May is National Mental Health Awareness Month. According to NAMI (The National Alliance on Mental Illness), 1 in 5 people will be affected by mental illness in their lifetime. In honor of this month, we want to continue doing our part in helping to break down the barriers to mental health treatment.
“Be strong. Don’t talk about your feelings. Get through it on your own.” – Kevin Love
Most of us have had this internal monologue at some point, right? The one that challenges us to keep our fears, sadness, insecurities or struggles a secret. The one that makes us believe none of our friends or family would understand, that no one else feels the way we do, or that we aren’t “worth” using someone else’s time to address our needs. Research has shown that stereotypes like this will keep people from reaching out for help.
First, know that you are not alone! Kevin Love is not alone. Jim Carrey, Prince Harry, Mark Twain, Catherine Zeta Jones, Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson, etc. are not alone.
“It really makes you think about how we are all walking around with experiences and struggles — all kinds of things — and we sometimes think we’re the only ones going through them. The reality is that we probably have a lot in common with what our friends and colleagues and neighbors are dealing with. So I’m not saying everyone should share all their deepest secrets — not everything should be public and it’s every person’s choice. But creating a better environment for talking about mental health … that’s where we need to get to.” – Kevin Love.
If you haven’t yet read Kevin Love’s candid article on his own struggles with mental health, we would encourage you to check it out here: