In honor of Mental Health Month, this edition of Mid-Week Balance is dedicated to the Mental Health Blog party, sponsored by the American Psychological Association (APA). This edition is also my own recognition that sometimes our goals get off track (my goal is that MWB gets published each Wednesday), but that is not a reason in itself to walk away from the intention of the goal. Each of the posts I selected this week is around the theme of persistence, of facing challenge, of letting go of our attachment to doing it "just right." This collection includes some familiar voices, as well as some new ones.
I have featured Kendra of Voice in Recovery before. She does a fantastic job of providing advocacy and support for those struggling through the experience of an eating disorder. I believe that her post this week on exploring what we may need to let go of is applicable to nearly all of us. I appreciate the way that she went through some of her own beliefs and then re-framed them in a more caring, self-supportive way.
Pete Michaud's voice is another regular one here at MWB. This week, he did a fantastic job of exploring the difference between focusing on actions versus focusing on outcomes. Pete argues that we don't have total control over the outcomes we experience, but we do have control over the actions we take. This mental shift feels pretty empowering to me.
Seth Godin's voice is monumental in the social media and business world. I follow Seth's Blog for inspiration in my own business, and because I appreciate how well he delivers great stuff in small packages. This week, he invited his readers to consider the possibility that our ability to fail is an overlooked privilege. Read this one and think it over!
Denise of the Just Let Go blog started writing as a tool for her own self-exploration and accountability in her journey to change her relationship with her body in loving ways. Many of her posts are journal-entry style. This post, exploring a moment of feeling in transition, captured something that I frequently explore with clients. She does a lovely job of articulating the reality that many of our coping skills, which evolved to protect us from earlier life situations, can become hurtful when our situations change. This post might need more than one read to soak it all in.
Rosie Molinary is another regular--in fact I included one of her posts last week too. Since she keeps writing great stuff, I'm going to keep pointing you in her direction. This week, as she writes about the need for innovation in our lives and in our work, Rosie does a lovely job of illustrating how we talk ourselves out of challenge, how we keep ourselves busy but stagnant. Read this for a caring challenge of your status quo.
I hope that as you read these, you're inspired and empowered. If you know of something great that I missed, please feel free to share it in the comments.
