Never worry alone. In celebration of Mental Health Awareness month.

May is recognized as Mental Health Awareness Month — a cause I care about deeply. Mental health definitely plays a huge role in overall wellness

Over the course of May I’d like to talk about different aspects of mental health that fall within my scope of practice as a wellness professional. It means that I’m not gonna be talking much of mental disorders, as this is doctors’ and therapists’ territory. From a wellness standpoint, though, we can explore areas like stress management, emotional regulation, finding purpose and meaning, and tapping into our ability to connect — with ourselves, with others, and with the world around us. And of course, it has a lot to do with our behavior, and mental capacity is a huge factor when it comes to making lifestyle changes.

And by the way, therapy is not something that’s nice to have, it’s hygiene. Like brushing your teeth. If you don’t brush, you will soon develop bad breath, and eventually your mental teeth may begin falling out ;)

My own journey began in a place where emotions and mental health issues were heavily stigmatized and neglected. USSR as a culture didn’t recognize emotional world of its citizens as something that should be ever taken into account. Part of my family believed that showing emotions is inappropriate, and feeling must be kept to oneself. The other part was a lot more open to embracing the turbulence of humans’ inner worlds, and my Grandma especially was always available when I needed someone to listen and to comfort. 

Unfortunately, despite having caring adults with some natural levels of emotional intelligence, I never learned the tools for developing it myself or teaching it to my kid. Until I had one :) And then I’ve suddenly discovered how different of a mother I really am comparing to the one I thought I’d be. Took me years to swallow this pill. And lots and lots of support. First from a Parent-Baby support group at the hospital, then from a therapist.

I didn’t use therapy until it became apparent I was about to hit a low I didn’t want to hit. Instead of preventative care my first experience with mental health provider was putting out fires. Because in my head, asking for help with emotions was a sign of weakness and inadequacy, as I was taught growing up. 

Next step was starting on antidepressants, which took me years, again, because of the stigma and some bullshit drama around possible side effects. I mean, sure there are some, but being actually depressed sucks so bad, it’s worth giving it a shot. Sure enough, finally getting evaluated and medicated made a world of a difference for me and my family and saved my sanity through several major life events that came soon after I started the treatment.

Several years and an eating disorder later I found out that my depression and anxiety, as well as a plethora of suboptimal behaviors from earlier years, were all consequential to an undiagnosed ADHD. Ta-daa! Now with a right meds and therapy and behavioral strategies, life finally began making sense.

Why am I sharing all this? 

I’m turning 40 this year. And up until last year I was struggling without knowing why and access to the right support. 

We are living in a world right now that is slowly but surely turning towards acceptance and embracing of human emotions, recognizing mental health as an equally important part of well-being as physical health. We gained so much more understanding of the human brain in the last several decades. We have now access to treatment and support that was unthinkable just a few years ago.

With the story I’ve shared I encourage you to stop neglecting your needs and treat your mental health with equal (if not more) attention as physical. One can’t fully exist without another. 

Stress is real. It’s never about toughening up and pushing through. It’s about recognizing your needs and respecting them in order to be a better, more capable, more whole version of yourself.

Below I’ve collected some resources I found useful on my journey. If any of those resonate with you - I’m happy. If you know something you’d like to share - please respond to this email and/or share it through your channels. Let’s help each other and make our world a better, healthier, calmer place.

And please, don’t forget about the third pillar of health - social one! It’s as important as mental and physical. So never worry alone.