Not Just a Month: Why Mental Health Deserves More Than a Hashtag

You don’t need a crisis to justify needing help.

But most of us wait for one.

We wait until we’re curled up on the kitchen floor after a long day of pretending. Or until we’ve yelled at someone we love over something small. Or until the sleep stops coming. The appetite disappears. The thoughts start looping.

So, when May rolls around with all its talk of Mental Health Awareness Month, maybe you feel a flicker of recognition. But maybe, too, there’s a bit of side-eye.

“Awareness” doesn’t do much when you’re drowning.

If you're like most of our clients, you're not short on awareness. You're short on capacity. Space. Patience. Maybe even hope. What you need isn’t a catchy slogan: it’s a lifeline. You need relief. Real tools. And someone who gets it.

So let me tell you what this month means to me. Not as a trend, but as a therapist who’s sat with hundreds of people who waited too long to ask for help.

And maybe, as someone who waited too long herself.

What We See Behind the Closed Door

In my office, or over the screen for virtual sessions, I meet people who have been carrying things for years.

A high-performing nurse who cries in her car between shifts.

A dad who’s stuck in freeze mode after a car accident six months ago.

A college student who’s become a master of masking anxiety with a smile.

None of these people showed up because May is Mental Health Awareness Month. They came because something cracked. Something said, You can’t keep holding this alone.

The stories vary. But the common thread?

They all thought they weren’t “bad enough” to need help yet.

Read that again.

That’s the myth that keeps people suffering longer than they need to. Mental health support isn’t just for the worst-case scenario. It’s for you. Now.

Mental Health Isn't Just in Your Head

Let’s get specific. Mental health isn’t just about how you feel emotionally. It affects how your body works, how your relationships function, how you show up at work, how you think.

Here’s what I’ve seen firsthand:

• Chronic stress can lead to physical pain: tight shoulders, clenched jaws, headaches that don’t quit, irritable bowel syndrome, migraines, etc.

• Anxiety can make everyday tasks feel like they’re 10 times heavier than they should be.

• Depression can make food taste like cardboard and getting up in the morning is impossible.

• Unprocessed trauma can leave you reacting to small things like the world is on fire.

And the ripple effects? Missed deadlines. Snapped friendships. Fights with your partner. Isolation. Shame. Disability. Job loss. 

So when people say, “Take care of your mental health,” what they’re really saying is: Protect your quality of life.

You are not weak for needing help. You’re human.

Why Therapy Helps (Even If You’re Not Sure What You’d Say)

A lot of people don’t come to therapy because they don’t know where to start.

You don’t need to come in with a speech.

Sometimes we start with silence. That’s okay.

What matters is that you’re no longer carrying this alone.

At HML Wellness Solutions, we’ve worked with people across Northern BC who are dealing with real, layered, complicated issues:  grief, work burnout, PTSD, anxiety, chronic pain, traumatic car accidents, shame, disconnection, resentment, numbness, childhood trauma or invalidation, depression, and more.

Therapy won’t erase your past. But it can help you rewrite the story you’re telling yourself. It can give you tools that actually help you function.

We use evidence-based modalities like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) to help people reduce anxiety, manage emotions, and improve relationships.

We also offer online counseling services throughout BC if coming into the office isn’t accessible. And for clients recovering from car accidents? We direct bill to ICBC so you can get the support you need without jumping through hoops or stressing over payment.

So What Does Mental Health Awareness Month Mean to Me?

It means breaking up with the idea that only other people need therapy.

It means choosing yourself before you hit a breaking point.

It means finally saying, “This matters. I matter.”

You don’t need to post about it. You don’t need to have it all figured out. But if you’ve been feeling like something’s off—if your days feel heavier than they used to, if you’ve stopped recognizing your own voice in your head—don’t wait for it to get worse.

Talk to someone.

Book the session.

You’re not too late. You’re not too broken. You’re not too complicated.

You’re just human. And you deserve support.

This May, give yourself permission to come first. Let’s talk.

Book Your Therapy Session with HML Wellness Solutions

Or, if you’re not ready for that just yet, take one of our free self-check quizzes and see where you’re at.

Your healing doesn’t have to start with a hashtag. But it can start today.