Thank you and I am happy you are here. I remember the first time someone said that to me. I faced so much anxiety growing up as a kid, constantly worrying if I was a burden and this simple sentence, Thank you and I am happy you are here, was pretty groundbreaking. 

 

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Usually outside of the obvious months of remembrances, most other monthly awareness I find to be a bit off. It just comes off as they are there to be a part of an insidious marketing scheme or even worse, placeholders because someone decided to make May, zombie awareness month. Which is not a joke, I found that out as I was writing this.

 

I find it comforting that there is a Mental Health Awareness month. It lets me know that there are others thinking and reflecting on their mental health and that in and of itself makes me feel less alone. Mental Health Awareness Month forces me to change my thinking, it makes me confront the one self belief that I am trying to work on: “I am not alone, here is the proof, a month dedicated to folks working through it. Day by day.”

 

I hope as you read this you feel less alone. That’s what makes life easier, knowing you are not alone and that you have people behind you. If you don’t feel that way, you now have me. I am here which means you and I aren’t alone. 

 

Take this month to check in with yourself in any way that makes you comfortable. A way that helps me is this method my therapist taught called the container method. In brief, you treat your body like a container, you remind your body that you are safe, that you are here and safe.

Thank you for reading this and for this month’s newsletter. I am happy you are here 🙂

 

All my love and then some,

 

Mawahib Ismail

RBAC

Communication Coordinator

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