Did you know that May is Mental Health Awareness Month? When I found that out the other day, I felt like I couldn’t let the month go by without addressing it especially as someone who hasn’t been shy to share her struggles with anxiety.
I think we can all agree that there is often a stigma attached to talking about mental health but I feel like more people are coming out to talk about their struggles and as such, the easier it’s becoming for us to have these honest and heartfelt conversations.
To be totally honest with you, my anxiety as of late hasn’t been great. I know it’s in part due to this season of my life as I job hunt, meet with new people several times a week, try to convince them of my worth, negotiate pay and benefits, figure out how to pay my bills, fight with the unemployment office for the benefits I’m entitled to, decide what to do about my current living situation, apply for more jobs, hear everyone’s opinions on me, my job search, and whether or not I should be accepting positions. Add in a lack of regular and consistent yoga and meditation practice and we’re definitely asking for trouble. Rinse and repeat.
I’ve shared my top tips for handling anxiety and this couldn’t be a better time to remind you of that >> READ THOSE TIPS HERE
I’m not here today to give you more tips though. I’m not here to tell you to just stop being anxious, put a smile on your face, or just deal with it. I’m here today to tell you that YOU ARE NOT ALONE.
I sit at Starbucks right now in between two job interviews for positions that are not what they first appeared with companies that unfortunately seem a bit on the sketchy side. I’m doing my due diligence and I’m showing up, I’m taking the practice, but then I’m reminding myself of my self worth. I can’t say that feeling was present just the other day though. The tears and the meltdowns and the insomnia will prove that wasn’t the case.
But the good news is that in the midst of one evening’s insomnia, I found some courage and strength that I thought had vanished. I found the motivation to get back up the next morning, to put on my business attire, and show up for another interview. In my sleepy state, I made a to-do list. It didn’t have anything crazy or earth shattering on it, but it gave me some focus. It gave me a few other ideas of things to try, contacts to re-establish, moves to make. It gave me a little more hope and a little more strength to keep moving forward.
I don’t have all the answers or the solution to this particular anxiety-producing period of my life, but I do know that today I am feeling more optimistic and hopeful again…and that’s a feeling I truly appreciate.
If you find yourself in a place of anxiety, depression or something else entirely, please know that YOU ARE NOT ALONE. The more we talk about it, the more we can all talk about it together.
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