5 Lessons I’ve Learned During My Mental Health Journey

I’m no stranger to talking about mental health. I opened the door into the private rabbit hole of my mind in an op-ed piece in May 2018, and I haven’t stopped advocating for mental health issues since. Today is World Mental Health Day, so I am feeling a natural sense of reflection for my own mental health journey. I usually save these posts for every other Tuesday’s Mental Health Moments blog entries. Today is a celebration of where all of us have been on our mental health missions and where we will continue to go.

Mental Health Moments: Five Wabi Sabi Mantras To Help Alleviate Perfectionism

Wabi sabi is the Japanese art of embracing imperfection, whether it’s at home, work or inside your own head. The term comes from “the Japanese words wabi (to be alone, not to be bothered by other things, to simplify) and sabi (the beauty of passing time).” Here are five mantras to help me ease the weight of perfectionism.

Mental Health Moments: Step One: How to KonMari When You’re A Sentimental Packrat

Marie Kondo is taking Netflix and the world by storm. I must admit, I am also not immune to her “Tidying Up” charms and the innate desire to only keep items that spark joy in my home and office. I work from home, so this is especially important. Too much clutter translates into subconscious (and conscious) anxiety, so here are some of my KonMari adventures from #behindthehourglass.

Mental Health Moments: Panic Attacks Versus Anxiety Attacks

Many of us encounter panic attacks and anxiety attacks due to our particular brand of mental health disorder or issue. For me, anxiety masquerades as perfectionism. Although the terms are often used interchangeably, panic attacks and anxiety attacks are two different occurrences. What are the differences?

Mental Health Moments: What Are Unrelenting High Standards?

Your mind races, but at the same time, you can’t capture any one specific thought. Thoughts blast past all logic at record speeds, and you’re caught up in moments of your own personalized “What If” game. We may not be able to get rid of them completely, but these thoughts and unrelenting high standards can be managed.

Mental Health Moments: What Is Perfectionism?

What is perfectionism? I began to uncover the answer to that question with Australia’s Centre for Clinical Interventions’ “Perfectionism in Perspective” modules. This was one of the most helpful beginnings to my perfectionism journey. Not only did this resource fully define perfectionism in ways I could identify with, but these modules gave me more self-esteem and willpower to make the changes in my life.

Mental Health Moments: The Birth of My Perfectionism

Every other Tuesday each month, we will focus on #MentalHealthMoments. We’ll explain what mental health means to us, ways to deal with certain types of anxieties and more. Keep in mind that what works for me and other contributors may not work for you. The wonderful thing about life is that we are all wonderfully unique. As a company, we are here to fight mental health stigma. As a person, I’m here to share my story to help others. As a “Recovering Perfectionist,” this is my story. So, in this introductory post, here’s the story I wrote to introduce the Birth of My Perfectionism.

The Positive Sides of My Anxiety

This May (and National Mental Health Awareness Month), I finally began telling my authentic story with anxiety and my love/hate relationship with it. All of who have a mental health disorder know the downsides to it. I’ve focused on the negative in order to know where my behaviors and belief systems were born inside my brain. Now, it’s time to acknowledge and celebrate the gifts my anxiety has given me in my almost 30 years on this earth.