Today is a National Time to Talk day. It is a day that is supposed to get us all talking about our mental health and the challenges we are facing.
1 in 4 people suffers from mental health problems, yet it is still an illness with much stigma attached to it. Let’s face it, with the way the world is going; we are all struggling with our mental health in one way or the other. Sharing our own experiences will help others also share their stories, and together we can take the stigma out of something that affects us all.
The Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR) reports that the decline in mental well-being after the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic is more than twice as large for women as for men.
The mental health challenges we women face are due to increased home life workload such as family and caring responsibilities; homeschooling, financial and work situation and lack of access to social networks and support systems.
Some women in our community say they do not want to share their mental health struggles with their colleagues. They fear being judged and discriminated against even further. We feel there is a lot more organisations can do to support their female employees.
Not being able to share our mental health challenges freely can be the worst part of this illness. It stops us from accessing the help we need.
As the American Actress, Lili Rhinehart said:
“You are the one thing in this world, above all other things, that you must never give up on. When I was in middle school, I struggled with severe anxiety and depression and the help and support I received from my family, and a therapist saved my life. Asking for help is the first step. You are more precious to this world than you’ll ever know.”
Lili Rhinehart
Here are some straightforward ways to improve your mental health today:
Don’t: Isolate yourself emotionally. Use technology to stay connected.
Don’t: Compare yourself to others. Everyone is on their unique individual journey.
Don’t: Let your struggle become your identity. Your challenges don’t define who you are.
DO: Focus on gratitude and what you have going for you.
DO: Be kinder to yourself. You deserve it.
DO: Talk about how you are feeling. People will not judge you.
DO: Increase your movement by joining our walking sisterhood challenge. We all know that exercising helps to improve our mental health.
DO: Ask for help if you are struggling to cope. Contact a professional.
Sadly, being isolated from our loved ones and having to do everything online is very challenging to our mental health.
We human are social creatures.
So this February, make time to talk.
You don’t have to struggle in silence. Confide in those who are closest to you, a friend or colleague who can support you.
Our community here at FL is also here to help you.
We are in it together.
Join us for or our monthly meetups and let’s get talking here
We have more articles to help you improve your mental health here