Three ways you can build and strengthen your mental wellness – joy, wellbeing, satisfaction – with story

 

Are you feeling challenged?

A pandemic can do that.

but then so can stress, uncertainty, any of the curve balls that life throws,

or that arise within us.

And the pandemic has certainly brought things like anxiety, depression, unease, uncertainty to the fore for many of us.

The good news is … Story can help.

and in this series of articles I want to show you (or probably more likely remind you!) of the ways we already use story and how it could work for you.

There are three types of stories,

well for our purposes here there are <g>

Let’s start with the first …

The Stories we tell

… to others

We can tell all sorts of stories but the ones that really help are the ones of obstacles overcome.

And when we are brave enough to be vulnerable,

understand storytelling well,

and tell stories of triumph against the odds, of overcoming shame, or defying the odds and succeeding

we do two things.

We take ownership of our achievements.

We take ownership of our own mental strength.

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I’ll say that again but a bit differently.

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We can tell all sorts of stories but the ones that really help are the ones of obstacles that we are overcoming.

And when we are brave enough to be vulnerable,

understand storytelling well,

and tell stories of working to triumph against the odds, of working to overcome shame, or of finding ways to defy the odds and succeed

we do two things.

We take ownership of our bravery and commitment.

We take ownership of our own mental strength.

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Did you spot the difference?

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Obviously there are ways to do that so it is safe and successful, and we will look at those in the rest of this series of articles and over coming weeks, but it is true.  I have seen it happen.  I have done it for myself.

 

Brene Brown said, “Shame thrives in silence.”

We all know of the “things we don’t talk about”,

“Don’t let the neighbours hear you.”

Domestic violence, depression, anxiety, miscarriage, financial hardship.

And while staying silent protects those who fear judgement, who are locked into the safety of norms that have been in force for decades if not centuries,

it allows that shame to thrive;

and shame builds isolation, depression, the opposite of the healthy glow of mental wellness.

As I mentor those with lived experience of mental illness to tell their stories and reduce the stigma and the shame that society, in its ignorance, throws at them

or those who fear public speaking, are ashamed of their failures at school, at the lectern, at work, or in efforts to grow their businesses

it is pure bliss to let them tell their stories to me

and then to build the bravery, and practice, the tools that allow them to bring that shame into the open and defeat it, telling those stories, living the strength that the telling gives.

Telling your story to a listening audience builds your confidence and ownership of all that you are – removes the shame.

Because all stories have a purpose.  It may be for your own healing alone.  It may be to inform, inspire, influence, entertain.  But when you are telling a story for a purpose you remove the shame.  It goes.

And that’s why I love what I do SO MUCH because ordinary teaching about ordinary storytelling (that we’ve been doing for millenia!) brings about this extraordinary result!And who knows, especially if you choose your audience,

you may tell the story that resonates with someone in that audience who sees your struggles overcome and can tell themself they are not the only one facing that particular struggle.  ‘I’m not the only one!”  “This happens to other people, too” It’s a beautiful, powerful first step to their own recovery.

And this doesn’t have to be public speaking. It can be at a party, at work, at a meeting.

And it can become

Your legacy.

 

And, of course the confidence, then,

to use that story

to build your brand,

your business,

your career –

and THAT

has to be contributing to your wellness!

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Next time, we will take a look at the audience again

and

>>>> the stories we listen to.

And if you would like to put the storytelling into practice,

try out the strength and connection that comes from telling your story,

watch for the Campfire Experience.  It’s a space I am creating for just that – a space to tell and share stories, online and here in Brisbane, and explore how story can work in our lives.

It should be ready next month and your invitation will be coming to you soon.