Because Mental Health Matters

These last two years have brought so many new experiences. We’ve gone through a global pandemic and all that has been influenced from that (hopefully) once-in-a-lifetime event. We’ve seen our cities and towns become eerily quiet. We’ve seen businesses struggle, jobs lost, industries be changed forever in the name of adaptability and survival. We’ve lost loved ones. We’ve adjusted to include a more virtual life experience into our day-to-day. All these and so much more. Along with the “storm clouds” weathered, there have been beautiful gifts to be received from this time as well. We got to pause for a moment. Potentially reflect on what our time means and how we want to spend it. We got to learn new skills. We heard voices that may not have had an audience before. We are here. Present. We have this gift of a new day to write the next part of our stories. We get to talk about and share the human experience on a deeper level, since so much of our humanity has been exposed through this time.?

On a very personal note, during this time our family received a rare disease diagnosis for our first-born son, ARID1B-RD, Coffin Siris Syndrome. He had a traumatic birth event, but we were led to conduct whole exome genetic testing as a way to check for answers as to the additional medical complexities he had that could’ve been motivated by a cause outside the birth event. Part of his condition includes intellectual disability and behavioral differences. He literally has etched into his DNA a very unique stitching that gives him (and us as his family) an atypical life experience. Behavioral therapies and support have become a critical growth influencer for all of us and will continue to be a cornerstone for us to continue to thrive. Mental and behavioral health is the foundational lens in which all our well-being beliefs and actions are seen. I am forever grateful for the growth and access we have to getting this support.???

It’s been a long time coming that the national conversation has dedicated a space for us to talk about mental health. In my chosen professional field, we’ve been talking about addressing the whole person, in all areas of their well-being; in hopes they share their unique talents and gifts to the workplace for a long time. It was part of the reason I was drawn to this career and why after 15 years, I still wholeheartedly believe that we can make the world a happier and healthier place through inspiring workplaces to become well-spaces. I’ve seen it, and still see it and I am looking forward to continuing this important work. Getting to hear and see this aspect of well-being coming up in meetings across the board has been encouraging. It gives me hope. Hope that as we lean into being open and honest with one another, we can have more authentic, sustainable, and resilient success as we move forward together. The workplace is an opportunity to impact individuals and community lives for the better.

I recently attended an event for a non-profit client we serve that is focused on serving our local community with mental health services. In the president’s remarks he mentioned three things they are committed to providing: a place, people, and purpose. A safe place where people could have basic physiological needs met. People to support, guide and connect with; and a mode in which life purpose can be discovered. That really stood out to me, how right he was to laser focus on three incredibly impactful things on the quality of life for an individual and their family. Workplaces, regardless of their industry, product or service can facilitate not only those three things but also provide resources that inspire their chosen employees and their families. As all of us were moved in different ways during this collectively trying time, it is now time to come together and embrace the opportunity we have to encourage one another. To create psychologically safe places, with people who are mindful to work on their emotional intelligence and inspire the unique and very important purposes we can fulfill by being present. We can and must continue the conversation beyond this month, beyond this time. It is the foundational motivation that inspires our actions, interactions, and impact. ???