It’s Mental Health Awareness Week here in the UK (May 14-20).
Seven days where we focus on talking more about our mental health and hopefully shine as bright a light as possible on it until people talk about their mental health issues just as they would chat about a shoulder injury or their arthritis.
Because we still don’t, do we?
So I thought I’d start Mental Health Awareness Week by asking you to share who has inspired you. Who do you admire? Whether they are a leader in mental health wellness or someone who champions open conversation about mental health… let’s celebrate their greatness.
For me, and goodness knows there are many people I admire, one woman stands out. Carrie Fisher. I just thought her brave, intelligent honesty and openness was so articulate. And now she’s gone. And that’s so sad.
There was an article in the Guardian magazine a couple of years ago where she talks about how her relationship with Harrison Ford began. She was in the UK, working on Star Wars, with all these older men and they introduced her to alcohol. It was that evening, muzzy-headed with drink, that the affair began. She was still a teenager. He was 15 years older than her.
Something about her vulnerability in that moment and her pragmatism about how she viewed her situation.. in some ways it broke my heart. In some ways I admired how she rebuffed victimhood. She was such a badass. I mean, she’s Princess Leia.
So who’s your mental health inspiration? Let’s celebrate their greatness. Names and whys in the comments below… I’d love to hear.