May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and you may see content creators out there sharing about their own personal struggles with mental health on social media.
I think this is a beautiful thing.
The more we talk about it, the more we can change the stigma around it.
I figured I might do some of the same:
Hi, my name is Wendy J Olson, and I struggle with my mental health.
I am someone who lives with complex trauma and PTSD. (And no, I am not a combat veteran.) I was in fact 38 years old before I realized I had PTSD, (and another year before being officially diagnosed,) and consequently started doing the work of healing. This led me to start my own coaching practice where I walk with women through their stories of past hurts and traumas, leading them to find freedom. What worked for me couldn’t be kept a secret. I had to tell others.
Now does this mean I’m “healed,” past tense? Absolutely not. Every day can still be a struggle for someone who comes from a background of severe trauma. But we press on. We do the work, and we keep showing up.
I personally believe we never arrive to “healed” here on earth. We just keep healing. And for me, that’s enough.
If you struggle with your mental health, the best thing you can do is find a safe person to talk to. Sometimes this is a counselor, a therapist, a good friend, a coach, a pastor, or a co-worker. I don’t recommend your barista. They have enough stress with all those mobile orders coming in.
The point is we’ve all been there. We’ve all struggled in one way or another. I think of myself in the throws of postpartum after my two kids, feeling lost and alone, thinking I was the only one who couldn’t just get her life together and deal. But now thanks to countless others who have spoken up, who have used their voice and raised their hand to say, ‘Hey! This happened to me,’ I don’t have to hide in the shadows or in shame. I can share my struggle and know that I am not alone.
It’s okay not to be okay. And that has to be okay with us.
