It’s Mental Health Month 2023. And as over the years I’ve raised awareness in various ways, I am going to do something new and vulnerable. No, it’s not new that I’m being vulnerable, but I’ve been holding onto this info specifically for a few years. So here it goes—the ethics of talking about mental health on Twitch specifically.

You don’t have to wait for validation for your turn to feel. You can control how long you wait and how much you put up with while you do. Even if others need you. If you have not given to yourself, what you’re offering them is a husk of a person left after everyone else has already had their turn to pick your emotions dry.

Having a child was not always in the books for me. I came from a broken home and while I don’t think anyone needs to be a perfect parent, I started out only with a “Don’t Do This!” book, instead of a “Maybe these are some good ideas…” one. That in addition to understanding that my kiddo would be starting out with DNA with potential for glitches and figuring out how to come to terms about how I felt about that (because WHOA so many feelings).

I feel like Authenticity is the new buzzword experts love to sell as the social media growth hack with little specifics as to what it means. Here’s my take…