Welcome to September: When Being the Strong One Gets Heavy
September’s theme for Grateful Caregiver Wellness Community is “Strength Beyond My Own.” And as I thought about what I wanted to share this month, I realized that before I could talk about strength, I needed to talk about where some of mine came from. This is a little difficult for me to admit, even at 57 years old: I was bullied as a child. During my adolescent years, my self-esteem was very low. I didn’t always feel confident or secure in who I was. Words hurt, rejection hurt, and some of those experiences stayed with me much longer than I realized. But I had my mom. My mother was instrumental in helping me through those years. She encouraged me. She reminded me that I was special. When I struggled to see something valuable in myself, she helped me see it. As I grew into adulthood, though, I learned how to protect myself. I built an inner wall. When the Wall Still Shows Up Recently, I attended an event where I had an opportunity to share something personal. I wanted to share, but wh...