Darkness to Dialogue: Living Well With Mental Illness

Summary Sometimes, healing looks like an emotional shutdown, and it can feel like a sign of strength. But that numbness may be a detour, not a sign you’re doing better. In this post, you’ll learn how to tell whether you’re truly building resilience or just shutting your feelings off, and why it matters. Quick Insight Strength in recovery is about being emotionally present and processing what comes up. Numbness, although it may feel protective, is an emotional disconnection that can hinder true healing. My Story: When Feeling Nothing Seemed Like Something I remember the moment clearly: I thought I was "strong" because I didn’t cry at that old trigger, couldn't remember why it used to hurt me so much. Later, I realized I wasn’t strong; I was numb. I’d shut down to survive, and that numbness felt like peace…until it didn’t. Over time, I learned the real sign of strength wasn’t not crying, it was feeling and surviving the tears. I began noticing when I was processing emotions...

Mental Health in the Workplace August/September 2025 Edition Welcome to the bi-monthly Mental Health in the Workplace feature.  Have you ever felt your heart race or patience vanish during a meeting, email, or deadline? Workplace triggers can spark overwhelming reactions before you even realize what’s happening. Recognizing these triggers and applying coping strategies isn’t just helpful, it’s essential for maintaining mental health and professional effectiveness. Quick Answer Workplace triggers are cues, such as criticism, tight deadlines, or interpersonal conflict, that activate intense emotional or physiological responses. By noticing early warning signs and using grounding and self-regulation strategies, you can manage stress and respond intentionally rather than react impulsively. My Story: Navigating Triggers at Work For years, I noticed that certain situations at work: unexpected emails last-minute changes tense meetings—would leave me anxious, frustrated, or drained.  ...

  Each month, I shine a light on powerful voices that challenge the stigma around mental health by sharing honest, transformative journeys. This month’s feature explores the inner work it takes to move beyond survival and into healing. It’s not just about managing symptoms, it’s about awakening to the patterns we’ve inherited, the losses we’ve carried, and the truths we’ve buried. The following story offers a heartfelt look at how pain can be a turning point and how advocacy often begins with our own awakening. Carrying the Invisible Burden: A Mental Health Journey  Through Generational Trauma and Personal Loss Written By: Keisha Anderson   Mental Health Advocacy and Impact After experiencing a personal loss and working through the grieving process, I began to recognize  patterns and behaviors shaped by my upbringing-many of which were quietly keeping me stuck and  unfulfilled. That pain pushed me to seek deeper healing, beyond just coping. I turned to therapy,...

  Summary Recovery often means changing your patterns, but sometimes, it also means:  outgrowing people, roles, and spaces you once needed.  This post explores the quiet loneliness that can follow healing; when the chaos fades, but connection doesn’t immediately fill the space. It’s a compassionate look at how rebuilding life after mental health struggles can feel isolating and why finding belonging is a vital and worthy part of the journey. The Truth No One Tells You I never expected healing to feel so lonely. After years of living in survival mode, I assumed recovery would bring relief, reconnection, and peace. But what no one told me is that healing often creates a space, one where old relationships no longer fit, familiar habits fall away, and you're left sitting in the quiet.  Whether it was surviving toxic and abusive relationships or rebuilding after divorce, there were parts of my journey that I had to travel alone.  That quiet can feel like abandonmen...

Summary Men are often expected to be: Emotionally stoic,  rarely expressing vulnerability or sadness Unfailingly strong,  seen as providers, protectors, and problem-solvers, even at the expense of their own well-being This post explores how the pressure to provide and protect can quietly erode men’s mental health, and why we need to talk about it. Unseen, Unsaid, Unwell: The Weight Men Carry I grew up hearing phrases like “real men provide” that weren’t said with cruelty; they were said with pride. With love, even. But under the surface, they carried an impossible weight. I’ve watched men I care about push through chronic stress, ignore warning signs, and put everyone’s needs before theirs, all because they believed being a good man meant being unshakable. They weren’t praised for resting. They were praised for pushing. Even when their bodies were breaking down. Even when they were suffering in silence. And maybe they didn’t know they were suffering; they just thought ...

Breaking Through the Armor of "I’m Fine" Summary: We often ask men to be strong, but not if they’re okay. In a culture that praises silence and stoicism, too many men are taught to suppress their pain and push through alone. But behind the “I’m fine” are real mental health struggles that go unseen and untreated. : depression anxiety trauma As we honor Men’s Mental Health Month , it’s time to challenge the silence, break the stigma, and create space for emotional honesty. Because these aren’t just statistics; they’re lived experiences. And healing begins when we start listening. Carrying the Silence I’ve known men who carried trauma, grief, anxiety, and depression like invisible weights, never naming it, never reaching out. Not because they didn’t feel it, but because they’d been taught that needing support wasn’t something men were “supposed” to do. I’ve seen how that kind of silence wears someone down: how it strains relationships chips away at self-worth turns daily ...