Happy New Year! My wish for all my clients and my readers is that 2025 fulfills all your hopes and dreams. 

It wasn't too long ago that I read a post on LinkedIn about a nasty response given to someone who was suffering. The responder told the poster to "stop being a victim." Frankly, that kind of ticked me off and led me to the comment I'm repeating below. I hope it helps someone out there who needs it today.

I think there is something systemic about the inability to distinguish what is and isn't victim-hood. It's okay to feel bad when something bothers us; it doesn't mean being a victim. It's okay to express how we feel even when it isn't sunshine and roses; it doesn't mean being a victim. It's okay to be vulnerable, letting others know when you need validation--especially when it's within a space where it's supposed to be safe; that's not being a victim. The difference between expressing, venting, seeking, etc. and being a victim is when the needing to be validated becomes constant, when the feeling bad becomes a means of secondary gain to feeling good.