Erica: Hey, girl. By now, you know I have HER Collective, my online community for ambitious women who are done doing it alone. HER Collective is for the women who are smart, capable, and driven, but they find themselves stuck on the sticky floors like self doubt, burnout, and waiting for permission that quite honestly never comes. Inside HER, you get more than motivation. You get real support, real strategies, and real momentum.

Erica: We work on things like clarifying what you want now and what's coming next, building confidence without burning yourself out, handling hard conversations, career moves, and leadership moments with clarity, and surrounding yourself with women who actually get it. This isn't about hustling harder. It's about moving intentionally with the right tools and the right people in your corner. If you're ready to stop spinning, start choosing yourself, and build a career and a life that actually feels aligned, I'd love to welcome you inside HER Collective. You can learn more and join us at www.joinhercollective.com.

Erica: Because honestly, girl, you were never meant to do this alone. Have you ever struggled with anxiety or depression? Chances are, if you're a woman listening to this podcast, you may have. And I say that not because I wanna put you in a box or stereotype you, but because there is an estimated two hundred and sixty four million people worldwide who have an anxiety disorder. And I want you to know that women are nearly twice as likely as men to be diagnosed with an anxiety disorder in their lifetime.

Erica: May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and I could not think of a better time to talk about mental health and all of the things that you can do right now, today, to support your mental health. These are tangible things that you can do to help protect and support the one thing that is the most important, your mental health. So today, we're talking mental health. And this is so close to my heart, and I know it is so important to many of you.

Erica: It's no secret that as women, we face unique challenges when it comes to our mental health, and it's time that we start talking about it, that we embrace it. From hormonal changes to societal expectations, women are more likely to experience mental health issues than men, and we have to start prioritizing our mental well-being. This is something we sometimes really struggle with. Now let's start with some of the cold hard facts. Did you know that women are twice as likely as men to be diagnosed with depression?

Erica: So I mentioned anxiety earlier, but it's also depression. And in fact, depression is the leading cause of disability among women worldwide. Now I'm gonna take a hard stop right here, because if you don't know that the ADA considers depression, PTSD, and other mental health conditions disabilities, now you do. This is important to know because the ADA has been in place since 1992, so not that long ago, but its sole purpose is to protect people with disabilities. And if you work in corporate America, you have rights.

Erica: You need to see if you qualify for FMLA. And if you don't qualify for FMLA, ask about a reasonable accommodation. Okay? These are laws that are in place to protect you, protect your job, and to accommodate you in ways that will help you be more successful. Stop trying to do it all and be it all if you're struggling.

Erica: Take advantage of what's in place and use it to help you thrive. Now y'all know that I am an HR executive. So if you have any questions, please reach out. I just helped a woman recently through a termination and FMLA issue that I've never even met before. She just reached out on a Facebook group.

Erica: So if you have a question, please reach out. I am so passionate about helping women in this area. But let's get back to it. Women are more likely to experience anxiety disorders, eating disorders, and PTSD than men. Now these statistics aren't meant to scare you, but rather to highlight the importance of taking care of our mental health.

Erica: I also share this because I want you to realize that these are real issues that impact women in different ways, and we have to stop pretending like it's not a thing. We have to start doing what we need to do to help ourselves. So why do women experience these issues more frequently than men? Well, there's a number of reasons, including all of the hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle and pregnancy, not to mention menopause, increased stress and pressure from societal expectations, and the lack of access to health care and support. Now let's just take a moment and talk about the mental workload of the working woman.

Erica: We have these societal expectations that don't go away if we work outside the home. Society still expects that we do the grocery shopping, the cooking, the cleaning, and the caregiving. You don't have to be a parent to fall into this bucket. You might have older parents that you're caring for, or siblings that are now your responsibility. Now if you have a partner or a spouse that helps you out, has stepped up to the plate, that's awesome.

Erica: But there are still so many women out there who are doing it alone. Whether they live alone, maybe they're single parents, or they're just caregiving alone, it's not easy. And it's not easy for women who aren't working in corporate America. Maybe they are full time stay at home moms. Societal expectations are still crazy heavy, and it's time we start talking about it.

