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 ...

🔹 Summary 🌿 Mislabeling behaviors associated with mental health struggles can have long-lasting effects on self-esteem and healing. This post explores why labels like "lazy" or "too sensitive" are harmful and often inaccurate. Supported by recent studies, it highlights the importance of understanding mental health and moving away from stigmatizing labels. ✨ Breaking the Stigma: Rethinking Harmful Labels Like “Lazy” and “Too Sensitive” For most of my life, I was labeled as “too sensitive.” It was a term I heard from friends and family, and I began to internalize it. I started to believe that there was something inherently wrong with me because I couldn’t seem to handle certain situations the way others did. It wasn’t until I sought professional help that I realized the label “too sensitive” didn’t capture my experience at all; it was simply a sign of my emotional struggles and sensitivities tied to my mental health. Similarly, I also struggled with the label "...

🔹 Summary 🌱 Midlife transitions are often framed as a "crisis," but could they actually be signals of healing and self-discovery? This post delves into the emotional shifts many experience during midlife and challenges the idea that they’re all signs of crisis. Supported by recent research, we’ll explore how midlife changes can reflect profound healing and the reclaiming of authenticity. ✨Reframing the “Midlife Crisis”: What If It’s Actually Healing? As I entered my early 40s, I began to feel a growing sense of dissatisfaction with my life, even though I had accomplished many of the things I thought would bring fulfillment. My goals were achieved, yet a sense of unrest settled in. I couldn’t help but wonder: was this a midlife crisis, or was it something deeper? One sleepless night, during my usual episode of “Let’s Overthink,” I found myself spiraling around that phrase,  midlife crisis. It popped into my mind like a reflex, the kind of label we casually throw around wit...