Mental Health is Health

🧠 Mental Health Is Health: You’re Not Alone and You’re Not Broken

Real Talk with Tina and Ann

Let’s get something straight right out of the gate:
Mental health is health. Period.
It’s not a luxury. It’s not a weakness. It’s not a punchline. It’s your foundation and it's time we stop treating it like a side note.

We live in a country where anxiety is practically a national pastime. From the moment we wake up to the minute we scroll ourselves to sleep, the pressure is real. And it’s getting worse.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health:

• Over 40 million adults in the United States (19.1%) suffer from an anxiety disorder every year.

• 31.9% of adolescents (ages 13 to 18) also experience anxiety.

• Yet, only 36.9% of those suffering receive treatment.

Let that sink in. Millions of people are walking around trying to keep it together, smiling on the outside while feeling completely overwhelmed inside. If that’s you? I want you to hear this:

You are not weak. You are not alone. You are not too much.

The Stigma Has to Go

Mental health is still weighed down by outdated ideas and judgmental whispers. But let me ask you this—if you had a broken leg, would anyone tell you to just walk it off?
Of course not.
So why are we still acting like needing help for our minds is any different than needing help for our bodies?

It’s time we normalize therapy, normalize talking about what we’re feeling, and normalize not being okay every second of every day.

What You Can Do Right Now

Here’s where we bring it back to you—because let’s be real, you're the only one living inside your head.

📝 Start with journaling.
Write it out. Let it pour. You’d be amazed what happens when you give your emotions a place to land. Journaling helps us slow down, process our thoughts, and spot patterns we’ve been ignoring.

💧 Practice real self-care.
And I don’t mean just candles and bubble baths (though I’m all for those too). I mean boundaries. Saying no. Hydrating. Taking walks. Logging off. Saying yes to rest.

👥 Find your people! 

I cannot tell you how many times, Tina and I text each other in a week. It is so important to have someone to just bounce things off of. It is so important to have someone listen without judging. I know I can say anything to quite a few of my friends without any judgement at all. Sometimes, we just need someone to hear us. See us. Know we are hurting and just say, 'I am here.'

I personally do not do individual therapy, but other people in my family do and this is so critical to them. I have found Mentalhappy.com and they offer so much for our mental health. This HIPAA-compliant, expert-led digital support platform is helping to make mental health care accessible and affordable for everyone. 

Mentalhappy is a place where you do not need insurance.

You don't even have to leave your house. For someone like me, that is fantastic. As I say to Tamar Blue, the founder and CEO of Mentalhappy, this space is a lifesaver for someone like me who is neurodivergent. 

You just need the willingness to show up and MentalHappy provides the community to catch you when you do.

Whether you’re navigating anxiety, grief, parenting, burnout, or a major life shift, there’s a group waiting for you.

This is not a plug for them. This is something I really believe in. 

You're Worth the Work

You check on everyone else. You carry the weight. You smile so no one has to worry. But tell me this, who’s checking on you?

It’s not selfish to need support. It’s not weak to ask for help.
It’s smart. It’s strong. It’s necessary.

So let’s stop pretending and start prioritizing.

Your mental health matters.
Your peace matters.
Your story matters.

And you never, ever have to walk this alone.