Stress Less: May is Mental Health MonthTalk, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk. Everyone is ready to talk about it but no-one ever wants to admit they might have any kind of problems with their mental health. That’s because no matter how much any of us talk about it there is still that invisible stigma attached to the idea that one could be anything other than completely mentally healthy at all times. That, of course, makes as much sense as expecting to be completely physically healthy at all times. The truth is none of us goes through life without having some kind of physical illness, from something relatively minor like a cold or the flu to something major and even life threatening like organ disease or failure. The truth is also that none of us avoids experiencing some of the emotional consequences of Life, from disappointment and anger for not getting a promotion to more serious depression and even thoughts of suicide when it all gets overwhelming. Simply stated, Life happens and the news isn’t always good. What is good news, however, is that we don’t have to face those hard times alone. When we get physically sick enough most of us go to our health care provider, talk about what’s wrong, and get checked out to diagnose the problem and have it treated.  When we find ourselves mentally or emotionally not feeling well we should do the same thing: go to a professional, talk about the problem, get it diagnosed and begin a course of treatment to make it better.
King County offers employees and their dependent family members two options to make talking about those kinds of problems not just cheap, but free and confidential: the Making Life Easier Program at 1-888-874-7290 and the Employee Assistance Program at 206-684-2103 or 206-263-4572. If your best efforts aren’t working, talk to a professional. What do you have to lose?
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