Life is like a game of chess, I just do not know how to play chess.

[Kayakin]

Besides any pain from social anxiety, I missed many opportunities to learn about dealing with people and other experiences and development and felt I suffered as a result all my life.

What does not kill you will make you stronger though, and it gives me more compassion and strength in other areas.

We are not just different, we do not just have weaknesses, we are strong.

Just as the life and death struggle of a baby chick to break out of its shell gives it strength it has to have later to survive, our experiences give us unique strengths others do not have.

In what ways can we uncover our strengths and use them for ourselves, others, and the world?

[Hidden]

It is wonderful you can see your social anxiety as making you more compassionate. I can relate to that. I often say to my partner that I wish I did not have BPD and he thinks I may not be so kind and understanding if I did not have it. I think having mental illness can make us more understanding of others. Look at the forum. People are struggling yet they still offer support to others.

[Kayakin in reply to Hidden]

Yes Yes Yes. One way it could helps is by others perceiving us in a better light because we helped them. Hope we get many more ideas for how to use our strengths. I need that.

[Kayakin in reply to Hidden]

You are so fortunate to have a partner that is both smart and caring enough to recognize the silver lining. You are lucky to have each other.

[Hidden in reply to Kayakin]

Thank you. I always think how lucky I am to have him.

[Hidden]

Having a mental illness has certainly made me have much more empathy towards people, it has changed me for the better in lots of ways, it made me stop being a workaholic and start thinking about life and more important things..to stop and make time for people...

I appreciate some of the smaller things in life, that I never did before....

And isn’t nature just beautiful..🌻🌻🌹🌹🌺🌺

[Kayakin in reply to Hidden]

Yes Olivia40 nature is beautiful, and we can appreciate it more.

Just realized working out for anxiety has made me stronger, better looking, and apparently perceived better by people. Folks now engage me that never did before.

[Hidden in reply to Kayakin]

😊 sounds very good...

We often forget any positives as we can be busy fighting away our struggles...

Thank you for the reminder,

Good post 👍 🌹🌹

[Sprinkle1 in reply to Hidden]

Had to put my 2 cents in, I have always had empathy and a love of nature and beauty. Now at 77 I brought into my home and homeless a 57 year of age single woman, or am I just crazy? I have been homeless, so know what it is like, she is working now and will be gone once she gets enough $'s together. I am using lessons life has taught me. Sprinkle 1....

[Hidden in reply to Sprinkle1]

Oh how lovely to help someone in this way..

❤️❤️❤️

[Kayakin in reply to Sprinkle1]

Thanks for the inspiring story. How satisfying it will be when she becomes independent.

[quitter333]

yeah, life is not as complicated as people make itbout to be.

look at jellyfish. they dont even have brain and survive pretty damn fine and dandy

[Agora1 in reply to quitter333]

I like that xx