Good evening, everybody. How y'all doing? Welcome to the show. Got a great show plan for you.

Going to be talking about a little bit of a heavy topic tonight, emotional abuse.

I'm hearing and seeing more and more of it, and I think it's a really important thing to call out.

We tend to see physical forms of abuse as something we take more seriously.

And I appreciate why that is. But again, I do also think at the same

time that it's a symptom of us just not honoring mental health. And I talk endlessly about that,

where, you know, again, you have no problem calling out of work, not attending a party or an event

you've committed to, or whatever it is, if you

have a physical injury.

If you said to someone, I broke my leg or I have a chronic illness that's visible because

I always hold space with fact that a lot of people struggle to take their own or others in

visible disabilities seriously, things like chronic fatigue, et cetera, et cetera.

But mental health is the worst, where if someone's like, I'm depressed, most will not feel

comfortable saying I can't attend, I'm depressed, and most won't feel comfortable accepting

that.

People somehow think that mental health is something we should be better than beyond, not

struggle with, that we should be able to just pull it together,

put a smile on your face, but it's your brother's birthday. You know, all of these ways that we ignore it.

But again, if you said, I literally cannot walk or I am so sick I can't get out of bed,

everyone's like we totally get it. But if you're like, I am dealing with major depression,

major anxiety, my body dysmorphia, I feel very at risk

for a relapse around drugs or alcohol, whatever it is.

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