Being a pitcher at the highest level, I have learned to wear a mask when I need to.
My job is a dream come true, but I’ve often experienced high levels of stress, anxiety, and loneliness throughout my career.
I’ve learned to put on a competitive face, and push those experiences to the side, ignoring them to get locked in competitively and perform through them.
Putting on that mask doesn’t work though, and my mental health struggles inevitably fester and spill out in other areas of my life. When I’m experiencing anxiety and depression, I feel like I have to accomplish small, generally meaningless tasks or my world will fall apart. Sometimes it’s something as small as getting the dishes done when I get home from work before I can talk to or enjoy time with my family.
Anxiety and depression are a real part of my life and I have had to really put in effort to learn coping strategies to keep them in check so I can function in my day to day life and be the best version of myself for myself, my family and friends.
We all have our mental and emotional health issues. But at a certain point, we can’t ignore them and push them to the side. The people in our lives deserve more than that, and we deserve more than that for ourselves, to enjoy and be fully present in our lives.
I want to encourage you to share what you struggle with - start learning more about your mental health, how to heal & understand it.
In the comments write @Heartsupportwall and then write out any of the thoughts that have been weighing you down.
You can talk about anxiety that you’re facing today, depression or thoughts of self harm— whatever it is that you’re facing, becoming aware of it, writing it down, and then receiving encouragement. This has tremendously helped me and I know it will help you too.
If you choose to write in the comments, you’ll receive supportive replies from peers who are going through similar things, and we can help one another take the path towards wholeness together.
Comment @Heartsupportwall and share what thoughts you need support for today.
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