Communication Can Help End the Mental Health Stigma
The start of a new year is always a time of mixed emotions, filled with reflections on the year gone by and hope for the year ahead.
It's a time filled with lists of the lessons we learned in the previous 12 months, and the resolutions and themes we want to be the focus of the 365 days ahead.
To say that 2020 was challenging is quite possibly the biggest understatement of all time. But I hope it filled us all with the resolve to commit ourselves to things we want to change in 2021.
Ending the stigma surrounding seeking help for mental health issues is one of the biggest things I want to see change in this new year. If 2020 taught us anything, it's that it's OK to speak up. It's OK to say “I'm not OK right now.” It's OK to say “I need help.”
In fact, communication and human connection (albeit virtually or socially distanced) really defined 2020. Although some people didn't take comfort in the “we're all in this together” mantra, many people found solace in the fact that they were not alone in their struggles and that others understood what they were going through.
Zoom chats became a way of life for all of us. A way to break down the barriers that isolation and social distancing brought. A way to fill our hearts with communication and a sense of connection.
It was in these moments that we discovered that being honest, allowing ourselves to be vulnerable and essentially being human was just as vital and important to our daily survival as wearing a mask and washing our hands.
In 2020, I took a giant leap forward in my quest to strength my mindset and improve my mental health. As I look back on the year, I know I wasn't alone in that regard.
I hope that will be the first steps on the journey for so many of us to end the stigma surrounding seeking treatment for mental health issues or even having the courage to speak up and share what we're thinking and feeling.
One of my goals for 2021 is to have the courage to speak out about my mental health. So, with that in mind, I want to share a little about my journey so you understand why I'm so passionate about this cause and why I provide digital and social media marketing services for mental health professionals.
I have struggled with my mental health my whole life – never feeling like I was good enough, always feeling like everyone was perfect except me, feeling the weight of imposter syndrome dragging me down. But I joined everyone else on January 1, 2020, in feeling like this was finally going to be the year for big change! Let's all have a fresh start with a new decade!
I didn't even get a full month into the year before I knew 2020 wasn't going to turn out the way I thought it would. I've been a basketball fan since I'm 13 years old so the loss of Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter and seven others (including two more teenage girls) was so profoundly devastating to me I could never adequately put it into words.
I found myself deeply reflecting on those nine souls, especially the three young girls with their whole lives ahead of them, and questioning what I was doing with my time here on Earth.
I know that sounds really deep but that was the beginning of a year for me filled with addressing my mindset and mental health. Of course, so many more emotional moments followed – the COVID-19 pandemic, the Black Lives Matter movement, and the 2020 Presidential election.
Through it all, I realized that 2020 was not the year of pure joy I had hoped it would be. But it was turning out to be the year of deep reflection that I needed.
I looked inward and realized I could let fear and doubt hold me back or I could work through my self-doubt, recognize that I had talents to offer the world and use those to help others. I felt like I owed that to all those we lost in 2020 and all those who were suffering and struggling after such a tumultuous year.
It may sound unfathomable that I think there is a silver lining to take away from 2020 but I do. I feel like last year brought us all to a fork in the road. We could choose to go down a path of negativity and self-doubt and feel like we don't deserve to dream big. Or, we could choose a path of growth and fulfillment and be determined to make a difference in the world.
I feel like my journey is taking me down a path where I can combine my love of communications with my desire to help those struggling with their own mental health issues. I can use the talent I know I possess to make a difference in the world.
If you're struggling with your mental health and need someone who will listen, my email box and social media accounts are open!
If you're a mental health professional who wants to reach more clients and build a trusting relationship with them, let's connect and chat about how we can work together to help others. I have many more blog posts coming and thoughts to share about the mental health profession.
It's a time filled with lists of the lessons we learned in the previous 12 months, and the resolutions and themes we want to be the focus of the 365 days ahead.
To say that 2020 was challenging is quite possibly the biggest understatement of all time. But I hope it filled us all with the resolve to commit ourselves to things we want to change in 2021.
Ending the stigma surrounding seeking help for mental health issues is one of the biggest things I want to see change in this new year. If 2020 taught us anything, it's that it's OK to speak up. It's OK to say “I'm not OK right now.” It's OK to say “I need help.”
In fact, communication and human connection (albeit virtually or socially distanced) really defined 2020. Although some people didn't take comfort in the “we're all in this together” mantra, many people found solace in the fact that they were not alone in their struggles and that others understood what they were going through.
Zoom chats became a way of life for all of us. A way to break down the barriers that isolation and social distancing brought. A way to fill our hearts with communication and a sense of connection.
It was in these moments that we discovered that being honest, allowing ourselves to be vulnerable and essentially being human was just as vital and important to our daily survival as wearing a mask and washing our hands.
In 2020, I took a giant leap forward in my quest to strength my mindset and improve my mental health. As I look back on the year, I know I wasn't alone in that regard.
I hope that will be the first steps on the journey for so many of us to end the stigma surrounding seeking treatment for mental health issues or even having the courage to speak up and share what we're thinking and feeling.
One of my goals for 2021 is to have the courage to speak out about my mental health. So, with that in mind, I want to share a little about my journey so you understand why I'm so passionate about this cause and why I provide digital and social media marketing services for mental health professionals.
I have struggled with my mental health my whole life – never feeling like I was good enough, always feeling like everyone was perfect except me, feeling the weight of imposter syndrome dragging me down. But I joined everyone else on January 1, 2020, in feeling like this was finally going to be the year for big change! Let's all have a fresh start with a new decade!
I didn't even get a full month into the year before I knew 2020 wasn't going to turn out the way I thought it would. I've been a basketball fan since I'm 13 years old so the loss of Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter and seven others (including two more teenage girls) was so profoundly devastating to me I could never adequately put it into words.
I found myself deeply reflecting on those nine souls, especially the three young girls with their whole lives ahead of them, and questioning what I was doing with my time here on Earth.
I know that sounds really deep but that was the beginning of a year for me filled with addressing my mindset and mental health. Of course, so many more emotional moments followed – the COVID-19 pandemic, the Black Lives Matter movement, and the 2020 Presidential election.
Through it all, I realized that 2020 was not the year of pure joy I had hoped it would be. But it was turning out to be the year of deep reflection that I needed.
I looked inward and realized I could let fear and doubt hold me back or I could work through my self-doubt, recognize that I had talents to offer the world and use those to help others. I felt like I owed that to all those we lost in 2020 and all those who were suffering and struggling after such a tumultuous year.
It may sound unfathomable that I think there is a silver lining to take away from 2020 but I do. I feel like last year brought us all to a fork in the road. We could choose to go down a path of negativity and self-doubt and feel like we don't deserve to dream big. Or, we could choose a path of growth and fulfillment and be determined to make a difference in the world.
I feel like my journey is taking me down a path where I can combine my love of communications with my desire to help those struggling with their own mental health issues. I can use the talent I know I possess to make a difference in the world.
If you're struggling with your mental health and need someone who will listen, my email box and social media accounts are open!
If you're a mental health professional who wants to reach more clients and build a trusting relationship with them, let's connect and chat about how we can work together to help others. I have many more blog posts coming and thoughts to share about the mental health profession.
If you made it this far, thank you for reading. I wish you nothing but love, light, peace, happiness and health this year!