IT'S NORMAL TO NOT ALWAYS FEEL NORMAL

OUR MENTAL HEALTH CAN EBB AND FLOW LIKE THE WEATHER AROUND US, OR FROM SEASON TO SEASON, WRITES CHIP BENDER

Today, the spring sunshine, which we have revelled in for over a week, has given way to clouds and drizzle.

My house is currently quiet, and it feels like my body, mind, and spirit need time to recover from a week packed too full, mostly with good stuff, though with enough of my own stress and minor conflicts, in addition to the weight of witnessing the pain and suffering of clients.

Some decent rest this weekend, along with a couple of gatherings with friends, should aid in my recovery.

Our mental health can ebb and flow like the weather around us, or from season to season. This is normal. Unfortunately, it seems like we have come to believe that it is not normal to not feel normal. Perhaps this misperception is aided by seeing everyone's highlight reels on social media or the constant bombardment of marketers suggesting life can be perfect.

The stark reality is that life is not always sunshine, highlight reels, or anything close to perfect.

Sometimes life is stormy, difficult, and even terrible, which can put a strain on our mental health.

One thing we should have learned from the pandemic is sometimes our health is not optimal; sometimes we do get sick.

The fortunate part is our bodies are geared toward wholeness, which means we will recover from whatever has made us ill, most of the time. The same holds true for our mental health.

Like our bodies, our minds are geared toward wholeness, though sometimes our mental health suffers when the difficulties in life exceed our ability to cope with them.

It is normal to encounter mental health challenges and not feel normal. Significant strides have been made to destigmatize mental health issues and normalize difficulties we encounter as humans. Unfortunately,

it seems like people feel they will be judged as flawed if they admit to dealing with a mental health-related problem.

The month of May is mental health month, which has spurred some workplace conversation regarding encountering clients out in public. On the one hand, we recognize the importance of client confidentiality, which entails not acknowledging any

connection to them and in turn, them to a mental health organization.

On the other hand, we hope the public would view relationships with a mental health practitioner as commonplace as a nurse, or barber, or mechanic.

As humans, it is completely normal to need other professionals to help us function optimally. Hopefully, we will get to the point where we can be

grateful for all the various supports in our community instead of being ashamed that we need a needle, a haircut, an oil change, or a counselling session.