A new initiative…

We’re in the midst of an emotional health crisis.

What’s being touted as “mental health” issues, are actually emotional health issues.

Anxiety.

PTSD.

Bullying.

Depression.

Addiction (gambling, smoking, alcohol, drugs, gaming, shopping, etc.).

Eating disorders.

OCD.

ADHD.

Gun violence and violence, in general.

Perfectionism.

Road rage and general rage.

Hoarding.

Narcissism.

Gambling.

Chronic victimhood.

“Control issues.”

…and so on.

Dr. Gabor Mate has a brilliant quote, and it goes a little something like this:

“Trauma isn’t what happens to you, it’s what happens inside of you as a result of what happens to you.”

There’s an immense amount of hurt in the world right now. A great deal of unspoken, un-dealt-with pain, anger, frustration, and grief; and it's all manifesting in a myriad of ways.

As I teach in dog training, “behavior is information.” Not only is this true for dogs, but for people, as well.

Behavior is information, and emotion is information; however, most people lack the ability to understand, interpret, and translate what emotion is trying to convey (more specifically: heavy, big, intense, uncomfortable, “dark” emotions).

We don’t even allow them to come through. We run from them. Block and resist them. Avoid them….deny them ….ignore them….numb them….project them… suppress them. And guess what? These coping mechanisms and tactics become what we see as “behavior.”

Many of the behaviors we’re seeing are saying…

“Do you see me now?"

“Do you hear me now?"

....and are ways of escaping what we don’t want to feel, efforts to feel SAFE again.

We don’t know how to EFFECTIVELY deal with ourselves… and we’re teaching our children how to do the same.

There are also a lot of parents who are trying too hard to be their child’s BFF, and aren’t parenting. Not representing any level of authority. All of this has to do with their own trauma.

We often encounter this with dog training, as well. People’s inability to say “no”. Set boundaries. Discipline. Create and enforce rules…. consistently.

We discipline BECAUSE we love.

We set rules and boundaries BECAUSE we love.

We say “no” BECAUSE we love… just as much as we say “yes” because we love. Yin and yang.

Outside of miswiring or other medically related phenomena, emotional trauma is one of the most prevalent forms of trauma and lies at the core of all these “issues”. Starting in childhood.

So….

As I was flipped off the other day by, yet, another teenager flying down one of our neighborhood side streets - nearly clipping my pack and I as we crossed- an idea dawned upon me.

Why not put the other part of my background to use and actually try to do something about this? (the other part of my background being health and life coaching, nutrition, personal fitness, and mentoring. I worked with others struggling with eating disorders for years, as well)

Writing “The Human End of the Leash” (upcoming book release) is one way, yes. Working with the kids in my neighborhood and the dogs was another way, yes. But what about starting an entirely new program… a new movement….

Focusing on…

Feeling AND Dealing.

Purpose.

Empathy.
Compassion.

Communication, Creative Writing, and Expression.

Empowerment (… which we can also blend in working with dogs, as well).

Building on emotional fluency and nurturing emotional health.

Even the lost art of handwriting and cursive.. the ability to formulate and write in proper sentences (which has become a lost art these days).

**We cannot heal what we refuse to feel.**

And how we’re dealing with what we’re not feeling is only hurting us even more.

Trauma rewires us for feeling unsafe.

Unsafe in our bodies.

In our relationships.

Out in the world.

The only way to heal trauma is through safe containers. Safe relationships. And this is what I want to create.

I’m calling this the “Getting a LEG UP” initiative. LEG standing for "Learn. Embody. Grow." Getting a LEG Up in *LIFE.*

While I'm in the beginning stages of pulling all of this together, I'm absolutely open to collaboration as it truly takes a village; but would like to begin forming pre-teen, teenage, and adult groups…. starting to run programs by summertime.

If interested in getting involved, have questions, or are interested in signing up, please email me at : kimberly@packfit.net

Actions make changes, and right now- we need actions. Not more words, complaints, and opinions.

Not many people believe in themselves, and didn't have people behind them who believed in them.

They didn't feel fully accepted as the beautiful, complex, uniquely gifted, individuals they are.

The struggle with self-worth, acceptance, confidence, and love is real.

Not many believe they have the power to change their own lives, let alone inspire change in another.

Together, I'm hoping we can inspire a shift here.

Is there anyone who wants to play a part in creating a solution with me?