World Mental Health Day is an international day for global mental health education, awareness, and advocacy against social stigma.
This is my story.
Since I was 15, I’ve been in and out of counseling. My anxiety disorder was diagnosed when I was a high school freshman, and that was when I realized something was wrong. Or, at least, that I needed help reshaping the way I think about the world so I could begin to feel better.
Anxiety can be extremely debilitating, with constant worrying about things that might never even happen. This often stems from some type of untreated trauma. For a long while, I thought I’d be struggling with anxiety forever. I simply didn’t have a support system that told me it was okay to process my feelings and to sometimes step back from whatever I was doing just to consider how to deal with things.
I’m 23 now, and I’ve worked hard to learn how to calm my anxiety disorder and live life to the fullest. It took years, and I lived through a lot of things that contributed to changing how I thought. It was often a struggle, from waiting until I was 19 to get my driver’s license, to a lack of support related to my college studies and music career. But in the end, anxiety didn’t hold me back – I found a way to push forward. Anxiety became my motivation – to graduate and then find an employer that prioritizes a healthy work/life balance and embraces the importance of mental health awareness.
When I arrive at the office, I know I can step away when needed to take what I call my “daily afternoon walks.” This helps me recharge and recenter, and when I’m back at my desk, everything’s still there and everything will get done on time. We also have many other mental wellness activities in our lounge space including yoga classes and an art studio. This encourages our team to take a step back from work when the day gets too stressful. Beyond work – in all aspects of day-to-day life – periodic mental health breaks don’t make you lazy. Instead, they’re an excellent tool for remaining calm, focused, and centered. I encourage anyone reading this to not hesitate to reach out when you need help… even if it means stepping back from work until you can be in the right mental health space. There are many resources to connect with including the newly founded 988 suicide hotline. Please, take care of yourself. Sometimes the work CAN wait.
Happy World Mental Health Day!
