Mental Health Awareness is not enough: It's going deeper than just a conversation

We rarely acknowledge the reality; most people do not want to work with a therapist or participate in counseling because we remind them of the problems, challenges, fears, anxiety, depression, obsessions they are silently struggling with.
This silence creates a feeling of shame and powerlessness, which pushes them further away from seeking mental health support and turn what could have been mild symptoms into severe mental health symptoms. We are asking people to ask for help from a therapist and/or a doctor, to resolve issues that are difficult to admit.

Many endure these struggles in silence, overshadowed by the hypocrisy of mental health awareness month in a capitalist system that worships green paper above all else.

With the demand of more and more at any cost, you are left to fend for yourself without safeguards, while riding a machine that offers no seat belt, no airbags, and no pause for breath. During mental health awareness month, let’s challenge organizations and corporations to get out of the interested phase and step into the commitment phase of true mental health support.
“They found that the cost of mental illness in the United States is a whopping $282 billion annually — an estimate 30 percent higher than that found in previous epidemiological research”. ( By: Jonathan Sperling 5/28/2024  Mental Health and the Economy -- It's Costing Us Billions | Columbia Business School  

Admit it, the same way your corporation experiences financial highs and lows, we all experience mental health highs and lows, we’re all human, no one is immune.

A message to the corporations:

 First, there will be a feeling of loss. A delayed email, a postponed report, a decrease in meetings. A loss of the weekly or biweekly 45-60 minutes for your employees to prioritize mental health. A loss of whatever is considered critical in the moment. The trade-off for that commitment will unlock innovation, curiosity, reduce stress, and less anxiety. Clearer thinking, confident decision making, fewer sick days. And most importantly, it will feed what truly matters in your world, the bottom less green paper goblin.

A message to my fellow humans:

When participating in therapy, you will experience side effects that you may or may not like. You will gain clarity of your values, beliefs, and boundaries that will support you. The way you communicate with loved ones and your colleagues will be impacted. Feeling like you belong will be a challenge which will feel like a loss, like the corporations. Invitation to social events may lessen because you have taken the mask off. You can experience feelings of guilt, anger, sadness, and shame due to the changes. Deepening of thoughts and wanting deeper conversations will take place. Discomforts will be experienced, and that gold star you’ve been chasing may no longer look gold. But the clarity, and confidence in your authenticity, will result in emotional and physical resilience. Healthy management of your emotions will strengthen. You’ll prioritize and allow your values to guide you.  

When I collaborate with a new client, I inform them of the mental health bridge; Your journey to cross this bridge has started once we agree to work together. With every step towards your mental and emotional expansion, you get further away from the edge. Every step gets you closer and closer to healthy mental health, allowing you to achieve other goals, to feel motivated, joyful, confident, creative, to see clearer, and to experience relief. While also experiencing feelings of guilt, grief, shame and sadness.
You learn to trust yourself, buuuuut you lose the chance to turn back, because you can now see, YOU.
You will not think the same, your emotional muscles are stronger, and you are clearer about who you are. As you cross this bridge, you experience a longing for your loved ones to cross the bridge as well, not considering that this journey was your choice. Upon making that choice you started to leave stigma, avoidance, people pleasing, the not feeling good enough behind, and you welcomed self-awareness, the ability to cope and communicate, improved self-trust, and authenticity.
If we can all step away from the ME and start walking in the WE, we can have support with crossing this bridge and create a space where mental health awareness truly flourishes, and the initial loss gets surpassed by incredible gains.  
I ask you to consider the following recommendations to deepen the mental health awareness conversation and transition into implementation:
1.    (EAP) Accessibility Ensure seamless access to EAP services. Provide flexible scheduling to empower employees to participate in mental health services, without work schedule barriers. 2.    Invite employees to participate in the success of your Corporation Allow employees to attend and/or (if you’re about true integration) to participate in executive and decision-making corporate meetings. This can prompt collaboration and incorporation of employee ideas that support the company’s mission, values and bottom line. 3.    Implement Regular Mental Health Breaks & Clear Boundaries Prioritize employee well-being by requiring quarterly time off, free from employer communications, to encourage genuine mental health relief and prevent burnout.

Initial recommendations for you, the human: 1.    During this mental health awareness month, take daily inventory of your experiences, the physical sensations, emotions, and thoughts, which can range from anxiety, depression, obsessions, addictions, fears, etc. and decide if you are willing to commit to the resolution, which may bring joy, clarity, excitement, community, and love at the close of the month. With the knowledge that mental health awareness is not just a month, it’s a life thing.
2.    Set your alarm for 2–5-minute breathing breaks, it will allow your brain to calm down and think clearer.
3.    Set a dead stop time for work, where you turn notifications off and log off your computer.
4.    Notice what happens and Choose…  

Mental Wellness is Everything !!!™, for any society to flourish.