Similar Posts
Link – Alyssa Milano Talks About Anxiety Disorder, Psychiatric Ward for Time
As I mentioned in another post recently, this is the question we should be asking when we see these stories of celebrities and mental health issues. What happens to the people who don’t have the resources to get the treatment that can help them. “We should not confront these challenges by placing more hurdles in…
Sharing – ‘Investing’ in mental health is doomed to fail because humans aren’t stocks
Again, I get that this sounds ridiculous to talk about an individual’s mental health in terms of what they offer in terms of productivity, and not in terms of them just being a human being and having value.
It sounds ridiculous because it is ridiculous. But, it is also the language of business. Look, your employer only started offering things like flu shots and health screenings because sick employees don’t get much work done, and cost more in insurance premiums, not because the company suddenly started caring about having healthy employees. That’s the reality.
It would be nice if employers did these things, and wanted to also invest in mental health resources, just because it’s the best thing for all of us as individuals and as a society, and likely some employers do. Others won’t get involved until it benefits them.
So, we speak to them in the language they understand. Because we need the money, the “investment”, now. We can’t wait for the whole world to agree that they need to do it because it’s the right thing to do.
Too many people will go without while we wait for the perfect solution. We have to take the imperfect for now.
Sharing – It’s Also Okay Not to Talk About Your Mental Health
As I said earlier, we don’t live in an ideal world where everyone has an open mind and is comfortable having conversations about mental health and trauma. We have to make choices. For some, there are serious consequences to being identified as someone with mental health struggles in their professional lives. Others aren’t safe enough to talk about the trauma they are currently dealing with. We all make choices when dealing with different people around us, who we know are safe, versus those we don’t feel safe with.
Your choices are valid. They don’t have to be the same as mine because your life isn’t mine. All I ask is that you be thoughtful about your choices so you don’t find yourself in an unsafe situation. That’s all we can expect of anyone, no matter how much we want to see and hear more voices talking about mental health in the world.
Sharing – If You Want to Build Community, You Have to “Waste Time” with People
The pity is that I prioritize this so little in my personal life. I’m constantly trying to “squeeze” in time with friends between work and other interests, and then wondering why my sense of personal community seems so lost. I think what Dr. Murthy talks about is part of it. I don’t think about time in this way. I’m always trying to maximize the time I spend with people, instead of just being with them.
The irony, of course, is how often I write about the best way to help people struggling with healing and mental health issues – just be with them. Yet, I don’t seem to realize how important it is to just be with our people regardless of what’s going on in their lives.
