My Brain's Not Broken

#WorldMentalHealthDay means it’s another WONDERFUL day to talk about mental health! It’s the 25th anniversary of World Mental Health Day, which was founded in 1992 by the World Federation for Mental Health. Obviously any special day, week or month bringing awareness to mental health is important, but I feel like this day is especially important not only for those with a mental illness, but for anyone who is trying to maintain good mental health – which is everybody.

The theme for this year’s #WorldMentalHealthDay is Mental Health in the Workplace, which I personally love because I think the workplace one of the places where the taboo of discussing mental health is most prevalent. 

I don’t mean to be critical of workplaces specifically; there are tons of environments and situations where discussing mental health is far more taboo and uncomfortable. But the value of good mental health in the workplace is something often taken for granted, and only noticeable when someone’s lack of mental health begins to affect their work productivity. Mental health issues happen to people regardless of how much they can get done at work. Some of the most productive people I know have mental health disorders, and often have to work twice as hard to get the same amount of work done as their co-workers.

In a perfect world, employees would have good mental health and would come to work every day with a sound mind and body, ready to get to work. But as (I hope) we all know, it is not a perfect world, and we often bring out moods and attitudes into the office with us.

How can this change? Have a conversation with a co-worker or a friend. Ask them how they’re doing. How they’re really doing. While mental wellness can sometimes be more make or break for someone with a mental illness, taking care of your mental health is important for everyone. Please don’t ignore it. Your life truly does depend on it.