We started the Meet the R4R Runners in November 2021, and since then we’ve met more than 70 people, including special guests and other communities. This week, we decided to revisit our first meet the R4R runners to get a pulse-check on how things have changed, spice up the rag somewhat, and introduce our special guests for tonight’s run. The first Meet the R4R Runner was none other than
"I think platforms like Instagram have this way of making us only share our highlights."
"Realising that made me feel a lot better about my own struggles, and it’s been refreshing to know that it's normal to have tough times, and there’s no reason to feel embarrassed about it. Therefore there’s no reason not to ask for help."
I love the premise of these two points. The internet is not reality. It's a highlight reel of peoples lives. Don't be fooled into thinking that's the way people live or the way people should live, put simply, it's bullshit.
Normalising struggle is essential. I think we live in a world where people think we shouldn't struggle or we shouldn't have to go through tough times. That's the wrong attitude. It doesn't matter who you are, you will face tough times. They are what make us who we are. I think they key is to equip ourselves with the best set of tools we can to handle those tough times. I think those of us who struggle the most aren't necesarrily the ones going through the toughest times, rather the ones who have the least amount of quality tools to handle them.
I also like your realisation about being sent off against The Lions. Trauma is trauma and the brain can't distinguish between what society see's as worthy of the label and what it doesn't. Trauma is trauma and it is relevant to whatever we value. The more understanding people are of this the more comfortable people will be to talk about their traumas, whether they see them as significant enough or not.
"I think platforms like Instagram have this way of making us only share our highlights."
"Realising that made me feel a lot better about my own struggles, and it’s been refreshing to know that it's normal to have tough times, and there’s no reason to feel embarrassed about it. Therefore there’s no reason not to ask for help."
I love the premise of these two points. The internet is not reality. It's a highlight reel of peoples lives. Don't be fooled into thinking that's the way people live or the way people should live, put simply, it's bullshit.
Normalising struggle is essential. I think we live in a world where people think we shouldn't struggle or we shouldn't have to go through tough times. That's the wrong attitude. It doesn't matter who you are, you will face tough times. They are what make us who we are. I think they key is to equip ourselves with the best set of tools we can to handle those tough times. I think those of us who struggle the most aren't necesarrily the ones going through the toughest times, rather the ones who have the least amount of quality tools to handle them.
I also like your realisation about being sent off against The Lions. Trauma is trauma and the brain can't distinguish between what society see's as worthy of the label and what it doesn't. Trauma is trauma and it is relevant to whatever we value. The more understanding people are of this the more comfortable people will be to talk about their traumas, whether they see them as significant enough or not.