Mental Health. It is a topic near and dear to my heart, and my mind. Last year I joined NAMI and (my family and) I went full steam ahead into support mode – assembling a walk team for NAMIWalks, raising funds, getting the word out. I even participated in Sharing Hope, a program that “reaches out to African-American communities to encourage mental health education and reduce stigma on mental illness.”
NAMIWalks Greater Houston is this Saturday 4/30/2016.
Unfortunately, I was unable to get a team and walk this year. But with a VERY fortunate reason – my oldest son’s University graduation! My team will not be there to walk but I will be there in spirit. This has been heavy on my mind and on my heart so I decided to write this short post for everyone dealing with mental health issues, directly or indirectly. That’s basically everyone. 😉
It’s hard to be happy… when you’re not.
It’s hard to be up when you’re down. Or suppress your “ups”.
Sometimes it’s hard to just “be”.
It’s hard to have hope when it feels like no one understands.
It’s hard to feel loved when you really feel… Completely. Alone.
You are not alone. There are loads of us. Check out all the personal stories of people living with, dealing with, caring for and supporting others with mental disease of all kinds.
If you haven’t signed up to walk, there’s still time. Not a walker? Not a problem; you can still find a team to donate to. Any team, any amount will do. Even just supporting the cause by spreading the word or by reaching out to a friend in need will go a long way toward helping raise awareness. 
Learn more about NAMI and the work they do at http://www.nami.org/ and take the pledge to be stigma free while you’re there.
[clickToTweet tweet=”Always show love & support – a simple smile, phone call, or hug can go a long way toward making someone’s day.” quote=”May is National Mental Health Awareness Month! Show love and support – a simple smile, phone call, or hug can go a long way toward making someone’s day.”]
