Mental health needs to be brought out of the caverns of our lives and treated just as the common cold is treated with a sick day and a trip to the doctor.

Life, it seems, is one big lament.  

No matter where we look there are hurting people trying desperately to escape their pain. Some do it through drugs and alcohol, while others attempt to rid their pain through their life's work, or sadly through suicide.

 I became aware of the latter when a newspaper headline blared out though this headline:'Workplaces are finally treating mental health days as sick days, even on Broadway'.  

One actress in the production 'Frozen' had been affected by panic attacks and this is what she had to say about it- "Though there have been so many ups and downs in her life in the past month, she said, the anxiety wasn’t something she could just “push through.” “Even Disney princesses are terrified sometimes,” she wrote. 

The actress said Disney was supportive of her, and it’s not the only company to give employees a mental break when they need one. When Michigan software developer Madalyn Parker alerted her team at work that she was taking time off for mental health, she got an unexpected response from her company’s chief executive officer. He applauded her decision who told Parker, who suffers from anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder, she was “an example to us all” for lowering the stigma around mental health and reminding people to use the time off to support mental health. The response went viral, as young workers are increasingly adding mental health days to their personal days.

I do not believe it is only our young millennials who are the most impacted by depression and anxiety- they may be the ones more willing to address their mental health than the rest of us.

  According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, a branch of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, D.C more than 41 million Americans experience some type of mental illness in any given year. 

That presents a challenge for people with mental health issues who also work full-time. The Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 prohibits discrimination based on mental health, which includes depression, and prevents companies from asking applicants about their mental health. 

In another case, Hannah, a 24-year-old marketing coordinator at a film company, has struggled with depression and anxiety since she was 17, but working at a 9 to 5 job in the last few years since she finished college has significantly worsened her illnesses. Although she has been in her current role for more than two years, she only recently told her human resources representative about what she was going through.

This is what Hannah had to say about her struggles:

‘There is so much stigma around mental illness it feels like it’s not a valid excuse to not be able to work.’

Hannah said she was so concerned over how her present and future employers would view her mental health that she asked Market Watch to withhold her last name for the article. "“It’s funny to think about it but I was out for five full days with no problem other than I had strep throat, but when I take one day for depression it feels like I’m cheating the system.”

In the two years I have facilitated 'Grief Share groups' I continue to be amazed by the ignorance that people have when grief issues arise with the typical response being, "it's been 6 months since you lost your mom, dad, sibling, niece, nephew shouldn't you be over it by now?'  

In reality, it is the fear that people have being labeled that prevents them from seeking help for their pain- and like the leper colonies in the times of Christ, they fear being sent there to live their lives in isolation without any human contact.

Luckily, Hannah’s human resources representative were understanding and is allowing her to take time off periodically for mental health purposes — though she still says it’s unlikely she will address the issue with her boss, continuing to say she’s physically ill on mental health days due to fear of being judged. The fear is not unfounded: Her generation is constantly criticized for being lazy, self-entitled, and unable to handle work-life balance — all stigmas that come along with mental illness as well. 

I do not think Hannah's generation is much different from the Baby Boomers, but they are more willing to talk about it than the boomers who may process their pain in more destructive, less helpful ways. 

What the world needs more are people coming alongside those in emotional pain who are willing to listen to the messiness of their lives without judging them for being lazy. 

Recovering from grief alone takes an average of 5-8 years which should be a reminder for us all that it is a journey, not something you can snap your fingers and return to your normal self.

For anyone who is struggling with a loss in their life, I encourage you to go to https://www.griefshare.org where simply typing in your zip code you will find nearby groups to help you go through the pain, not around it.

 Here is the source for   this blog. https://www.marketwatch.com/story/why-some-companies-are-treating-employee-mental-health-days-like-sick-days-2017-02-13