Cory Richards

Cory Richards Instagram – I think Labels and diagnosis are essential and important because they help us understand specific patterns or groupings of behaviors. That understanding can help direct how we address it all. That said, I identified with my diagnosis for a long time and it was useful until it wasn’t. I’m not saying we should deny or reject a label or diagnosis at all. I’m just suggesting that they don’t need to define us. It’s the difference between ‘being’ something and ‘navigating’ it. For me, the story of ‘being’ something ended up feeling like a cage because I was identifying with something I understood as sickness or deficit. The key to the cage was understanding that while the behaviors might stay the same, the story I was telling could change. When I didn’t feel the need to identify with ‘sickness’ any longer, I felt liberated and free to be curious and explore the big sea of neurodivergence. As that happened, I noticed that many of my behaviors started to shift as well. This isn’t to say that we can wish things away or use a bandaid of toxic positivity to evade real hurdles. We can’t and denial isn’t a cure. What I am saying is how we tell the story of our journey with mental health matters. Yeah…it’s just words…but the words we use and how we use them actually have a profound impact on how we see the world and our place in it. | Posted on 17/Apr/2024 04:48:04