Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Corbett Shwom. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Corbett, we are so deeply grateful to you for opening up about your journey with mental health in the hopes that it can help someone who might be going through something similar. Can you talk to us about your mental health journey and how you overcame or persisted despite any issues? For readers, please note this is not medical advice, we are not doctors, you should always consult professionals for advice and that this is merely one person sharing their story and experience.
I can tell you, it hasn’t been easy. It’s been a journey, and if I stop and think for a minute about that journey and the many stops along the way, I get very emotional. So much of my life has been lived in my head. I’ve missed a lot! And although I have learned to recognize that many of my thoughts are irrational, some days they just feel very real, and the noise gets loud. It’s then that I have to draw on the very same strategies that I write about or plan to write about in the Little C books. I’ve also accepted that some days I just need to surrender to it – now, that doesn’t mean being self-destructive. It’s about understanding that, for personal growth, you need to be honest and real with yourself. It’s important to realize that ‘losing’ some battles along the mental health journey is not a sign of failure. These moments help me learn, adapt, and build inner strength.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
As someone who has spent a lifetime struggling with worry, anxiety, and OCD, I never thought I would be bringing any of it to pages. Well, that all changed when I had kids. When my girls were old enough to start expressing their feelings, I quickly recognized how worry was affecting their well-being and knew I needed to try something to help them.
So one July evening in 2010, I sat down and penned the “Worry Poem” that helped them understand that their worry thoughts were just thoughts and nothing more. It quickly became a go-to in their anxiety toolbox, especially at bedtime. In those early years, we taped the poem over their beds; just seeing it gave them comfort, and of course, we would read it to them every night as it helped them reset. All these years later, I still see the printout of that poem, now somewhat aged, taped to a closet door. And I still find myself at times going and reading it, just to reset. Does it always help? No, but it helps give me perspective, and at those times, I’ll take that.
So with the world just getting on the right side of the pandemic, I knew that this simple poem and its message could make a real difference, especially for the most bruised and battered demographic, children. With my kids’ blessing, as it was “their poem”, I developed “Worry Thoughts” into a storybook. That’s when I knew I had found my purpose: to take my lifetime of mental health lemons and try to make some lemonade for kids who were struggling with anxiety and worry.
So I went back to the start of my journey, revisiting little me, who then became Little C in my first ‘Little C Book’, “Worry Habits”.
In “Worry Habits”, you meet Little C, who feels the need to do certain things until they “feel right”. Touching the light four times, checking under the bed, and repeating specific phrases become rituals that consume his thoughts and hold him back. With courage and curiosity, Little C confides in his mother, and together they seek guidance from a doctor who unveils the truth: Little C has OCD.
Next up for Little C is his struggle with social anxiety in a new book I’m hoping to have published in early 2024.
Before the official launch, I’m assembling a select group of readers to join an Advance Reader Copy (ARC) team. These readers will have the privilege of getting an early glimpse of the book and the opportunity to provide feedback, share reviews, and potentially help spread the word about its release.
If you’re interested in being a part of this ARC team, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to contact me using the links provided below. Your input and support are greatly appreciated!
I’m not a doctor or a therapist, but someone who has lived with anxiety, worry, and OCD for close to 55 years. The lemonade I’m trying to make is to create engaging and relatable storybooks that motivate and inspire children who have similar struggles to be Little C strong.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
1 – For better or worse, I have this constant whisper of discontent that drives me. I’m never satisfied. 2 – I’ve learned not to mistake mental health issues as weakness, but rather as a testament to the strength it takes to face each day with an invisible disability.
3 – Surround yourself with the right people. Talk to them, listen to them, lean on them, learn from them, love them.
Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?
Maybe not so much what book but rather what author and the books they wrote, that would be Dale Carnegie. I constantly find myself reviewing his many impactful nuggets of wisdom, such as:
“Any fool can criticize, condemn, and complain, but it takes character and self-control to be understanding and forgiving.”
“The person who seeks all their applause from outside has their happiness in another’s keeping.”
“Instead of worrying about what people say of you, why not spend time trying to accomplish something they will admire?”
“The only way to get the best of an argument is to avoid it.”
Contact Info:
- Website: https://corbettshwom.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/worrythoughts/
