May is Mental Health Awareness Month.
I try to be open about my mental health and the ups and downs I face with it. A neighbor, who is also a mom, recently confided in me that she too struggles with mental health, and had recently had a short stay at a local mental health hospital.
She said that she was literally at her breaking point. Her mind was racing and was in a dark place that she didn’t know if she’d be able to or want to come out of.
I listened but at the same time thought:
“Her – in a mental hospital? She doesn’t seem like someone who would need that.”
This is exactly what #breakthestigma is all about.
The person who looks like they have everything going for them, the person who you can truly tell is struggling mentally, and every type of person in-between may need some extra care at a facility like a mental health hospital.
I asked my neighbor if she was scared.
“Absolutely,” she said confidently. “I kept thinking, how did I let my life get to this point? I was the wife and mom — the glue in my opinion — that kept my family’s needs and wants in line. I took it upon myself to make sure homework was done, kids were taken to and from their activities on time, and when my chef hat was on, making sure everyone had what they wanted and enough to eat – even if that meant by the time my kids were done eating, that I hadn’t even taken a bite of my food yet.”
She shared though, that her time at the mental health facility was an eye-opening experience and a needed asset in her life.
What really made her feel better was seeing another mom who was in a similar situation – at her breaking point and didn’t know where else to go. This mom had three boys and she was the wife of a lawyer – again, someone who wouldn’t seem on the outside that they would need to be at a mental health facility.
My neighbor said she and this woman became close in the few days they were both there, and this woman left before my neighbor. That gave my neighbor comfort – that she could go back into the “real world” and be OK after this experience.
Not everyone needs this extensive help, she added. However, there are more agencies that are able to help people than she ever realized. She’s now getting intensive outpatient therapy at a nearby facility and I couldn’t be happier to see her taking strides in becoming the best version of herself.
If you or your kids are interested in a mental health check-up or are wanting more help, here are some places to start:
