So, this week, I've been participating in a Reddit community and it has been amazing.
What is Reddit? Reddit is like a ginormous forum of people posting and sharing things on all sorts of topics from serious to mundane to random to shocking & silly. It's like people posting comments on articles or sharing Instagram photos, but it's all in one place and you don't have to "follow" or "friend" anyone to be a part of it.
Reddit has a lot of "subreddits," which are basically a split off of the larger Reddit community and focus around a particular topic, like dancing cats or video game hacks or politics or parenting strategies...subreddits are similar to a Facebook group.
The subreddit I have been participating in is a forum for people to discuss mental health topics, ask each other questions, and give/get support around mental illness.
Several other therapists and I started a "I'm a therapist, ask me anything" thread to see if we could help provide some ideas or support for the community. If it's of interest to you, you can check it out here.
It has been heartwarming for me to see how many really good and caring people are out there, all over the world. And also how many people are each struggling to find their way through very difficult situations.
So often we feel alone to manage life and difficulties...when really there are a lot of other folks working hard to navigate the same choppy waters. We are not, in fact, alone.
Anyone can participate in Reddit...maybe it's worth a look!