Musings of a wounded healer

I love words!

There is something about how much one word can encapsulate which can feel quite magical. It is something I frequently get teased about by my family, as even within my immediate loved ones we all have a different and equally intriguing use of language. Whether that be the language I have picked up during my journey of working in healthcare and academia, my mom’s use of local and at times generational Northern Irish slang words and phrases, and of course my young nieces more modern use of language, impacted massively by the digital age.

Then think about all of the common words we share and frequently use throughout the day. What a word or phrase means to each of us can be very different. Our life experiences greatly influence the particular meaning we give to certain words and how we place them within the context of the wider world. This is often where a lot of miscommunication arises, but it is also where we have the opportunity to learn so much from each other.

For the month of September, I thought I would try out something slightly different for my Thought-Provoking Thursday project. Instead of the usual question format, I thought it would be interesting to take a word or concept and ask you all to complete the sentence.

Here are a few tips to help you along the way.

Tip 1: try not to over think it, write down what first comes to your mind.

Tip 2: you may find yourself writing one word, one sentence or a whole paragraph. Do whatever you feel comfortable with.

Tip 3: there are no right or wrong answers, just the thoughts and associations that come to you in the moment.

Tip 4: Get as creative as you wish. A poem, a picture or even a gif.

Today I would like us to finish this sentence:

Mental health is…

Mental health is a concept increasingly being used in today’s society. But what does it bring to mind for you?

Let’s take this opportunity to learn from each other and the wide array of experiences we all bring to the table.

Make sure to check back in next week to see what the next sentence we will be completing together will be.

Much peace and kindness

Krissy