When I was growing up, we weren't encouraged to talk about how we felt. And although nothing was said, we learned very quickly that reaching out was a sign of weakness, not a sign of strength. We learned not to talk about how we felt.

As a child I wanted desperately to talk about things. I not only had physical weakness through a disability I knew nothing about, but my mental and emotional feelings were shot. I knew I was different. It's time to talk about how we feel, for others to listen to us, and for us to listen to others.

Talking is strength

Talking isn't a sign of weakness, talking about how you feel is a gutsy thing to do. It’s not only telling the other person you have something to say, but it’s clearing things up for you; it's finding resolution.

Disease equals ill-at-ease

The word dis-ease means ill at ease and that’s when illness sets in. When we talk about things, we keep illness at bay. There is a fine dividing line between staying well and becoming ill. The more we keep things inside, the more we invite illness in.

Although I learned early on that I couldn't talk about how I felt, that yearning of wanting to talk never left. There is no doubt that finding resolution if we can’t achieve it by ourselves, comes when we talk openly about things.