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| My view from the front steps of my office building on a recent evening. |
Do you ever wonder how you got from your childhood to where you are now
in one piece?
I get emails from people who have
found my blog and want to know more about how I deal with OCD and/or depression
and anxiety.
I am not a medical expert or a
therapist. I am a person who has mental illnesses. I try to share my
experiences with different treatments and different ways that I have dealt with
OCD, depression, and anxiety.
It still surprises me, though, that
I seem like someone who has reached a place where I can be of help to anyone
else. Like someone who has a good life in spite of having mental illnesses and
setbacks along the way.
Believe me, I have not overcome
all the obstacles that mental illnesses cause. I’m still trying to figure out
who I am.
But I have managed to build a good
life.
What helped me do that?
Despite some difficult times
during my childhood and teen years, I had the benefit of protective factors.
“Protective factors are individual or
environmental characteristics, conditions, or behaviors that reduce the effects
of stressful life events. These factors also increase an individual’s ability
to avoid risks or hazards, and promote social and emotional competence to
thrive in all aspects of life, now and in the future.”
The CDC lists the protective
factors of school connectedness, parent engagement in schools, and positive
parenting practices. There are more, of course.
Recently, I’ve written about two parts
of my life that I define as protective factors for me. I had people in my life—whether related to me
by blood or not—who helped to nurture me and encourage me as a young person.
And I had books that taught me and inspired me.
Knowledge about protective factors
comforts me.
As a young person, I had help in
several forms that led me to eventually get treatment, begin thinking in
different and healthier ways, and start living the life that I wanted to live.
All of that help didn’t have to
come from the ones we think must provide it, our parents.
We all have protective factors
that help counteract the bad times in life. We can celebrate and nurture those factors.
I wasn’t alone as a child. I’m not
alone now.
And neither are you.
So how did I make it from childhood to where I am now in one piece?
With a lot of help along the way.
What are some of the protective
factors in your life?
