Beautiful Outside, Mentally Strained Inside

Posted on May 08, 2021 by Tara Lehman, One of Thousands of Life Coaches on Noomii.

So many people go through their day-to-day lives pretending. They wake up, put on the perfect clothes, wear the perfect makeup, perfect their hair, straighten their tie…They pretend to be happy, pretend to have everything in order, pretend to be in control, and pretend they can handle whatever the world throws at them. But what happens when you pretend too long, or you stop pretending for just a minute? You can feel burnt out, drained, depressed, or even get sick.

Let me tell you a secret? A lot of these people are pretending because they fear sharing their mental health concerns with others. They fear people will make fun of them, that they may lose their jobs, or that someone will think they cannot handle the next big life event. I am writing this article to start to change that mindset. We are allowed to be afraid, but we should never fear losing our jobs because we are depressed. We should never be made fun of because we are lonely. We should never not want to stand up for our mental health.

Everyone goes through some sort of mental challenges throughout their lives. No one is immune to life’s ever-changing craziness or life events that are in or out of our control. Take Covid as an example. Everyone has been affected one way or another by that. Whether it be the loss of a loved one, loss of a job, not being able to travel or being the businessperson who needs to wait to make that next big deal. We are all feeling it and wanting it over so we can get back to a new “normal.”

Why do we have to feel like we can’t be honest and open with others when it comes to our mental health? Why the fear of saying, “I am feeling lonely, but suffer from social anxiety and need help”? Why fear saying, “The death of my loved one has put me in a deep depression, and I need coping skills to move forward.” We all must work together as a society and support each other when needed, just as you would a team at work or on the field. Why is our mental health any different? If it is important to work as a team to win the next big game or to work as a team to make profit, then it is also important to ensure those teammates are doing well mentally and can continue to be at their top performance.

To support each other, we need to open up and be honest. We are allowed to have rough days and need support mentally. Just as you would take care of your body if you had a disease or ailment, you need to take care of your mind when you are feeling down, frustrated, stuck or even just because you want to continue to have a positive mindset and not fall back to old habits. Holding in negative thoughts and feelings can make it worse over time. Sometimes this means opening up to a counselor, life coach, psychotherapist or another health practitioner to ensure you are getting the care you need. Please know this is ok to do. We support you and are behind you 100% in taking care of your mental health.

Be beautiful inside too! Taking care of you and who you are is what you need to do. We can help get you there, guide you, give you tools, train you on support mechanisms or refer you to another medical professional. We are there for you. Do not hide anymore! Speak up and start your journey to a more beautiful YOU inside and out.
Tara Lehman