YOU ARE NOT ALONE - A companion online community discussion board for The Mental Illness Happy Hour podcast with Paul Gilmartin

Sharing a feeling today:

There's a bakery on my walk/bike route that I frequent from time to time. A few days ago they had a new person start, a 14ish year old girl who must be summer help. When I first saw her she was learning, asking lots of questions of her coworkers, asking me to repeat things because being new she had to deal with one thing at a time.

Today, just a few days in she was multitasking, working the till, fully confident. It made me so sad for the girl I could have been...one that had been taught that it was okay to learn, to be slow, to make mistakes. That this wasn't shameful or annoying. Having a bit of a cry and letting these feelings flow.
Heather

This reminds me of a question I ask myself a lot: could I have saved my younger self? could my older self have said anything to my younger self that would have spared years of misery?

You are learning to be a loving adult to the younger self that lives inside you, Heatherwantspeace. I am glad you are validating these feelings.

You are good and worthy!