May is Mental Health Awareness Month in South Carolina. It’s also Women’s Health Month.
For Zenethia Brown, executive director of the National Alliance of Mental Illness (N.A.M.I. Mid-Carolina), it's a the perfect time for women to take inventory of their mental health.
According to advocates with the non-profit organization, one in five American adults will experience some form of mental illness every year. While the illness spans across different age groups, and genders, Brown says it's especially important to pay attention to how the illness effects the women in your life.
She says society tends to put women into the role of caregiver, and nurturer, which often leaves women doing so much for everyone else, that their own self-care is neglected.
"I was a wife, a mother, an employee, a child taking care of her parents, Brown said. “We take on that role as a caregiver, and caretaker but we don't do that for ourselves. So, the message that I go out and speak to groups about is the importance of self-care, especially the importance of self-care for women. For women there is often a lot of guilt around self-care when it should really be non-negotiable."
Brown knows this all too well.
"I now know that I live with anxiety and depression,” she said. “When I am constantly sleeping, when I retreat to my bed, or have an immensely tough time getting out of bed that's when I have to push myself forward."
Brown says the illness can manifest itself differently for each person, but she believes the one thing most people dealing with mental illness will notice is that they don't feel like themselves.
Brown says recognizing that there is an issue and talking about it is the first step. She suggests finding a support group of people you feel comfortable having an honest conversation with.
"I tend to feel more comfortable speaking to people in my support group than I do my own family members,” she said. “Sometimes, family just wants that quick fix especially when they are experiencing what I am experiencing. They are often on the outside looking in and they don't understand. But in our Zoom support group I can tell them things I can't tell my family because they are going through the same things."
Managing your stress level can help you maintain your mental health balance as well. Brown said one suggestions which helped her " find her calm" was a challenge to find one thing that brings you joy. Then spend a minimum of 10 minuets a day doing it. This was an idea Brown said is especially important for women who are often busy filling everyone else's cup. This one exercise she says gives women a brief moment to emotionally refill their own.
"During COVID when my son was virtual and learning from home and I am not proud of it,” she said. “I found myself irritated a lot it did not take much for me to yell. It did not take much for me to get upset and angry all of the time and I realized that is not the mother, employee or person I want to be. I had to step away from the situation, and it made me a better person. It was an awakening for me."
Just as important, Brown says you have to be honest with a trusted group of friends. She admits its never easy but believes when we remove the stigma associated with it, people are more likely to be transparent. According to Brown this goes both ways. If you are someone living with mental illness, or someone supporting someone she says, "we need to ask the question and care about the answer".
If you or someone you know is living with a mental health illness and needs resources, you can go to Nami Mid-Carolina where you can find additional information.
Check out the South Carolina Department of Health
South Carolina Department of Public Health's Statewide Health Improvement Plan. According to the agency, the goal is to make sure all South Carolinians experience mental wellness.
