Something I feel very passionately about is really flipping the script as it relates to the conversations we’re having about mental health and mental wellbeing. So often, it seems we’re discussing mental illness in negative terms and under a very negative umbrella instead of highlighting that we can really live well in spite of mental health challenges.

Late last year, I wrote a piece for the CBC entitled Counselling was the best gift I ever gave myself – and my family. 

When I first moved out on my own and got an apartment, my parents gave me a little toolbox filled with screwdrivers, a small hammer, and a handful of other tools I’d need – nails, screws, tape measure – elementary for sure. Over time, I added many tools, including POWER TOOLS to that toolbox. (OK, it’s actually a gigantic Sephora bag full of tools but it serves its purpose.) The point is that tools – no matter how elementary – are important to many projects.

We’d never attempt to build a house without the appropriate tools and training, so why the hell do we think we can build our lives and relationships without them?

I really look do at life as a project – we’re building our lives and our relationships every day. I believe we all have a toolbox for our lives but as we grow, we need to add tools to our collection. Counselling, for me, was a great way to do this.

A lot of people seem to view counselling the way I once did – a space to go talk about your feelings and problems – but counselling for me was really more about goal setting, measuring my success, and developing strategies to help me be a better version of myself for myself.

I was thrilled to sit down with my friend, Charlene Pickrem, of Pick Empowerment recently to discuss this very topic. You can check out her radio show below and let me know your thoughts!

https://anchor.fm/mental-health—lets-talk-about-it/embed/episodes/Ashley-MacInnis-e1pkko/a-a4bmm9