Genetics Load the Gun...Environment Pulls the Trigger (2 minute read)

‘Genetics load the gun, environment pulls the trigger.’ This is a quotation from one of my favourite people, @brenebrown and is taken from a podcast that she did with @daxshepard on his podcast, @armchairexppod. The entire podcast is worth a listen if you have not already.

I have been working in the mental health field for many years and the last several as a therapist. In that time, I began to see that our environment really has a strong influence on our mental health. While working for the health authority in Alberta, I had many clients that were coming to me with presenting issues of #anxiety #depression #distress #suicidalthoughts and many other presenting issues. However, so often it was something else that was going on that was having a direct effect on their mental health and truly the issue they came to see me for, was more of the symptoms that they were experiencing.

We are so much more than simply a product of our parents, or a product of our environment when it comes to our mental health. It really is nature AND nurture.

It is too simplistic to look at mental health as a simple outcome and product of just one of these influences. This is why it is so imperative to ensure that we look at our health in a holistic manner and really take stock of what is working and what is not working for us in our lives.

One of the most important components of doing this is identifying, and then instituting, #healthyboundaries into our lives and in order to have #healthyrelationships with those that we invite into our lives.

I will be publishing a post on healthy boundaries in the near future that will explore this in more depth, and give information on how to do establish them, why they are important, and why the word #assertive isn’t a four letter word.

Watch for that soon and until then, consider your environment and think about something that is present that is potentially having a negative effect on your mental health. Without feeling like you NEED to make a change, just imagine how your life would be different if that item was different for you. That may be the #catalyst you need to take that first step.

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