I have many new followers, so I want to start out this post with a huge THANK YOU for all of your support. Regardless of how you found this blog, I am so glad that you liked it enough to click the follow button!
Today’s post is both about gratitude and more about health. It is Thankful Thursday, and I found that my gratitude meter was absolutely overflowing this morning. I woke up next to a wonderful man who has agreed to love me unconditionally and will meet me at the alter in 183 short days. I donned a dress and boots that my mother got me for Christmas that are so me, and I feel absolutely incredible in them. I have financial freedom even as a graduate student and I can do things like pay for more of my wedding than I dreamed possible, and to use my own money to help me with my startup dreams. I even have enough “free time” that I can work out every day, cook all of my meals, and work on a side hustle. I have enough energy to work out every day, cook all of my meals, and work on a side hustle. However, no matter what you see when you look at someone, no matter how blessed you may feel, that doesn’t mean that a person cannot be hurting on the inside.
Yesterday, I posted the story of the Washington State quarterback’s suicide to Facebook. Although I believe that discussing mental health should be a top priority of health care reform, I admittedly do not speak out publicly about it very often. The reason I chose to share this post now was because the most popular comment on the NFL memes post where I first saw it declared that this particular man did not feel sorry for anybody who commits suicide, because it is the most selfish act in the world. Even just reading that brought tears to my eyes. Seeing the 300+ reactions to it and the arguments in the comments felt even worse. Suicide is a sign of a much more serious issue, and not a selfish act.
If you have ever felt alone in a group of people, you probably understand what he was going through, if even to a lower extent. The problem is that we have not broken the stigma surrounding mental illness, and therefore people do not know what to do in a time of need. Even those who do know what to do may be too embarrassed to take action. This is ultimately why I am challenging myself to speak out often. I already use my voice and my social media presence to promote physical fitness, but mental fitness is equally as important. I don’t want people to feel ashamed for reaching out and talking about their reality.
“Understanding is the first step to acceptance, and only with acceptance can there be recovery.” – Albus Dumbledore
For today, I would like to ask not one but two things of you:
1. Practice gratitude every day that you possibly can. Remind yourself that you are good enough. Thank yourself and those around you for everything that they have done, and are willing to do for you.
2. Find something you care about and SPEAK UP. If it is important to you, then your voice will do far more for your message than you can imagine.
If you or somebody you know needs help, please check out the following resources for further investigation. I pray that everybody touched by this message stays happy, healthy, grateful, and empowered.
National Suicide Prevention Hotline – Phone: 1-800-273-8255
National Suicide Prevention Hotline– Online Chat & More Info
Signs, Symptoms and Resources (LiveScience)
More Signs, Symptoms, and Resources (NIH)
In loving memory of those who have gone before us, especially those who left this world in the worst of circumstances, alone.
She’s Got a Whole PhD 