 As my channel continues to grow and more and more people are trying to discredit me, there's a lot that we can learn from this because you know, although I'm handling it in my own way and I'm trying to grow, like I really want you guys to learn from this because I don't want you to ever, ever, ever, ever let anybody invalidate your experience or your trauma. What is up everybody? This is Chris from the Rewired Soul where we talk about the problem but focus on the solution and if you're new to my channel, my channel is all about mental health and what I typically do is pull different topics from the YouTube community to try to teach you how to improve your mental and emotional well-being. So for any of that stuff, make sure you subscribe and ring that notification bell. So yeah, Thomas Halbert and I, we just did a video about how we're trying to grow and improve who we are as people in 2019 and actually scratch that, not just 2019 but forever, all right? Like that's one of the reasons I didn't make videos about like New Year's resolutions and all that stuff. I don't really believe in them. Like don't just try to become a better person like at the beginning of the new year, like always try to become a better person. So if you one of my thoughts on New Year's resolutions, there it is, all right? Anyways, Thomas Halbert and I, if you didn't watch that video, will be linked up in the info card and all that. But we're talking about tapping back at people on Twitter and all of that and trying to get down to our root fears and the reason why we do that. And while we're both working on that, and I suggest you work on it too, like from some of the comments I've been getting from people who don't like the channel, don't like what I'm doing, things like that, I'm wondering what you guys are seeing. And I tried to put myself in your position because I've been getting these comments forever and like there's certain comments that don't bug me, some that do some that don't. And some of them that don't bug me might bug you because they're happening in your life. So I want to talk about people trying to invalidate your experience or minimize it, you know, and, and it's a bummer. So basically what I'm talking about is with people trying to, you know, expose me or whatever, or I'm reading the comments on like the video I did with Donna over at Psycho IRL, go check that video out too, or my videos, people are really trying to minimize my experience and like, I get it, they're ignorant and that's cool. But for example, for example, I'm getting comments like, like, oh, this guy, he's just a drug addict, right, you know, or somebody said one of the comments I just read that made me want to make this video. And it's like, oh, when he talks about, you know, his experience, he was just, he was just some guy working at a rehab center with, you know, some other drug addicts or whatever. Or like, you can look at some of the comments that have been made in other videos, which I won't reference, you've probably seen them, where, you know, people have said things like, once a drug addict, always a drug addict, or, you know, somebody else they just kind of gloss over, you know, you know, this guy's a rewired soul, he's, he's just, you know, he's a recovering drug addict, right. And people just kind of gloss over that real quick. And I'm just here to just kind of let you know, like, don't let anybody like minimize your experience. Hold up, hold up, hold up, hold up, hold up. All right. This is present day Chris, because as you probably realized that video, the video that you're watching was recorded while I was in California. All right. So I'm back in Las Vegas and basically hitting 100,000 subscriber, my mom wrote this beautiful story that actually got me teary-eyed explaining, you know, from her perspective of when I was dying and got sober. And I just sent it out in an email blast to my email list. It'll be linked down in the description and in the pinned comments. But I thought it would be perfect for this video when I'm talking about, don't let anybody invalidate your experience because reading my mom's story and the perspective and how I was dying and where I've come and like where I'm at now, like a lot of people will try to just brush aside like, oh, you were just this, but nah, nah, nah. So go check it out, read my mom's story, pause this video, go watch it or watch it after. But anyways, back to past Chris in Los Angeles. Like, if I was earlier on in my mental health journey, this stuff would have messed me up. So I wanted to make this video for you because I don't want to, I don't want to have you like, let that stuff get to you. Like, don't, don't, like, it is one of the most ridiculous things ever. And like, like, if you, if you're somebody who stumbled across this video and you grew up with a good life and nothing bad has ever happened to you, bravo. Congratulations. But like, for me, for me, for example, like, I wasn't just a drug addict, okay? I'm a guy who like, like, I have been through stuff. You know, I had a traumatic childhood and this isn't trying to get a sympathy party. Like, I've, you know, I've overcome my things and my issues and I'm in therapy and I've worked in 12 step programs and all this. But you know, like traumatic childhood, alcoholic mom, seen and heard things that many people don't want to see or hear, you know, watched, you know, my, my parents or my mom and my stepdad rather, be in a an abusive relationship physically, not, not physically, not physically that I saw at least, but verbally and emotionally, those are things that I saw, you know, other traumatic experiences growing up, being a drug addict and alcoholic, like self-hatred and suicidal thoughts and, you know, destroying my life and just burning everything down to the ground. And this isn't just for drug addicts and alcoholics out there, but like, you guys, especially if you're a drug addict and alcoholic though, like in recovery, like, don't let anybody minimize your experience. Like, I get it. I get the ignorance. Like, something I would teach to my clients is like, you know, in 12 step rooms, you like, celebrate a month and everybody claps and gives you hugs or out of year, you get like a little cake. But like, I always joke around, like, to the rest of the world, that ain't nothing. Like, I can't just go up to random, some random person said, Hey, guess