LORI TERESA YEARWOOD
TRAUMA-INFORMED JOURNALIST & SPEAKER
TRAUMA-INFORMED JOURNALIST & SPEAKER
I am excited to tell you about a new writing endeavor I have started — a column: “How Are You Coping With That?”
These articles will be published every month in the publication Defector.com, an employee owned sports and culture media outlet based in New York. My column is part of expanding their coverage of culture and is my attempt to cover some of the challenges people have from a strength-based perspective.
What do I mean by a “strength-based” perspective?
Well, think of the last difficulty you experienced. How did you get through it? Did you go for walks in nature? Spend time with a pet? Meditate? Talk to a friend or trusted counselor?
Whatever you did, you got through a tough time. You coped. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be here today, reading this post.
I think that while writing about the traumas that we face, it’s also important to focus on the ways people cope with the hardships they face. In my mind, that creates a fuller picture — a picture of a human being with all kinds of thoughts and reactions and coping mechanisms.
Additionally, I think people faced with newsworthy hardships, have a lot to teach us about overcoming. Maybe not immediately. But at some point. And we need to make room for those lessons.
Thus, my column, funded in part by The Economic Hardship Reporting Project: How Are You Coping with That?
My first story centers around Susan Violette, a Boston woman who became agoraphobic after her husband died, and who, in the face of an upcoming eviction, is transforming her Ford van into a home on wheels.
Though Violette is struggling, I think you will also see that she has taken some powerfully practical steps to cope with her almost unimaginable stress.
Please click on this link to read the piece.
Then, if you have thoughts you would like to share about the story, please do so via via my Contact page. I’d love to hear from you!
My very best,
Spread the awareness — share with a friend!