Sebastian Matthews experienced a life-changing event that was almost life-ending. Besides the broken bones, part of this growth process for him and his family was dealing with the trauma.

He tells us that sometimes PTSD doesn't even set in until a couple of years after the event. He also tells us that we don't all have to go through such an intense trauma to experience things like burnout, anxiety, and disconnection from yourself and others.

He believes in the creative life, in soft boundaries between work and play, but definitely adheres to some clear and consistent routines.

He also believes in connection. He began that process first by writing about the experience with his book, Beginner's Guide to a Head-On Collision. More recently, his award-winning Beyond Repair: Living in a Fractured State documents his experience in reconnecting with the culture, community, and country he found himself immersed in.

He reminds us that we need to start with ourselves, but after the healing begins, there comes a time to quit the navel-gazing and get out there and re-connect with the world.

While getting out of the house and meeting up with old friends in different places is one way, the deeper connection is to connect with your community. Sebastian reminds us of ways to do so in reasonable, realistic ways. One lesson he's learned through the past decade of struggle is that "the only way out is through." But the second, no less important one, is that when you give back to others, you reap unexpected rewards. This is the way to growth, healing, and beating the sense of disconnection so many of us find ourselves in here at the end of 2021.