what? I haven't snorted a, you know, opioid in six and a half years. Like, it's like, who cares to them? But for me, that's a big deal. For me, staying clean and sober for a day is a big deal. You know what I mean? So when other people say, Oh, yeah, this guy's just a recovering drug addict, right? Or for somebody to say, Oh, he just, you know, he just worked in a mental health treatment center for three years. Like, I worked with literally thousands of people and I've had so many of them thank me for playing a part in their recovery, which helped save their life. I don't take credit for that. But that's something that helps me overcome my imposter syndrome. So I know a lot of you struggle with imposter syndrome. So don't let anybody minimize your experience. Like, could you imagine if we did that to other careers, right? Oh, that guy over there, he's, he's just a war veteran. He just went to a few wars, right? Or Oh, her over there. Yeah, that woman over there. Yeah, she just went through medical school and just became a brain surgeon. That's all she did. Right? Like, you could say this about anything. That's why it's so ridiculous and so silly. Oh, oh, that guy over there. Yeah, he's just a firefighter. He's just carrying people out of a burning building. That's it. That's, you know, not a big deal at all. You know what I mean? Like, it's just dumb. It's a way that people try to discredit you or make you feel like your accomplishments aren't that much. Like, to thine own self be true. I know what I've done. I've been there. I've been in that experience. And like, as I'm continuing to grow and work on myself and try to work on replying to comments and not replying to comments and stuff, like, those are comments that honestly don't bug me. I'm like, I honestly think I'm like, this person isn't that intelligent or they're just ignorant or maybe a combination of both. You know what I mean? So I hope you can do the same. I feel sorry for those people. I also feel like, you know, maybe I'm even a little jealous of those people because they clearly haven't had a rough life, right? But people like you and me, the people who I'm talking to in this video, we are what you call a wounded healer, right? We've been through it and our experience is a huge benefit to other people. All right? So don't let anybody invalidate what you've been through. Like, if you're somebody who's overcome trauma, right? If you're somebody who's left an abusive relationship, if you're someone who's left an abusive family, right? If you're somebody who has, you know, made the choice to work on your anxiety, who has made the choice to work on your depression, who has made the choice to work on your, you know, any other mental illness, borderline bipolar, you know, schizophrenia, like agoraphobia, like anything, like that is a huge deal. So you aren't just a person doing that. Like you are a warrior and you are a badass. And if somebody hasn't told you that today, I'm here to tell you that. Okay? Like, so don't let other people's comments get to you in that way and saying that you're just this or just that. What fascinates me about people, people who are saying that and trying to minimize my experience and your experience, they, they virtue signal in a way that they care about mental health, right? They're putting on this facade that they care about mental health, but they don't understand how stigmatizing that is. Like trying to lessen your experience, trying to lessen my experience, like, especially like for anybody who has overcome addiction, like tens of thousands of people every single year, if not over a hundred thousand people a year in the United States alone are dying from the disease of addiction. So to tell somebody that, oh, they're just a recovering drug addict is mind blowing. Every day I wake up so fortunate and grateful. And there's times where I deal with survivors guilt, why wonder, why am I so lucky, but not even addiction. Like somebody who battled suicidal thoughts for years, right? And I'm still here to this day why other people are taking their lives. Like, why am I so lucky? And, and, you know, part of it's luck, part of it's because I'm willing to put in the work on my mental health, but don't let anybody minimize your experience either. Like there are some people out there who will never understand how hard it is to just get out of bed in the morning. There are other people out there who won't understand how hard it is to just shower, you know, in the morning. There are other people who don't understand how hard it is to pick up the phone and call somebody and say, hey, I need help. There is an entire world out there of people who will not understand. Okay. But do not make that, let that invalidate you. Okay. And my biggest suggestion for you, I get a lot of DMs. I get emails and people trying to reach out to me personally. I'm sorry. I wish I could reply to you all, but you need to check out the description and go join our Facebook group and or the discord server, which are meant as mental health support groups. Okay. Because you will be surrounded by people who are not going to minimize your experience. They're not going to try to invalidate you. They're going to try to build you up and explain to you that you're a badass for taking simple steps forward to work on your mental health. All right. I want you to remember that. So yeah, I wanted to take this and turn it into a learning experience because I was just thinking about how early you're on in my mental health journey. This really would have messed me up. So I really hope that you gain something from this. If you have any advice or suggestions or if you've been through this experience, like if your parents or family or friends or your job or whoever has tried to minimize or invalidate you, give some tips and advice down in the comments below. All right. But anyways, that's a like after this video. If you liked this video, please give it a thumbs up. If you're new, make sure you subscribe and ring that notification bell and a huge thank you to everybody supporting the channel over on Patreon. You are all amazing. And if you would like to become a patron and support the channel and get extra perks and benefits and all that stuff, click your top right there. All right. Thanks again for watching. Don't let anybody invalidate your experience and I'll see you next time.