A Sucker Punch Right to the Gut

Let me paint a picture of this bizarre moment when my brain went AWOL—seriously, it felt like it took a detour through the Bermuda Triangle. I was chatting with this woman, and honestly, I can't recall with who, where, or how it started because she delivered a verbal one-two punch to my head and gut that I lost sense of our shattered conversation. If I bumped into her again, her face wouldn't ring a bell. Brace yourself for what she dropped on me! She said, 'You know you're a good parent if your kid didn't go to therapy"... WTF!!!' I went blank. I think at this point, I lost all sense of hearing too. I had no response, so I smiled and tried to catch up to my soul, which had left me standing there feeling lifeless.

I'm a true believer in therapy—seriously, everyone should have a therapy entry pass at least once in their lifetime. Navigating emotions is tough even for us adults, let alone expecting little minds to figure it out. Sorry, but GFYS (Go Find Your Soul) is my Zen version—I'll leave my true thoughts up to your imagination!

I hate that therapy is stigmatized and mental illness is shamed. Can we please stop branding it that way? Seriously, let's cut it out. Let's call it "Brain Health," as Daniel G. Amen says in his book Change Your Brain Every Day. Both my daughters are in therapy, and it's been fantastic. Not only have they developed better communication skills, but so have we, the parents. They say a leopard can't change its spots—that may be true for its fur, but not for its mind. Using that terminology is just a convenient human excuse to avoid evolving or expecting change. As human beings, we all can evolve and adjust our perspectives, especially when it comes to nurturing young minds that require extra TLC. I don't know any human being who has figured it all out or was born with a damn manual on how to live and communicate well for life. Words matter, so let's choose them wisely.

So, I take my hat off to the lady who has no sense and toast to her stupidity for not

acknowledging that Brain Health matters!!

Cheers to Brain Health!!!

Quick Reads:

(I've got plenty more where these came from, but these two are as breezy as a summer read.)

• I Am Enough by Marisa Peer

o World-renowned therapist Marisa Peer identified that the root of many problems

stems from the need to fill an inner emptiness of not feeling “enough.”

• Change Your Brain Every Day by Daniel G Amen. MD

o Dr. Amen's book breaks things down into daily doses so you can sneak in a bit of brain boost every day.)