Sharing is Therapeutic

Sharing things (in this case, online) is a very therapeutic exercise.

When I wrote my rather embarrassing blog post about being diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder (Type I), I was very surprised by the tremendous amount of positive feedback that I got from my audience. I was sharing what is admittedly the most humiliating thing that could possibly happen to me, and I heard back from the mob almost nothing but praise for doing so.

This allowed me to really feel comfortable with both this servere problem that I have, and feel accepted by a community for the whole of who I am, flaws and all.

I've observed that within your greatness weakness, there often lies your greatest strength (the inverse of which is also true).

I think people (at least people like me) should share, in a thoughtful manner, more than they often do.

Essays are an excellent way to share thoughts about things, but taken in the form of a blog post, many topics aren't always appropriate (e.g. "opinion peices") for the medium.

People should experiment with mediums more. Platforms seem to be driving our own experimentation with sharing (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc), when really it should be the other way around — people inherently want to share things about themselves, and they should find the best way to do so for themselves.

This little method I've devised here is quite a good format for me, and I intend, for the moment at least, to keep it. I encourage others to do the same, but in whatever medium suits their minds.

Some of the most expressive people I know simply share photos of their artwork on an occassional basis. That's exposing a lot more than some people realize.

I suppose, that's why I share so much music on SoundCloud as well. They're little snippets into my world and my mood — not so much amazingly produced works of art, but little journal entries about what I'm going through. My Flickr account is likewise the same.

Little windows into a life, shared as a means of therapy.

If anyone has read this, I'd like to thank you for your attention. It's very much valued and appreciated.

Thoughts & Musings: a (Public) Journal

A collection of hand-written essays by Kenneth Reitz.