Making time for mental health and wellness
By Mental Health Champions Employee Resource Group
Take a deep breath. And another. In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, take a moment right now to pause and reflect on how you’re really doing.
As members of Clorox’s Mental Health Champions employee resource group, we’ve been sharing our mental health journeys in hopes of raising awareness and erasing the stigma attached to mental health and mental illness — and ultimately providing encouragement to others.
Here are some of our stories and advice:
I was extraordinarily stressed out. I was depressed and had a ton of anxiety. Clorox was very supportive (as I went on stress leave). One of the things I want to say is don’t be afraid to speak up, don’t be afraid to share, don’t be afraid to burden someone. (It was a) good thing I did speak to someone because it probably saved my life. Speaking about it makes you feel so much better — you can learn from other people what techniques they use, and you’ll have more tools in your toolbox. Taking care of your mental health and taking care of your physical health is not selfish. It’s quite necessary. So, take time for yourself because you’re worth it!”
Caroline
For as long as I can remember, I have ordered my life around achievement and success. My story is a cautionary tale of putting your eggs in this basket of identity. In a period of 12 months, I lost two jobs. I was out of work for eight months, and the job I did find resulted in a pay cut of over 50%. This led to a period of severe depression, and that led to thoughts of suicide. There is redemption in my story. I was not alone. I want to break the stigma by sharing my story. I wanted to break the stigma of seeing a counselor and taking medication. Please know that you are not alone. Please reach out to talk to someone.”
Shae McCowen
I was languishing. I was stuck in a routine — a routine of isolation — and my own mental health was really suffering. I needed to make a plan, and I needed to make a change. With the 2022 new year I decided I was going to make an intention to do something that was new to me or something that kind of scared me a bit. The biggest thing I’ve learned is that I need to carve out time for my own self-care without distraction. I feel like I’m living again, and I’m not languishing anymore!”
Donna
“I had to deal with parents who had early onset dementia. I took care of my family, and it took its toll, but I recovered by means of prayer, spirituality, exercise and working out every day, Now I’ve become a health and life coach, and I am studying other modalities of training to help individuals with their mindset as well as health set and heart set. I learned languages because it forced my brain to learn differently. I also learned to involve myself in different environments and different cultures.”
Henry
“In 2020, I started going to therapy and learned a lot of things about myself. When you start to understand and recognize your wound, you start to practice self-compassion, one of the first steps to achieving self-love. Achieving self-love has brought a lot of good things in my life. By living authentically, it has made me a powerful magnet to attract everything I want in my life.”
Maria Reyes
My focus throughout my career and personally has been about controlling stress. When I get stressed out, I try to change my perspective — thinking about what the good things are going on in my life instead of focusing on the negative. What is the worst thing that could happen in this situation? I want to highlight the Clorox culture, which is a tool for mental health. This ERG is one example, but I have found that Clorox is really a family, and family takes care of each other. I encourage you to be vulnerable with your friends at work, with your colleagues. See what happens sharing your stories, sharing how you’re feeling. I know for a fact you’re going to see that reciprocated care back to you.”
Stefan Brown