Erica: But the good news here is that there are steps that we can take to prioritize our mental well-being. So let's dive in. First and foremost, you've gotta prioritize self care. And I'm not talking about green smoothies, working out for thirty minutes a day, and a 20 step skin care routine self care. Okay?

Erica: That can just stress you out alone. This means taking the time to engage in activities that bring us joy. I recently watched a video by Mel Robbins, and she had the most spectacular visual that represented what we needed to do to get out of that funk, out of the depression, the anxiety. And she took a glass of water and added a spoonful of what looked like coffee grounds, and the coffee grounds represented the negative in our lives, the stress, the anxiety. She demonstrated that if you focused on trying to remove the negative, and she was trying to scoop it out with a spoon, you simply couldn't.

Erica: It was just swirling around in the glass. Now I knew within two seconds there was no way that she could get all of those disgusting coffee grounds out of that glass without fully draining the glass. But this is when the magic happened. What she did next was take a pitcher full of blue water that represented joy and fulfillment. And she started to pour that blue water, the joy, the fulfillment, into the glass.

Erica: And you could see the coffee grounds start to float out. Some remained. We will always have some things in our lives that don't go exactly as planned. Things that are out of our control, the everyday stressors of life. But the glass was mainly filled with joyful blue water.

Erica: The lesson here: stop focusing on trying to get rid of the negative that's swirling around in your life, and focus on adding more joy. The brain really can't comprehend the negative. Now what do I mean by that? I mean, if I tell you not to think of the purple elephant, what are you thinking about? The purple elephant.

Erica: But if I don't talk about the purple elephant, you're not going to start thinking about it. When you focus on the good and you focus on the joy and you focus on what is fulfilling you, you will have more of that. Now the next thing that you can do is protect your mental health by mindfulness, meditation, and my favorite, seeking out professional help when necessary. Meditation is something I am still trying to work on cultivating more of, and I'm working on my practice. It's a hard one for me.

Erica: But where I never falter is with professional help. I refuse to skim over this, because this is where the stigma of mental health gets really sticky. Therapy and medication are wonderful things, and I have done both throughout my life at very difficult times. And I'm currently someone who is doing both, even when things are fabulous right now. Why?

Erica: It keeps me in a good place. Taking medication for my mental health and talking it out with a therapist, it does not make me weak. It does not make me any less of a coach, an executive, a wife, or a mom. It does the opposite. In fact, it makes me a better coach.

Erica: It makes me a better wife, and it damn sure makes me a better mom. Now I heard someone say that they knew the stigma against mental health would be broken when people started going to therapy when things were going well in their life, versus when they weren't. Because then you can use that therapy to focus on the things that you do well, all of your strengths, so that when things do get hard, you can focus on those strengths to overcome the hard things faster and easier. And now another thing that you can do, and y'all knew I was gonna bring this up today, because you know how much I love to talk about prioritizing our physical health.

Erica: But exercise and a healthy diet have been proven to have positive effects on your mental health. Movement releases endorphins. And by just getting in some exercise, you're showing yourself that you can do the hard things. And then guess what? That builds your confidence.

Erica: It boosts your mental health. So get out there and get moving. Even if you don't feel like it, go for a walk. Do some light stretching. Take the dog outside.

Erica: Whatever it is, just move. But perhaps most importantly, it's time that we all start talking about our mental health openly and honestly. We need to break the stigma surrounding mental illness and create a safe space for women to discuss their struggles without the fear of judgment or shame. When we talk about our own experiences and we support each other, we can create a community of women who prioritize mental health and well-being. Mental health is health, y'all.

Erica: It's not something that's gonna go away or drastically change over any of our lifetimes. It is a piece of our being. And if you ask me, it is the most important piece of our being. Now if you've ever struggled with anxiety and depression, you know how hard it can be. Sometimes to even just get out of bed.

Erica: But I am here for you. I got you. Let me be your cheerleader. Because, girl, you are more than enough just as you are. Now I'm going all in this month for Mental Health Month, because it's something that I am so passionate about.

Erica: So be sure to follow me on all of the social media channels so you can pick up all the gems that I'm dropping. Pick your favorite one. LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, even TikTok. But I will see you over there. And do me a favor. Make sure that today you do something to prioritize your mental health.