Why I “Overshare”
Every week, I sit down and type the words that swirl in my mind after limb loss and cancer. All of my struggles, achievements, fears, and the scanxiety that lies dormant only to emerge every three months like some bad seasonal flu. Then I click publish and hope that it all reaches someone who needs it because otherwise, I’m standing on a stage naked for no reason. Exposing myself to strangers with my insecurities on the outside. Does it feel weird as an inherently private person to have people I’ve never met know so many details about my life? YES. It’s still a strange feeling, but I’ve learned to do all kinds of things that make me uncomfortable over the last three-plus years, and I wouldn’t trade my new strength for anything.
When I’m not writing about what I go through here on the blog, I’m posting about it on social media and sharing photos of things that some of my closest friends have never even seen in person, like my scars.
I guess this makes me an online “over-sharer” something I never expected to be. But then again, I never expected to be in this position at all. I tell you all the things I would normally reserve for my therapist because it feels good to get it off my chest, and it feels even better when someone says I helped them feel less alone. I've learned that in general, we as humans, aren't being honest enough about what we go through. Too many people feel like they are the only ones going through something and that no one could ever understand what it's like. If no one is vulnerable enough to tell their story, how will we end the stigma attached to mental health and disability? And how will we feel free if we can't speak the words that are a part of our everyday?
Think about it like this, if you have a super rare lime green birthmark that you don't want anyone to know about, and you cover it with long sleeves everyday because you're too ashamed to let anyone see it, the odds are there is someone else walking around thinking they are the only ones with this lime green birthmark. Both of you feel so lost and alone. Both of you are so insecure that you would rather hide at home in the summer time than risk strangers seeing your birthmark and running away from you like you're a monster. But what if you decided to share your story instead and wear your birthmark like a badge of honor? You could tell everyone about lime green birthmarks and educate them on your condition. Maybe you could connect with that other person who also has a lime green birthmark and be there for each other. Then you might even feel good enough to go to the beach with your lime green arm on display and feel the sun on your skin for the very first time. How liberating would that feel? We all have our own version of that lime green birthmark. Sometimes it's visible on the outside and sometimes it lives within us. Either way, the more we overshare, the better.
