Reflections on Reflecting - Evolving as a Mental Health Nurse
The first blog entry I wrote of I dare you to drink the vinegar seems like a lifetime ago. I guess it many ways it was. When I read that 2008 blog post all I can see is a big rant by 20-something me, before kids, before a nursing career. But underneath the f-words and sarcasm I see something in younger Michelle: a raw, unfiltered reflection on boundaries, emotional restraint, and the complexities of human behavior. At the time, I had just entered the world of mental health nursing. I didn’t know it then, but I was already forming the values and perspectives that would carry me through nearly two decades in the field. Back then, I didn’t have the language of trauma-informed care or emotional regulation. I didn’t yet know the neurobiology of mania or the intricacies of professional boundaries. But I did know how it felt to witness cruelty disguised as honesty. I knew what it meant to hold space for someone else's pain, even when that pain was being dismissed by others. And I...