JACOB! JACOB! JACOB! RACHEL! RACHEL! RACHEL! (shout out to all the Jan Brady’s in the world!)
Hannah became our middle child eleven days after she turned three years old and has been fighting the science behind whether or not “middle child syndrome” is a real thing ever since. She even gained honorable recognition for her arguments during a grade 5 public speaking contest on the topic.
Being the middle child may often mean being overshadowed by your siblings or feeling the need to compete with them for the attention of their parents.
But being the middle child also builds character and strength and empathy which are all very empowering skills to acquire at a young age and will often lead to developing great leadership and teamworking skills later on in life.
If you look at the positive side you will also see that being the middle child gives you the best of both worlds by always having an older sibling there to look out for you and a younger sibling for whom you can mentor.
Being the middle child takes a certain kind of sole, a role that I believe has helped shape Hannah into our peacekeeper, most flexible and even-tempered child. Her ego is always in check, she’s a good listener, an empathetic ear and a great role model.
And let’s be honest, if you were to compare your sibling birth order to that of an oreo cookie, who here could argue that the middle of the oreo cookie isn’t the best part!
Happy National Middle Child Day Hannah! We love you to the moon and back, forever and a day!!
Feel free to tag all your favourite middle children in your life and if you yourself are a middle child give yourself some extra kindness and love today!
“I don’t know how much value I have in this universe, but I do know that I’ve made a few people happier than they would have been without me, and as long as I know that, I’m as rich as I ever need to be.” ~ Robin Williams, aka Mork from Ork, 1978.
Mork
Today marks the 8th year anniversary since Robin Williams tragically took his life. I was just 4 months into my own mental health journey the day he died. Moments before I had read the news of his passing on my phone I’d been sitting in my car, all alone in a parking lot, my family and friends not knowing my whereabouts (once again), contemplating my own suicide (which I’ve shared openly about many times before in my blogs, youareenough712.wordpress.com). It wasn’t the first time in that 4 month period, nor has it been close to the last where I have thought about or acted upon my thoughts of suicide, but it was suddenly the first time I began to truly understand the depths of my illness.
As the news quickly spread of Robin’s death, friends and family began lighting up my phone, concerned for my safety. Easiest solution, I just shut it off. By now I was visibly shaken, alone and scared and my only thought I had right after the initial shock was “if someone of Robin Williams’ stature who seemingly had it all could take his own life then what the heck am I waiting for?”
I’ve been in a very vulnerable state lately. Personally, life is really fucking hard right now and with each passing day it’s getting even harder to find anything positive to focus on. I honestly feel (or maybe it’s just wishful thinking) like I’m living on an entirely different planet these days, much like Mork, where no one speaks my language, feeling completely detached from the real world.
I’m holding on tightly to the quote I posted above to honour Robin’s memory today and to honour me. I may be holding on by a very thin thread right now but none the less I’m holding on.
“The best view comes after the hardest climb” ~ unknown
I just received my “digital badge” via email from the private Facebook group which I belong to called “Ontario Hiking” for completing July’s ‘Ontario Hiking Challenge’.
These challenges take place quarterly (January, April, July and October) and are a great motivator for me (not quite yet in January though). All you need to do in order to receive your “badge of honour” is hike (or walk) at least 5 times during those particular months while exploring our beautiful Province.
I’m sure it may sound silly to many readers that receiving some goofy “digital badge” from a Facebook group would get me all excited but motivation in any form can help someone to achieve their goals.
And right now I need all the motivation I can get as I continue to deal with many life setbacks. Right now I need as many ways as possible to inspire myself to keep moving forward. Right now, more than ever I need all the help I can get in order to follow my growth.
It’s a process, one that has been long and tiresome but I know that the harder I climb the better the view there will be.
I can still remember my parents taking me and my brother to the movie theatre to see “Grease”. I was 7 years old. I felt like such a grown-up. I’ve lost count by now of how many times I’ve watched it since then (or forced my kids to watch it with me!) or seen a musical production of it (including the many camp productions too). I get chills (they multiple) everytime I watch it or hear the music.
I can also still remember blasting my stereo and dancing around my room to Olivia Newton-John’s smash hit song “Physical”, dreaming I could sing just like her. The implied sexual content went way over my innocent 10 year old head.
