My Moody Monster?

Moody Talk Shame #2: Shame vs. Toxic. Shame (Trigger Warning) I thought it was important to discuss the difference between functional shame and how it can become Toxic. When thinking about how I wanted to discuss this, I decided that it would be important for me to share my experience with Toxic Shame which may be triggering to those who have lived through childhood and/or domestic abuse. Although I do not get into specifics about sexual or physical abuse, I do talk about emotional abuse. DBT describes Shame as going against the values, morals and/or ideals of a society someone is involved in. This could be a specific social circle or society, in general. Shame is explained as “I have done something bad (wrong).” Toxic shame happens when someone is repeatedly told that “THEY, as a person, are bad.” This can become a part of someone’s identity - that they think they are a bad person. I think what is most important to understand, that we, as people, have been exposed to Toxic Shame regardless of how good our childhoods or lives are. We’ve all probably heard - “Don’t cry, you have nothing to be sad about,” or “don’t be an angry girl,” or “you are making everyone uncomfortable with your anger/sadness/frustration,” in some way or another. It could be that that person did not understand how upset you were, but this is shaming someone for having their valid emotions. I created Moody as a way to help families communicate their feelings by giving them a safe way to let out their frustrations. It’s not even so much that Moody can be ripped apart, but that a parent/caregiver can take the opportunity to talk about what happened when putting Moody BACK TOGETHER. Because Moody is an extension of their owner’s feelings. It’s a chance for a caregiver to honor a child’s emotions and communicate that the child is not “bad.” You can watch the full talk on YouTube: https://lnkd.in/exCyz9uh As always, if you have any questions or comments about this month’s emotion, please don’t hesitate to comment below! If you would like to discuss a specific aspect of Shame, please let me know. Leave a comment or send me a DM! If you are having a hard time coping with your emotions or you feel hopeless, I hope you will reach out to a trusted loved one, your doctor/therapist or the 988 suicide text hotline. You are not alone. You are loved. #MyMoodyMonster #MoodyTalks #Shame #ToxicShame #MentalHealthMatters #MentalHealthSupport #Emotions #EmotionalSupport #EmotionalHealing

Do you know what the difference between FUNCTIONAL Shame and TOXIC Shame? We break down the differences and how Toxic Shame can deeply effect your Mental Health. See you Tomorrow! #MoodyTalks #MentalHealth #Emotions #EmotionalSupport #Shame #ToxicShame #MentalHealthMatters #EmotionalIntelligence

I thought it was important to discuss the difference between functional shame and how it can become Toxic. When thinking about how I wanted to discuss this, I decided that it would be important for me to share my experience with Toxic Shame which may be triggering to those who have lived through childhood and/or domestic abuse. Although I do not get into specifics about sexual or physical abuse, I do talk about emotional abuse. DBT describes Shame as going against the values, morals and/or ideals of a society someone is involved in. This could be a specific social circle or society, in general. Shame is explained as “I have done something bad (wrong).” Toxic shame happens when someone is repeatedly told that “THEY, as a person, are bad.” This can become a part of someone’s identity - that they think they are a bad person. Tune in Tuesday for this important talk! #MoodyTalks #Shame #ToxicShame #Emotions #MentalHealth #EmotionalIntelligence #FeelingShame #MentalHealthMatters #ShameRecovery

Merrimack Valley Friends! Join Moody and I for our weekly Story TIme at The Purple Couch Bookshop (North Andover Mall, Route 114) on Saturday at 11 AM ?? @purplecouchbookshop This week we’re reading What Miss Mitchell Saw. We’ll have coloring pages as well as our Meet Moody coloring books ??? See you then! #MyMoodyMonster #MoodyStoryTime #PurpleCouchBookShop #StoryTime #ChildrensBooks #KidsBooks #WomenOwnedBusiness #Emotions #BigFeelings #FunActivities #ShopLocal #ShopSmall #WomensHistoryMonth #WomenSupportingWomen #IndependentBookStore

This week's Story Time is I'm Worried by Michael Ian Black and is about Potato, Flamingo and the Little Girl who is helping them to understand that we can't always worry about the future and need to enjoy the present. It's a cute little story and look out for our black cat Raven who likes to make her presence known whenever Moody and I are reading ??? ?? by Michael Ian Black ??? by Debbie Ridpath Ohi #StoryTime #ReadAlong #ReadAloud #Bedtimestories #BedtimeStory #BigEmotions #Anxiety #anxious #Worry #Worried

