Trevonna Hendrix: As an adult, therapy has been a great resource during the toughest and most uncertain moments in my life. Like many, mental health wasn't the topic of discussion in my household. Growing up, my introduction to therapy happened during college. Thanks to my job's EAP program. I took advantage of the therapy sessions I was offered and I was hooked, but only when I had a problem to solve. And it's so funny how life works in 2018, just as I started a project for a nonprofit that supports families dealing with loss, I lost my own mother about a month later. So there I was, crafting content and lifting others up while wrestling with my own grief. But looking back, that was such a blessing. I soaked up so many lessons. During that time, I learned what triggers are and I had many. Halloween, those tombstones and skeletons hit hard. Mother's Day. Store decorations and gift advertisements were a struggle, and even scenes and movies and certain songs were like emotional switches. But you know what, I found power in embracing the tears when I needed to. Therapy became a regular theme, not just an emergency solution. I learned that mental health is not a destination but a lifelong journey with peaks and valleys. And now I have a number of tools to support me in navigating whatever life throws my way. Today, I'm proactive about my mental health and I encourage you to be proactive as well. Find those tools that resonate with you and lean into the resources and the support systems that are around you.
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