Today, October 10, 2023, is World Mental Health Day. It’s a day that there was no way I’d pass up blogging on, especially because of the impact that mental health has had on my personal life and my family’s life. The stigmas are real, even with increased awareness all around us, and I’m committed to being an open book when it comes to mental health.
Let’s Dive Right On In…
I’m going on six months now of being off my medications for anxiety and depression (due to pregnancy and my personal concerns with the possible impact + the removal of a major stressor in my life). Each and every day takes lots of deep breaths, especially when the things around me lately have been deep and tough. I had a weekend day last week where I just stayed in bed and “could not” because I didn’t like who I was that day. Another day I turned down a catching up meeting with some colleagues because (as I put it) I was “a miserable soul” due to something teeny tiny and out of my control.
Being a mom, working full-time, processing past trauma from abusive exes, and living with a brain that is wired to be super emotional and people pleasing is not easy. I’m so grateful for my resources (even though I’m still waiting to get into therapy on my own for the things that happened to our family in May of 2022) and tribe. People check in, people offer help. I’m not always willing to take it, but thankful. I’ve learned many coping strategies and am applying them daily. So grateful.
But one thing I am not afraid of is being honest. My mental health is probably a 7 on a scale of 10, and I’ll take that. It’s a work in progress.
In the Family
Unfortunately, mental health is a topic that hasn’t been openly talked about in my family’s past (until fairly recently). For my kids, I’ve been honest with them as well, and make sure they’re honest with each other. We’ve been through family therapy, one kiddo is in trauma therapy + school groups + school therapy. We learn together ways to cope and ways to support each other. We won’t be quiet about our concerns because unfortunately we’ve suffered a great loss and don’t want to go through that again.
Oceans Without You
It’s really tough to go a day without thinking about my ‘lil cousin Emily. She would be 21 now, but is forever stuck in my heart and head at 17. Emily died by suicide in 2019, and there’s not a day that gets easier thinking about it. On Sunday, my church sang one of her favorites, “Oceans” and I could not hold back the tears. There are so many things we are doing without her, so many things she would have brightened, that I just can’t fathom how different the world could be if she was still here. But I cannot change that no matter how much I wish I could.
What I can do is be open, check in on my people, make sure they know I love them. And not let a day go by that I won’t think about how important mental health is, for all of us.
While I have my BA in Psychology, I’m no mental health expert. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, please reach out for help. One resource I am aware of is 988 Life Line which gives crisis support and also has a website that has resources by categories – some close to me are maternal health, youth, and veteran’s.