Did you know you can DONATE a Moody? If you don't need your own, you can buy one (or a few) for our donation program where we send Moodys to First Responders, Social Workers and Medical Treatment Centers for kiddos in traumatic events such as house fires, foster care and cancer treatments. If you want your Moody sent to a specific program, we can do that too! You can use this link to order a donation today https://lnkd.in/eEGb3BXe #MyMoodyMonster #donatenow #fostercare #cancertreatment #firstresponders #childrensmentalhealth #kidsmentalhealth #donationsmakeadifference

Welcome to this month’s Moody Talk! We’ll be discussing Shame this month and this a big emotion to work with, to say the least! For this initial talk, we get into how Shame is defined and when it is constructive and when it becomes toxic. As a woman living with Complex PTSD and Depression, I have a lot of experience in both constructive and painfully toxic shame. As a child, I was shamed for my body, my intellect, as well as for just being a girl. I know I am not alone in this experience and that is one of the biggest reasons for creating Moody. This week we go through descriptive words for shame and then place them on a word scale in terms of their intensity. I do this for every first talk because I think it’s very important to understand what your shame words are and how intense they are for you. This helps to understand what level of stress you are feeling from that emotion and can use coping skills to help relieve that stress. We also discuss how Shame can feel in our bodies - again, to understand what emotion you are feeling and how better to cope with the emotion. We also discuss actions we take and expressions we have of Shame. When you understand what your mind and body are feeling, you are better able to find the best way to handle it. You can watch the full episode on YouTube:https://lnkd.in/e3g9vK6S As always, if you have any questions or comments about this month’s emotion, please don’t hesitate to comment below! If you would like to discuss a specific aspect of Shame, please let me know. If you are having a hard time coping with your emotions or you feel hopeless, I hope you will reach out to a trusted loved one, your doctor/therapist or the 988 suicide text hotline. You are not alone. You are loved. #MoodyTalks #Shame #Emotions #EmotionalSupport #EmotionalIntelligence #MentalHealthMatters #MentalHealthSupport

We'll be talking about Toxic Shame in our first Moody Talk. There's a big difference between the appropriate emotion of Shame and when it turns into a feeling that you are a bad person. See you tomorrow! #MoodyTalks #Emotions #EmotionalSupport #Shame #ToxicShame #MentalHealthCommunity

Welcome to this month's Moody Talks on Shame. This week we go through descriptive words for shame and then place them on a word scale in terms of their intensity. I do this for every first talk because I think it’s very important to understand what your shame words are and how intense they are for you. This helps to understand what level of stress you are feeling from that emotion and can use coping skills to help relieve that stress. We also discuss how Shame can feel in our bodies - again, to understand what emotion you are feeling and how better to cope with the emotion. We also discuss actions we take and expressions we have of Shame. When you understand what your mind and body are feeling, you are better able to find the best way to handle it. See you Tuesday! #MoodyTalks #Shame #Emotions #EmotionalSupport #DifficultEmotions #MentalHealth #EmotionalIntelligence

This week's Moody Story Time is Black is a Rainbow Color by Angela Joy?? A child reflects on the meaning of being Black in this moving and powerful anthem about a people, a culture, a history, and a legacy that lives on. Red is a rainbow color. Green sits next to blue. Yellow, orange, violet, indigo, They are rainbow colors, too, but My color is black . . . And there’s no BLACK in rainbows. From the wheels of a bicycle to the robe on Thurgood Marshall's back, Black surrounds our lives. It is a color to simply describe some of our favorite things, but it also evokes a deeper sentiment about the incredible people who helped change the world and a community that continues to grow and thrive. Stunningly illustrated by Caldecott Honoree and Coretta Scott King Award winner Ekua Holmes, Black Is a Rainbow Color is a sweeping celebration told through debut author Angela Joy’s rhythmically captivating and unforgettable words. ?? by Angela Joy ??? by Ekua Holmes #MoodyStoryTime #StoryTime #BedtimeStory #BedtimeStories #ReadAlong #ReadAloud #BlackHistoryMonth #BlackisaRainbowColor