with the election taking place yesterday and many of us still waiting on pins and needles for the results, i have been hyper aware of mental and emotional health. that awareness extends to my friends/family, clients, myself and millions of people that i don’t even know.

last week, when i was scheduling my clients for the week we are currently in, i purposefully scheduled zero for today. yes, that meant i would need to have even busier days on monday, tuesday, thursday and friday, but guess what? i knew that i would not be in a mental or emotional headspace to serve my clients today. the day post election day would be dedicated to client notes, emails, treatment plans and figuring out how to be present for myself in order to be able to be present for each client later this week (and in the weeks moving forward).

a couple of years ago, i would not have shared this plan. it is likely that i would not have even carved out this time for myself. what i know for certain is whether i structured today like this or not, i would have punished myself for even struggling with mental health. this quote served as the perfect reminder that i not only made the right decision, but that any day i choose to acknowledge and then prioritize my mental health, is a day where i’ve made the correct choice.

“struggling with your mental health is not indicative weakness. some of the strongest people are the ones silently winning battles each and every day.”

this week, my battles included an election day that was much closer than i would’ve hoped (which simply reiterated how little the lives of blacks, women, lgbtq people, immigrants and many other marginalized groups are valued) and the death of a close family friend. if i was unaffected by that, i would wonder if i still had a pulse.

what battles have you silently won recently?

xoxo,

k. tap