DO Something!

I learned helplessness with regards to gender discrimination in a big way in college. I did not deal with it. It fueled and fed my eating disorder. The worst part of the problem was that when I shared my experiences, other females who had not experienced my issue often gave me poor advice. They suggested I survived, or that it was 'boys being boys' or other nonsense, which is called gaslighting - by the way.

The truth is, we learn helplessness from actually being helpless. And there are so many opportunities to learn. Here are a few examples: when a family is devastated by a death by suicide, when someone loves a person with a substance use disorder, gender inequality, racial inequality, learning disabilities, physical disabilities, abuse, neglect, economic deprivation, and more more more.

I began to unlearn some of my helplessness when I read an article written by a woman who was a classmate at UVA with me. Her experiences mirrored my own. I had begun to believe the "others," those who did not understand this particular brand of helplessness, and had doubted my own memories. (An indicator that perhaps I have ignored other experiences that were traumatic or dehumanizing.)

The answer? DO something. Here is what I am doing. I am launching a new program that helps participants re-remember. The details are unimportant, but the DOING is the thing. I am DOING my part to help all humans find their virtue and fight for its reality. I cannot change the world. But I can get to know people and give them information that might support their own recovery. I'm pumped. And a lot happier than I was last year this time.

What do you need to DO? It can be anything that gets you moving. It is the first step to getting out of that cage you are stuck in.