I’ve been a big fan of Olivia Newton-John’s ever since that first trip to the movie theatre with my parents back in 1978 and I have continued to follow her career, her advocacy and her personal journey, including her very courageous 30 year battle with breast cancer. She will be missed by many. I will always be “hopelessly devoted to you”. RIP. “Goodbye to Sandra Dee”.
It is especially common to have such an amplified negative perception of yourself; whether true or not when battling anxiety or other types of mood and personality disorders.
Hate is a very intense and strong emotion and one that can really take its toll on your health.
I have an incredible support system in my life. My friends are forever checking in on me and when plans are made with them they are always going out of their way to accommodate my often long list of limitations and boundaries to ensure I feel safe and comfortable no matter the situation (attending my girlfriend’s bridal shower yesterday afternoon was no exception 殺).
Yet my illness still continually tries to tell me that everyone hates me and that the world would be much better off without me in it.
When you are constantly worrying about what everyone else thinks of you, somewhere along the way you stop liking yourself and you quickly lose sight of all the wonderful things about you while trying to meet the expectations or approval of others or at the very least, their version of who you should be.
Although extremely difficult, I still continue to fight each and every day to try and not lose sight of all the amazing parts of me even though it’s so much easier to focus all my attention on my negative beliefs and just ignore the positive ones completely.
We have no control over how others view us so it’s best to just do you and if someone doesn’t understand why you do the things you do try and cut them some slack; afterall, you may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but that’s okay.
This past week has been excruciatingly painful; mentally, physically and personally. My spirit is broken and simply put, it feels way beyond repair.
Several friends rallied around. I know in my heart that I am worthy of love but more importantly, that I am loved and I am holding on to that feeling for dear life right now with an abundance of gratitude and appreciation.
I need to keep telling myself that what feels too hard today is not necessarily permanent even though every part of my life “right now” feels like forever. It’s a very dark and lonely place to be. When everything feels so permanent like it does today I try to add the words “right now” to the end of each negative thought to get me through the really hard days “right now”. It’s a great tool to use which allows me to try and focus forward and it reminds me that when something feels so permanent “right now” that it doesn’t mean it always will be that way.
Fear has convinced me, too many times to count, that my life isn’t worth living but in my heart I know that I am… fearless.
Being fearless is knowing how to leverage your fears, not being afraid of them.
Being fearless is allowing yourself to face your fears head on; and take risks.
Fearless people can admit they have fears.
Fearless people don’t hide their weaknesses.
A fearless person is able to shift their focus from fearing failure to gaining the knowledge to cope with it.
They take action, they make a plan and then they make a backup plan as well.
Fearless people are not afraid to ask for help either.
Fear protects us and should never interfere in pursuing our dreams, achieving our goals, building confidence or mastering a skill.
Being fearless takes courage.
A gentle reminder…I am…fearless. I am…enough.
For more on my mental health journey check out my Blog @youareenough712.wordpress.com.
Follow us as well @agentlereminderproject on Instagram or DM us to purchase your very own handcrafted, one-of-a-kind socks, keychains, hoodies, t’s and other apparel today.
A portion of proceeds is donated to youth mental health.
It’s time to start normalizing normal bodies. It’s time that society stops making us believe that being thin is your ticket to fitting in. This song has become my summer anthem and I want to share it with you. Shout out to @jax for bravely creating this song about body positivity and encouraging young girls everywhere to appreciate their bodies by changing the narrative. I wish this super important message that we can not live in a one size fits all world was around when I was younger, especially before the onset of my eating disorder which has continued to rear its ugly head in many different forms throughout my entire adult life.
Some days we may be “perfectly imperfect” and on other days we may feel “imperfectly perfect” but either way you say it, learning to embrace our imperfections is the perfect way to help you grow, learn from your flaws, make you unique, give you a sense of belonging, find your voice, allow you to be more accepting of others and see that the beauty of nature can exist in all shapes and forms.
Contact @agentlereminderproject or DM us today to create your own gentle reminders from a selection of affirmations and sayings.
Available on hoodies, t’s, keychains, lawn signs, onesies and more.
A portion of sales will be donated to youth mental health initiatives.
YouAreEnough 
You must be logged in to post a comment.