Lessons Learned Along the Way #6 - Don't Share Your Story!!

Hi everybody, Yvonne Heath here with Love Your Life to Death.
I've been so excited to share the life lessons I've learned along the way
on a regular basis because I have just had the privilege of hearing so many wonderful stories along this new journey and in my nursing career, and I just wanted to share them with you.

Last month, they talked about how we need to unapologetically
share our stories because we all have a story, we all have value and
we matter and whatever we've been through. Forget the shame,
forget feeling embarrassed about your story. We've all been
through things. Now, here's the other side, when someone tells you
your story, I don't know why we are so compelled or we feel like
answering their story with our story.

So when somebody tells you their story, they just need and want
you to listen to validate it. Do some head nodding, okay, Wow, that
sounds difficult. Please stop answering their story with your story.
If you hear that someone has cancer, or they've gone through
addictions perhaps you can share your story at another time.
Not right then and there. I remember when I worked in the
chemotherapy clinic, I would tell patients, please tell people
not to share their story. Unless it's a positive one. Someone would
say, you have bladder cancer... my dad did too.... And it was awful and
all these terrible things happened.

This is something we need to change in our society, answering
someone's story with your story, and telling our terrible stories.
Let's please stop sharing other people's terrible stories when someone
is sharing theirs. Let us just validate it, acknowledge, allow, and if
we need if we have a story to tell, we can tell it at another time.
​Of course, we should all listen to each other. But let's not share awful stories when someone is trying to be a bear what needs to be supported? Something to think about.

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