Trigger warning: suicide and self-harm.

Photo of the Week: Drama Masks. This month is Mental Health Awareness Month. One reason I chose drama masks as the photo of the week is that our mental and emotional health exists on a spectrum. At one end is delight, at the other end is despair. Our human experience includes those and everything in between.

I think it is important to have a mental health awareness month because caring for your mental health still carries a stigma. Needing support carries a stigma. Many of our institutions seem to uphold the rugged individual standard–need no one, be self-sufficient, be independent, you are on your own. The times in my life when I have felt most alone, though, were my worst times–depression and anxiety were the outcomes.

My mental health story included over 40 years of depression, including suicidal ideation and self-harm. Most of my life, I woke with a sense of dread, making it difficult to be productive in any way. I struggled to appear to “have it all together” so I would not make others uncomfortable, all the while feeling as though I wanted to have never existed at all.

These are feelings many, many people experience. For me, the turning point came with a combination of medication and therapy. This led to the ability to develop honest and supportive relationships. In these relationships, I could lean when I needed to. I learned that I could be seen for who I am and that I was lovable as I am. I think this is a lifelong journey. This is where I am right now.

Another reason I chose masks for this week is that I think it is a struggle to take off our masks to show our authentic selves. Sometimes we need those masks, but sometimes wearing a mask becomes a habit. It can become difficult to know who our true self is. It is exhausting to constantly wear a mask, to hide our true selves. For many of us, the fear of not being accepted for who we are leads to self-loathing and distrust of others.

Who are you? When you remove the mask, what do you believe? What do you feel? What do you value? Do you know? At the top of the main page of this website, I wrote, “Your identity is important and valued.” As a therapist, I am interested in supporting you as you learn who you are and remove the mask. Who do you want to be at this time? I believe that is for you to decide.

So, for this mental health awareness month, our assignment is to make moves to embrace our authentic identities. Let’s do creative things to learn more about ourselves–write, sing, make art. Your identity is important and valued. What is your mental health story? Please share.