Speaking of Mental Health

Conversations about mental health are important conversations to have. We’re getting better about having them and treating them as normally as we would treat conversations about any other aspect of our health, but we still need work. In the early days of my mental health leave, I got lots of messages from support from friends, family, colleagues, and parishioners. If you hear your own voice in any of these comments, please know that I’m not trying to single you out individually. What follows are comments and themes in messages that came up multiple times, and I’m not criticizing any particular people when I reflect on them.

‘Take all the time you need.’ This was one of the most helpful things I could hear. As soon as we knew that I was going to need time off, the diocese told me that I could take two weeks without any questions asked. More than that would need a doctor’s note, so I set to work getting an appointment with my family doctor. I didn’t know how long it would take to get better, but I knew it was going to take time. People telling me to take whatever time I needed were giving me the reassurance that I was allowed to take this seriously.

In contrast, some other people...

This post originally appeared in the November 2022 issue of Anglican Life.

Click here to read the whole article.