Hey folks, it’s officially Mental Health Awareness Month.

So now is a great time to take an inventory of your emotions and habits to determine if you need to refocus your energy on prioritizing your mental health.

Do an internal spot check today and ask yourself:

• Has anything triggered me lately?
• Am I eating ok?
• Am I sleeping ok?
• Am I irritable or easily angered?
• Am I taking care of my finances like I’m supposed to?
• Am I overly worried or anxious?
• Am I unusually tired or fatigued?
• Have I felt sad or hopeless more than 2 days in the past week?
• Am I looking forward to the future or am I just getting by?

If you recognize that something has gone awry after running through these questions, or if you already know for sure you’re not in a good space, now’s the time to let somebody know!

In this fight to defeat the stigma of mental illness, our best weapon is our transparency.

I spent a very long time trying to hide in the shadows – secretly carrying shame, being in denial about the severity of my illness, and worrying about what people would think of me.

But all it did was isolate me further and worsen my pain.

It was fear of rejection that kept me from telling friends and potential partners that I spent time in the mental ward after having a major mental breakdown

I couldn’t tell anyone that I had panic attacks so severe that I called the paramedics and took myself to the ER.

I never wanted to share with anyone why I had to be sedated for almost 5 years straight to go to sleep at night or that I went through a period where I was afraid to drive alone or just leave the house period.

I couldn’t bring myself to let my friends know that I suffered from severe OCD and worried about off-the-wall things all the time.

I tried my best to be perceived as “normal,” but I eventually imploded and came dangerously close to committing suicide.

So if you’re reading this and you know you’ve been suffering in silence, I strongly urge you to speak up and tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth about what you’ve been going through.

It’s time to treat yourself with compassion.

According to the Anxiety & Depression Association of America, there are nearly 450 million people across the globe struggling with mental illness, but about two-thirds of those people never seek treatment!

And that’s because folks are either too embarrassed, too ashamed, or too far in denial to even speak about their issues.

So do yourself a favor and tell someone your story today.

You deserve to be heard, understood, and helped.

Sincerely,

Alexia