Here is a thing I have learned as a leader:

Asking people to operate “business as usual” during trauma—whether it’s immediate or longer-term—is ultimately wasting their time and yours. During trauma, the times we feel unfocused and unproductive are exactly the times we need to step away for radical self-care.

If we try to push through brain fog, exhaustion, or grief, our work product is going to suck anyhow. So what’s the point?

A friend encouraged me to share my #mentalhealthday story. So here it is.

I had my first major depressive episode when I was 14. It was five years before anyone even said the word “depression” to me, and another five years before I was brave enough to ask a friend for help. 1/5 Over the next 15 years, I was on and off different meds, in and out of therapy. I got married, had two kids, started a business, wrote a book, and traveled the world. I was mentally stable maybe 25% of the time. 2/5