So we’re going to start here. What is your story? Like what happened when you were encountered with mental health?

So in 2017, I lost my grandmother and my grandmother was my best friend, told her everything. And I think seeing my mom take it well, my mom doesn’t show much emotion. And so it was sort of like, I was “doing too much” whenever I showed emotion. So I hear that a lot. And so every year I started to gather with numbers. So the number 15 is the date she died on; the 15th. Dealing with that loss and then combined with grief and covid during the pandemic was just a lot. I was dealing with my weight at the same time, as I’ve always struggled with my weight. So everything’s just started to like bundle together and I couldn’t just go out. I couldn’t just travel. I had to sit there and figure out how to cope. And so I started counseling with a doctor on demand.

I found out with my insurance, with my job, that it was free, so I have paid for it. So I did doctor on demand and I found a psychiatrist and a therapist. I really needed it at the time because my dad died during the pandemic and that was hard. He and my mom, they’re not together. So like I have a dad, my mom married when I was three years old, and I had my dad and it was one of those things where it was like, how do I channel this emotion and not feel bad for being sad? Like, I felt bad for being sad because all these years I’ve had a dad and now it’s like, damn* my dad died. Like, I’m really sad. I have 15 siblings, 15 siblings. My dad was a rolling stone.

I have 15 siblings. And the good thing is I was able to talk with them and get to know them; we communicate, I have nieces and nephews. All of that stuff happening made me feel like, okay, I can talk to somebody. I need to talk to somebody. I need to get this hurt out or at least figure out how and my counselor like she listens, listens to me. She understands where I’m coming from. She lets me cry without feeling judged.

I was able to begin getting counseling, getting the help that I needed.

Throughout the pandemic, I was diagnosed with anxiety and depression which is like one of those things where, you know, you have it, it’s just when it comes from a professional individual, it’s like, ah! That hits hard. So it was harder hearing it from her, but it has helped me to channel my inner self. I now hang out with, you know, people that are a positive influence in my life building self-confidence. [Giggled].

I still struggle as you can see with my weight, but it’s more, more or less like, this is just who I am. And I always try to buy stuff with quotes, whether it’s a journal or my clothing or whatever the case may be to remind myself like I have to love myself before I expect someone else to let me okay.

Write Out Your Feelings

It’s good to connect with your feelings and be aware but then also acknowledge positive things about yourself and use positive affirmations.

You will have ups and downs but you want to still keep pressing forward through the highs and the lows!

Employee assistance program!

Does your job have one? It may be referred to as EAP it is also known as an employee assistance program.

An employee assistance program is an employee benefit program that assists employees with personal problems and/or work-related problems that may impact their job performance, health, mental and emotional well-being.

Often times jobs will allow counseling sessions to be free under this program, You can usually get about 5 to 6 sessions for free per each issue needing counseling for. This can vary from job to job but check and see how your job does their EAP program if they have one.