

Shame. For me, itās one of the heaviest, saddest words in the English language.
How one syllable can hold so much baggage remains a mystery. But for far, far too long, shame has been welded to the topic of mental health like a ball and chain.
Today, on National Silence the Shame Day, letās all say, loudly and proudly, āEnough!ā Itās time to break the silence surrounding shame and to break the cycle of sadness that shrouds it like a fogāthick, heavy, and blindingākeeping so many of us from seeing that help and hope are out there. Literally a call or text away.
What are we collectively so ashamed of? Based on my experience, thereās much shame surrounding talking about depression, anxiety, burnout, grief, trauma, medications, and asking for help. Even daring to want to feel okay again may trigger a shame tornado for some people.
None of these discussions are shameful. And yet, here we areāin a world that still whispers āget over itā instead of shouting āyouāre not alone.ā Too many of us have broken downāto the groundābefore we managed to figure out how to get back up and live our lives again.
Itās not easy or fun stuff to discuss.
But whatās the alternative?
Darkness and sadness?
Fuck that shit.
The truth is we canāt heal what we wonāt acknowledge.
We canāt get help if we canāt/wonāt admit weāre hurting.
We canāt break free if weāre still bound by fear of judgment.
Thatās why today matters so much to me. Having emerged from my own depressive cave just a few months ago, I share my experienceāāTurning My Light Back Onāāwith the hope that it might help someone else find the switch to theirs too.
Silence the Shame Day isnāt about pretending the shame doesnāt existāitās about dragging it into the light and taking a look at what shame really is and isnāt.
Today is about having the hard conversations with those you love. Itās about checking in with our nears, dears, and/or queers. Itās about speaking openly about breakdowns AND breakthroughs. Itās about saying, āI got you,ā āI see you,ā āIāve been there,ā āIām still there,ā and/or āI love you.ā
Today, letās break the chainā¦of shame, shame, shame. And stop being fools.
So what are a few things you can do?
Check in on yourself. Seriously. Be honestā¦at least to yourself.
Talk about it if you can. Out loud, online, with a friend, with a stranger.
Share your story. Be the voice you wish youād heard when you needed it.
And, most of all, listen without prejudice or judgement. Without trying to fix everything. Just hold space and hold still while you continue moving forward.
Mental health is health.
Wellness is a right, not a luxury.
Struggling doesnāt mean youāve failed. It means youāre human.
Letās not just silence the shameāletās replace it.
With compassion. With honesty. With courage. With truth.
Letās wise upāby opening our hearts and minds just a little more, every dayā¦.
Best wishes for peace and happiness!
Clint šāļø
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ON THIS DAY = MAY 5
BIRTHDAYS
1818 = Karl Marx = German philosopher, sociologist, and journalist
1903 = James Beard = American chef, author, and tv personality š
1914 = Tyrone Power = American actor š
1915 = Alice Faye = American actor and singer
1921 = Del Martin = American feminist and gay rights activist š
1936 = Sandy Baron = American actor and comedian
1938 = Michael Murphy = American actor
1942 = Tammy Wynette = American singer-songwriter and guitarist
1943 = Michael Palin = English actor and screenwriter
1944 = John Rhys-Davies = Welsh actor and screenwriter
1945 = Kurt Loder = American journalist, author, and critic
1946 = Jim Kelly = American actor, athlete, and martial artist
1948 = Bill Ward = English drummer and songwriter
1948 = Robert Vano = Slovak photographer š
1957 = Richard E. Grant = Swazi-English actor, director, and screenwriter
1976 = Dieter Brummer = Australian actor
1980 = Hank Green = American entrepreneur, educator, and vlogger
1981 = Craig David = English singer-songwriter
1983 = Henry Cavill = English actor
1988 = Adele = English singer-songwriter
EVENTS
1821 = The first edition of The Manchester Guardian, now The Guardian, is published.
1866 = Memorial Day first celebrated in United States at Waterloo, New York.
1891 = The Music Hall in New York City (later known as Carnegie Hall) has its first public performance, with Tchaikovsky as the guest conductor.
1961 = Project Mercury: Alan Shepard becomes the first American to travel into outer space, on a sub-orbital flight.
1993 = The Supreme Court of Hawaii rules that denying marriage to same-sex couples violates the Equal Protection Clause of the State Constitution.
2023 = The World Health Organization declares the end of the COVID-19 pandemic as a global health emergency.
HOLIDAYS + OBSERVANCES
Children's Day (Japan + South Korea)
Cinco de Mayo (Mexico + US)
Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Awareness Day (Canada + US)
PORTRAIT + QUOTES OF THE DAY
āI've done an awful lot of stuff that's a monument to public patience.ā
Tyrone Power
āSome day I will show all the motherfuckers who say I was a success just because of my pretty face.ā
Tyrone Power
I'm most probably in a different category because of my professional involvement in mental health. I believe that everyone always does their very best under the external and internal circumstances. Thus no shame or blame is attached. There may be personal responsibilities about being mentally healthier.
I may be wrong, but I suspect that shame may be stronger in the US. Certainly, many cultures would be likely to have a "pull yourself together" attitude.