture
Your Host
S.S.Blake; Spiritual Life Coach, Yoga + Meditation Teacher and Founder of Earth and Water
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