back to the mental health world

this mama is back to work (part time) after an extended maternity leave. i’ve been in the mental health field for over 10 years + this upcoming spring marks my 5th in the emergency world.

so let’s take a quick side step from talking about products (although i couldn’t go back without a SAS lanyard, duh) to talk about mental health.

call me a nerd but grad school + physical health obstacles have turned me a research fanatic. i’m not the gal on google, but the one buried under a stack of empirical articles (with coffee + more coffee). since COVID began, there have been exponential spikes in worsening mental health outcomes, substance use + suicide (cdc). community-level efforts + strategies are not only important, but C R U C I A L to prevention + intervention. many parts of the system have adapted V E R Y well to new/adapted methods of treatment + access to that treatment. isolating, although necessary, truly isn’t good for anyone + unfortunately this spike didn’t come as a surprise. a global pandemic will most certainly cause physical health issues for many, but it’s the mental health impacts that will effect A L L. it’s how we acknowledge it + respond that matters.

dr mccarthy, of harvard med school said it best, “we [us + our children] cannot live through it without anxiety + sadness. we all need to... acknowledge our feelings + take care of ourselves in a different way, being proactive about our mental health.”

so friends, stay aware, take care of yourself in the little ways + big ways, check on your humans, + reach out for help when you need it. let’s end the stigma 🤙🏽✨