Why does mental health matter? It affects how we interact with the world, perceive ourselves, and maintain connections with our community. In the workplace, mental health impacts how we navigate everyday challenges and sustain a successful career. When we nurture our wellbeing, we ensure that every aspect of our lives can thrive long-term.
At CCWomen, a professional platform for women and allies, we believe in sharing our stories to celebrate our progress and inspire others. Here, our very own Customer Management Practice community shares their mental health journeys and how they tap into their resources to maintain balance.
I was diagnosed with anxiety and depression a few years ago, like many of us in this post-Covid world, but I experienced my first invasive and triggering intrusive thoughts in the fall of 2022. That was when I really started to take my mental health seriously. I spent a lot of time working with my doctors to learn the various support skills and to figure out what kinds of medication I needed to be on, but, even with all of this, I was still struggling and starting to settle into the idea that this is just what life was going to be like for me.
It wasn't until I saw a TikTok on OCD that I saw someone who was like me, someone that was struggling with intrusive thoughts, the creation of false memories as a result of rumination and obsessive 'checking' of memories for confirmation and validation, that I finally realized that I wasn't alone and that life could look a lot different for me. I had to advocate for myself a bit, and even though my doctors are incredibly supportive, it was difficult to get an OCD diagnosis. Once I did, however, having a name to the scary things going on in my mind helped me to deal with them better.
This undoubtedly makes my work life a bit more difficult, especially as I begin to take on larger responsibilities, but I try to give myself as much grace as I can by reminding myself that it's just my OCD talking, and I can just let thoughts pass by without acknowledging them. Some days are harder than others, but I take my medication, attend therapy when I need it, and make sure I'm applying all the tools I've learned.
I think it's also helpful to really celebrate those small wins. It's so easy to focus on a negative emotion or situation, but my brain responds to what I feed it so I try to make sure that I celebrate things that make me feel happy, even if it's something small like the store had my favorite kind of brownies in stock or they made my coffee just the way I like it when I picked it up this morning.
I'm grateful for the fact that I am able to take advantage of mental health services, and I am painfully aware that that is not the case for a lot of us. For those who are struggling, reach out to those around you for support. Sometimes we take it day by day, and sometimes it's minute by minute. Just remember you are loved and you deserve to be here.
I sought out professional help a few years ago at the suggestion of my sister. My relentless crying, angry outbursts, sadness, and everything in between overwhelmed her enough to let me know enough was enough. She didn’t have the bandwidth to hear or help me anymore.
To me everything has to be perfect, absolutely no mistakes can be made, and I have to be the best. At that point in time I was beyond overwhelmed that I could not manage my stress and I quickly lost all sense of control. Losing control and not giving 200% of everything I do as someone who has a Type A personality things spiral downward rather quickly. My emotions were running unchecked and wild, and my “what ifs” were clouding my ability to think clearly and paralyzed me. It made me overthink, make up scenarios in my head, and crippled me in many ways.
I was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder and mild depression by my therapist. With this diagnosis my therapist was able to help me process why I feel the way I do and taught me ways to better manage my perfectionism and how to respond and react to situations that trigger my fight or flight response.
To this day I still use the tools she provided me with and it has made me become a calmer and more relaxed Type A (it sounds like an oxymoron). Lastly, she’s given me guidance on how to be kinder to myself and give myself more grace. I am not making as quick a progress on this as I’d like but I am slowly getting there.
I am very lucky that I have a great community around me that understands why I am the way I am and accepts me for who I am. But the best part of my community is that they are able to help me if I am ever headed in the wrong direction or if I did not handle a situation well. There is plenty of coaching, guidance, and thoughtful dialogue that takes place to ensure that my mental health is on track and I am very grateful for that.
I got diagnosed with general anxiety disorder in college. Since then, I've processed my deepest wounds, grieved my losses, slowly reestablished my foundation, and learned self-compassion, kindness, and empowerment.
My community always reminds me that I deserve wholeness despite feeling fragmented. I continue to discover more of myself with each passing day—especially with my recent OCD diagnosis—but instead of falling into despair, I tap into the refuge I built for myself.
I talk to my therapist, take medication, embrace vulnerability, and dive into the activities and passions I know will help me feel safe. Most importantly, I view my anxiety as an overactive friend (Thanks, Inside Out 2) rather than a sickness I need to heal. Whenever it resurfaces, I approach my emotions gently and ask: why do I feel this way? Where can I receive support? How can I calm my body?
I inhale and exhale. As I feel my lungs expand, I tell myself, there’s no immediate danger. I have a support system. My nonlinear journey doesn't invalidate my growth. My breath reminds me I am here, in this moment, with everything I need to soar above my worries and continue to experience this beautifully imperfect life—anxiety, wonder, and everything in between.
I got my first diagnosis for anxiety disorder when I was in high school. Back then, it wasn't too bad, because I was able to keep myself busy to ignore things. But as I grew older, went to college, and worked, it became a lot harder. Recently, I have been talking with my husband that I should make more of an effort to get medication and find a therapist. I have my little tricks that help me, but getting the proper help is what's best!
Personally, to help me get through tough moments, I use the five senses grounding method: five things I can see, four I can touch, three I can hear, two I can smell, and one I can taste. If I can do that a few times, that normally brings me right back.
It's definitely not the best way to go about it, but I try not to deal with any emotion while I am working. I try to shut that part of my brain off and do what needs to be done and then, after work, I can worry about other things. For me, I know I have anxiety and some days are better than others. But I make it a goal to not let it run my life and limit what I need to do on a day-to-day basis.
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