| "If I could describe my former mental illness in five words it would be this: thinking too much about myself." This is an awful statement in so many ways. If you're affected by mental illness please don't think that you're the problem. Or that it can be solved by thinking less about yourself. Even if it's the case, it's likely just a symptom, not the cause of your suffering. You can get yourself out of depressive phases with repression and 'everything-is-awesome-actionism' but it will probably come back to haunt you. The depression wants to tell you something but you have to listen to it, not give it a pep-talk. Maybe his ways are right for him. But almost every single point can have a detrimental effect on somebody with a mind that works differently. I hate the way these articles tug on the part of yourself that already shames you anyway for not having 'figured it out'. Even if you know you shouldn't listen, you can't help but feel a little worse after reading it. At least that's the way it is for me. I don't even read this type of content anymore but I felt like I needed confirmation on why I avoid it. Boy did I get it. Now that I've read it I need to articulate my thoughts and feelings to get it out of my system. It's not to be 'a hater' who wants the author to pay taxes.
I wish him all the best and hope that his house of cards doesn't come crashing down again. Maybe these types of content creators are in kind of a pinch. Even if some part of him feels like he might do a disservice to certain people, he can't really write it out. It would be 'off-brand' to not write in absolutes and it would take away from the persona who knows it all. (Because despite saying he doesn't think he knows it all he comes off very much as someone who thinks he knows it all. 'Cheat codes'...) But I'm pretty sure this type of content is more damaging than helpful to most people. You can't really 'teach' life. If you know a lot about a person and his circumstances you can point them towards options they haven't considered. But that's about it. Most self-help is a scam. They sell dopamine. You feel good while reading it (if you believe in it) and making plans, but as soon as your brain is back to homeostasis you see that nothing has changed. I've seen it a dozen times in dozens of people. The only good literature in self-help is the one that actually identifies a real problem that holds you back and helps you solve it. (Trauma, ADHD, bad relationships, stress for example) |