Thread by @DisInHigherEd

(@manijadegarcia) #Compassion thread here, discussing ideas for survival, stress management, joy & healing using the acronym ACCESS to organize the ideas.

Be back after a break to dig in! 🥰

[QT]

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https://twitter.com/DisInHigherEd/status/1450533708235161605

(@manijadegarcia) #Compassion to me is like creating welcoming, gentle internal space for the things I am #accepting—so I can be curious instead of judgemental about them. I'm reminded of indigenous views of trauma as "wisdom" & a "teacher," that can lead us to healing.

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(@manijadegarcia) #compassion & #acceptance are closely related in my experience, like a bi-directional positive correlation, (increasing either can increase the other—try not to get hung up on stats "rules.") & #SelfCompassion is super powerful for general #MentalWellness.

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(@manijadegarcia) For example, accepting I am a two-spirit person created deep #compassion for my confusing & painful experiences prior to that point & linked my story to the stories of other queer people—generating deeper compassion in me for both myself & my #LGBTQIA+ fam.

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(@manijadegarcia) Accepting I had to leave my former PhD program due to racism & sabotage created room for me to swallow some really harsh realities w/ deeper #compassion. This compassion in turn helped me to deepen my #accepance of things that I was formerly #gaslit to deny.

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(@manijadegarcia) In my work as a psychotherapist in-training I have treated symptoms of #anxiety, #depression, #PTSD, #ADHD, #bipolar, #schizophrenia spectrum disorders, #OCD, & #personality disorders.

#SelfCompassion is enormously beneficial across the broad range of sxs.

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(@manijadegarcia) In many ways #SelfCompassion is THE goal of any mental health intervention. "Healing" doesn't mean symptoms go away often, it means creating welcoming, gentle internal space for #accepting these experiences & associated emotions into our lives & identities.

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(@manijadegarcia) we inhabit these bodies that may be #disabled or #Black or #queer, or some other minoritized identity. These realities may remain during our lifetimes. #Compassion can strengthen us to hold on to hope & work for change, grounded in reality & balance.

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I highly recommend this video by @DrBrodSawyer, created during our recent @BlackInMH #BIMHWeek: Challenging Anti-Blackness: Embodied Self-Compassion & Confidence. A lot of it extends to #disability. It's captioned with me #ASLInterpreting as well.



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