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Collectively, we’ve been going through a rough time. It’s no wonder that we’re having a hard time finding the energy to carry on. If you feel isolated or overwhelmed by hardships, how can you turn your life around to move forward and inhabit joy? Bruce Brackett has been there times ten and has emerged on the other side to help you like a trusted friend in his new book HOW TO BREATHE WHILE SUFFOCATING: A Story Of Overcoming Addiction, Recovering From Trauma, and Healing My Soul (Wiley, April 9, 2024).
This soothing balm is for anyone who has felt the sting of issues tied to mental health, physical health, LGBTQ+ identity, abuse and addiction. Bruce’s honesty is unflinching as he shares trauma as early as ingesting alcohol and drugs from an addicted mother in the womb. From there, Bruce’s story unfolds from child abuse to abandonment, and from reassignment in foster care, to later the isolation of being bullied for his gay identity as an adolescent, and dealing with his own addiction demons and HIV diagnosis as an adult. Today he helps his online following of over 1.2 million people to find hope, as he has done again and again, despite the odds being stacked against him.
The purpose of sharing these stories is not to focus on the negativity of the past, but to emphasize that there is a path forward to a more positive future–for anyone. As you are looking at your own daunting obstacles, know that you can find help, as Bruce has, in:
● Role Models: whether this is through blood family or found family, spending time with people that you look up to or embody a way of life that you respect is important
● Community: the benefits of finding a group with shared interests whether for fun (like a theater club) or for support in recovery from a health condition or addiction is essential for reminding yourself that you are not alone
● Communication: often help is just on the other side of reaching out, but it takes bravery, humility, and honesty to let others know
● Forgiveness: you are so much more than the worst thing that you have done or endured. There is no limit to the good that waits for you in the future if you show yourself compassion to forgive your past and take accountability to build a better tomorrow
Bruce’s moving story is punctuated by powerful positive mantras to guide you forward when you encounter dark thoughts. After developing a following on social media for sharing his positive affirmations, Bruce hopes sharing the full personal journey behind them will inspire followers new and old to break from self-limiting beliefs. Deeply personal and uplifting, HOW TO BREATHE WHILE SUFFOCATING is a beautiful reminder that when the world feels claustrophobic and unfair, there is always grace and room to expand.