Shared Experiences: How Authenticity and Connection Support Mental Wellness

Finding Connection Through Deep Conversations

I was recently at a “deep thought” group where there is a given topic and as a roundtable discussion, we share back and forth theoretical talk around said theme. Where I can at times be awkward in interpersonal communication, I thrive and am active in these type discussions. Yea for surpassing small talk as natural default! Lol.

At the end of the discussion, I was chatting with the two women who had been sitting closest to me. They were commenting that they felt the same as I did, but often felt uncomfortable sharing such things openly. Fear of judgement I suppose. An enlightening moment occurred as another woman walked up to us and began speaking.

Why Shared Mental Health Experiences Matter

Perhaps I seemed a safe person (I like to consider myself to be) and she shared something I didn’t expect. The solitude of Covid times had come up during the discussion, so her words aligned with aspects greater experienced through that shared understanding, She said how she has to leave the house sometimes and make sure to be around others so that the voices in her head didn’t take control. She didn’t mean the thought to do something harmful… more of an inner rant of the grief that often arises from too much alone time and spirals bigger. She said how she needs to be around others to calm that voice and remind her of reality.

That moment was incredibly refreshing for me, and I hope validating for her as my immediate comment was, “Me too!”. It was a blessing of a reminder that many of us feel like our minds may be a little irrational, but that in reality, most of our perceived “crazy” is actually a shared experience that most are scared to disclose to others.

Choosing Authenticity in Personal Writing

I’ve been conflicted about rather to write this blog as personal reflections or more of as an educational tool based from my own life experience mixed with formal mental health training. I believe that in the moment that the woman from the group shared with me her perceived dysfunction, I had my own answer.

How Being Real Can Encourage Healing

My thought as I begin this site anew and made my first official post… It is okay to be me. There are TONS of people just like me. In sharing our thoughts and experiences in a thoughtful way, we can all gain insights and personal healing. I don’t need to be dramatic and certainly don’t need to offer complaints, but I can be real. Authenticity is a good thing that can help both myself and others find healing… which is the point of this website. So… authenticity mixed with educated insights with a goal to create something of substance sounds right to me.

Overcoming Fear to Share Your Story

I had a blog several years ago that I shut down due to my own personal shame and fear of being myself. That blog had become a special thing that had people from all over the world reaching out to me telling me that who I am and what I wrote inspired them and helped them through very challenging times. Some even said I saved their life. I can’t let fear detract from the good that comes with shared experiences. It’s okay to believe in myself and create something from that. It’s okay to be me. <3

Finding Validation in Our Shared Imperfections

Most of my writings will be posted here at FindingPoint.com, but I also make simple daily posts at Facebook.com/FindingPoint. I’m grateful that the new website server has a comments feature so I can interact with others and we could share thoughts and feedback.

I do hope you find this content useful. At the end of the day I think that what most of us need is validation that it’s okay to not be perfect, and that our shared imperfections are only another thing that brings us together as humans.

Wishes of wellness and love. -Stephanie