As an entrepreneur and a mental health professional, I know how hard it can be for people to start seeking help because they don’t want to be labeled. According to the Mental Health Commission of Canada, “60% of people with a mental health problem or illness won’t seek help for fear of being labeled.”

So when one of my blogging friends, Amelia, posted an article on Facebook about two passionate Canadian entrepreneurs, Kyle MacNevin (22) and Kayley Reed (21), who are creating a conversation on mental health through fashion, I was curious to hear their stories and learn more about their company, Wear Your Label.

Therefore, to continue the conversation, I reached out to Dr. Nina Savelle-Rocklin to share her Record Worthy Practice with us.  She is a mom, wife, and “busy” professional. Despite her packed schedule, she has been a mentor to me, giving me lots of advice through sharing her personal insight. Dr. Nina (as she is known) is a psychoanalyst, an author, an award-winning blogger, and the creator of the ‘Win the Diet War’ program. In the past, Dr. Nina has been on the blog sharing her insights; we’ve also been following each other on Twitter since we have similar professional interests. I emailed her to ask how she finds time to incorporate self-care into her busy schedule. 

I'm excited to get started! Today, Pooky Knightsmith Hesmondhalgh, Ph.D., a specialist in student mental health and emotional well-being from the U.K., is sharing her record worthy practice with all of us. I met Pooky through the WordPress blogging community. Pooky has personal experience with the issues she teaches and writes about, and she shares her insight from a first-person perspective.

When talking to people over the past few months, many have independently mentioned how years ago I was “floundering” in terms of transitioning from recent graduate to established professional; now, they love how I have found my balance.  Each has used that exact word, floundering, which means: “to make clumsy attempts to move or regain one's balance” (thefreedictionary.com). The reason the word was used was because I took a different route than what they were used to so they thought I was off course. However, I never thought I was "floundering," I used the term exploring instead. I knew exactly where I was going and working hard to get there.

How do you deal with anger?

You may be reading this question, afraid to admit that some occasions in your life have made you feel angry. But, you needn’t be wary of acknowledging your anger.  Everyone experiences anger at some time in their lives; anger is a normal human emotion.  What we do with our anger is when problems can arise.

“I suffer from depression” are not the four words that you would have expected to come out of a teenager's mouth on a global stage. Yet, some are breaking the stigma and talking about mental health issues by expressing themselves. The teenager who spoke up on the TEDXKids@Ambleside stage in May 2013 is Kevin Breel. Kevin is a teenager, a stand-up comic, a writer, and an activist for mental health from Victoria, British Columbia. We both have ties to this beautiful city.

Each day since the beginning of time, the sun has risen from the darkness to the highest point in the sky for all to see. This summer, the early morning rays of the dawn have been waking me up as the sun rises to brighten the day. It seems the beams are at peak brightness, waking me up and causing me to pay attention to them. The sun doesn’t care if you aren’t ready to wake up, or if you dislike the intensity – it keeps its brightness – it keeps shining – it wants to be seen! We can all learn a lot from this notion.

From my personal journey over the past few weeks, I discovered a common thread: I need the courage to stop feeling intimidated by others.  I must develop the courage to speak my truth to everyone – no holds barred. With most people I can freely communicate what’s on my heart; but with a select few, I lack the courage to express how I feel.  

With these people, I keep my thoughts and frustrations locked inside. I get worried that if I share how I feel or think, they will not like what I have to say. Sometimes I have been excluded for my views, even though I spoke politely.  I have also had others get upset, or change the topic when I speak. Most often, I would respond by keeping quiet, playing down my views, or agreeing with them. Whichever way you look at it, I lacked courage to stand up for what I believed with these people. I have come to realize that I ‘gave up’ on my views because I like to make others happy – more so than myself. I guess I’m a ‘people pleaser.’

Someone asked me "Who are your role models?", and to be honest, I had a hard time answering it.  I couldn’t think of very many females of my generation (i.e., in their twenties) who I wanted to aspire to be like.  The person who asked me the question was looking for examples of famous people.

I have had encounters with some famous people who I looked up to when I was a child, but when I met them in person years later, they were unfriendly and standoffish. I lost respect for them as the image they portray in the media is disconnected from the real version of themselves.  There are many people that are the same onscreen as they are in person; those I respect and model after.

My birthday is coming up this week.  In the past couple of years, I felt like a failure around this time of year because I was reminded of milestones of adulthood that I hadn’t yet achieved. However, this year my outlook has changed and I am embracing the day!

Julie Parker is a certified coach and clinical counsellor for women who want to shine with passion, confidence and unshakable self-respect - and take magnificent strides towards beautiful bodies, beautiful businesses and beautiful lives. Through 1:1 sessions, both in person in Melbourne and virtually around the world, Julie’s clients sift through their dreams, set crystalline goals, dissolve limiting beliefs and celebrate their successes as they begin to live their song. At Beautiful You, Julie shares inspiring images and empowering words to help women cherish their bodies and claim their brilliance. She just recently created the Beautiful You Coaching Academy to help mentor life coaches.  So exciting. Find her online at BeautifulYouCoachingAcademy.com, Facebook, and Instagram.

Since the stories of the people I have encountered have influenced my thoughts and behaviours, it is only fair that these people be showcased. These individuals have touched my heart and encouraged me on my life’s journey. I hope you’ll find their stories as inspiring as I do!