By Shelli Sussman | June 03, 2021
This has been said to me a few times over the past few years since I have become more public about my mental health. However, I never expected this to come out of the mouth of a medical professional.
I recently had a doctor’s appointment with a new doctor who seemed to be in a rush, and did not look at my medical history before walking into my exam room. After the introductory banter and exam he saw some of my scars from when I self-harmed in the past. He looked at me as if his eyes were going to pop out of his head. He asked what they were from, and I matter-of-factly said what happened in the past and described my mental health conditions. He said, “But you look so normal! Wait, I have to sit down.”
“If I forget you, O Jerusalem, may my right hand forget itself.” (Sefer Tehillim)
One of the most meaningful wedding gifts my husband and I received was a mezuzah case that contained some of the shards of broken glass from our chuppah ceremony. The breaking of the glass under the chuppah symbolizes two things. One, the destruction of the Beit Hamikdash and how no celebration can be complete without it. Two, it represents a marriage. Marriages contain both difficult and joyful times, and it is showing the commitment that the couple has to stand by each other even during hard times. I have found that you can’t appreciate where you are in life without remembering the struggles you’ve overcome. It is those struggles that make the happier times even greater.
Removing the Mask From Postpartum Depression By Shelli Sussman | March 04, 2021
Being postpartum is a confusing experience. You’re overwhelmed by mazal tov texts, calls and visits; recovering from labor and delivery; and taking care of a newborn all at the same time. It was December 2018, and this was baby No. 3 for me, but I had an inkling in the back of my mind that it was going to be more difficult than the others.
The night we brought home the baby from the hospital, my 6-year-old came down with the flu. My husband and I did our “zone defense” and took care of it as best we could so that no one else would get sick. It was stressful, especially with a newborn and still recovering, but we did it.