In this personal monologue, the speaker recounts being urged by friends and colleagues to watch the Netflix series Unbelievable, which dramatizes sexual assault. While initially drawn in by the series' powerful storytelling, the speaker quickly felt overwhelmed and paused viewing until December, when they could engage with the material from a healthier mental, emotional, and energetic state. The narrative emphasizes the critical importance of self‑care for anyone—survivors or professionals—who consumes trauma‑focused media. It stresses listening to one’s own energy, honoring personal boundaries, and making conscious choices about what to watch or read, framing these decisions within the broader principles of choice, consent, and respect. The speaker urges others not to succumb to external pressure but to prioritize their well‑being before engaging with difficult content.
Chapters
So this past September, friends of mine, colleagues of mine were like, Mike, you gotta watch this series on Netflix called Unbelievable. It's incredibly powerful. It deals with sexual assault. You have to see it. Now, some of these people that were giving me this advice were people in this line of work and were like, hey, since you're in this line of work, you gotta watch it. Others were people not in this line of work and thought, because I work in the field of trying to reduce sexual violence, sexual assault, I must have to watch this. And they said it with that kind of energy. So I dove in. I thought, okay. And I remember diving into the first episode and I'm like, whoa, it is so powerfully well done that it hit me hard. And halfway through the first episode, I'm like, I need to step away. And I did not return to watch it until December because that's when I knew I was in an energy space where I feel I could absorb the show correctly. And take care of myself at the same time. This is so important nowadays with so many TV shows, books, and materials coming out addressing sexual violence or stories of sexual violence that we who work in this field or those who have been impacted by sexual violence, that we take care of ourselves. That we understand how important self-care is. And I was at a time in my life in September where I'm on the road every day and I'm on stages trying to have a powerful impact, bring this energy to stage. To inspire and give people how-to skills. And so I need to be in the right mental and energy capacity for myself to be able to do that. So I have to take care of myself mentally and energy-wise, spiritually, physically. And so what I consume, what I allow into my brain, when I have control over what I allow and don't allow, I want to make sure I'm allowing the right energy source in. December, I was off the road, I was home, I could give myself the ability to take care of myself. And make sure that after I watched it, when I completed the series, that I could do what I needed to do to take care of myself fully and completely. I want to stress this to everybody out there, whether you've been impacted by this crime or whether you work in this field and/or both. Self-care matters. It is so important. Don't feel the pressure that you have to read something, you have to watch something because everybody is talking about it, or because people are putting pressure on you because of— they know you, you must love this. You know your energy. Listen to what you need and don't need and honor that. Everything we do is about choice, consent, and respecting. And so we have to learn to respect our energy forces, our alignment, and what we need. Give yourself that compassion. And it's okay to say no. It's okay to say yes. The important part is you choose what's right for you.
