If you finished the title of this blog by singing “Bruno-no-no,” I see you and I feel your pain. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, be grateful. However, I’m not writing this week about earworms (those songs we can’t get out of our heads!); I’m actually going to tackle some things we don’t like to talk about.

This week I had my first preventive screening for colon cancer, a colonoscopy. (The new recommended age for starting this important screening is 45, so if, like me, you are still a few years from 50, you might want to talk to your provider about scheduling one.) I dreaded it. In fact, I delayed scheduling it for months. I can honestly say, it wasn’t as bad as I anticipated. I got the all-clear immediately after the procedure and, bonus, I don’t have to do it again for 10 years.

As we age (sigh), physical screenings for diseases like cancer become increasingly important. We don’t talk much about them because they are all very personal (and often uncomfortable). Still, I am guessing that most of us get them.

It is safe to say that if we don’t talk about sensitive, yet well-known and serious medical matters, we certainly aren’t going to talk about the less defined and often misunderstood area of mental health. But, because May is Mental Health awareness month (and I’m already in the spirit of sharing personal information), I’m going to go for it.

I have General Anxiety Disorder. It was a tremendous relief when, after several years of talk therapy, my provider told me it was ok to admit my brain worked differently than others and suggested that I try anti-anxiety medication. In fact, it was life changing. I still take that medicine today and I still regularly see a therapist. Does it make me less of a person or less effective in any of the roles I play on a daily basis? Absolutely not. It makes me better.

Admitting that I needed help was hard, in no small part because the stigma surrounding mental health is strong. Most of us would rather “power through” things that are bothering us, suffer in silence (and potentially cause ourselves medical issues), or self-medicate with various addictions (including being a workaholic!) than seek help for our mental health. We may be worried we will be judged, or people will treat us differently. We may think it’s a waste of time. Or we may not even realize we need help.

According to Harvard Business Review, the rates of people indicating they're experiencing at least one sign of mental health struggle was up significantly in 2021 (76%) compared to 2019 (59%). So, three-quarters are experiencing signs, but nobody is talking about it! And mental health issues often manifest in the workplace in subtle ways, including physical (persistent colds, tiredness, weight changes, headaches), cognitive (increase in mistakes, trouble with decision making, lack of concentration), or behavioral (tardiness, missing deadlines, isolating, withdrawing.) So, they may be difficult to identify, further delaying treatment.

Ask yourself: Is it worth it to suffer in silence? Or impose the stigma we have about mental health issues, like anxiety and depression, on those around us? Are you ok with declines in employee productivity and engagement due to stress, anxiety, burnout or other issues, which are affecting your workforce at a greater rate than ever?

I’m guessing you would answer “no” to all of those questions, and yet, most don’t seek assistance or encourage others to seek assistance. Or if we do, we don’t talk about it. The thought of talking about mental health is actually worse than talking about a colonoscopy, isn’t it?

It doesn’t have to be. Many companies today have Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs), which are work-based intervention programs to assist employees with various personal challenges adversely affecting them and offer connections to not only mental health services, but also legal, childcare or elder care, finances, and wellness resources. If your company has an EAP, promote it. Use it for yourself, for your loved ones. If you don’t have an EAP, there are many free resources online. Check out MentalHealth.gov or the “other” NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Health, at nami.org. Or just search online for services in your area.

Whatever you do (or don’t do), please normalize talking about mental health. You never know who you could be helping by eliminating the stigma of asking for help or sharing what you’re going through. You might just help yourself, too.

We don't talk about...

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