Here For You

Here I am, writing to whomever takes the time to read this. Why read this you ask? Because I CARE, because I want to see CHANGE, and because I want YOU to know that I am here.

Who am I? Brianna Leader. Do you know me? More than likely. Do you like or respect me? Hopefully! Am I a skilled writer with formal training? Absolutely not! Will I struggle with correct usage of tense and proper punctuation throughout this piece? With 100 percent certainty! What am I to you? I could be A LOT of different things, but for this purpose, I am a community member who also happens to be a part of the Valley County CARE Coalition. Heard of it? If not, please educate yourself, and better yet? Join it! This group is full of welcoming arms.

Mental Health---WHOA! Where to begin? The topics that could possibly be covered under this umbrella are endless. So, I won’t try to pretend to know it all, or bore you with statistics I found on the internet after a quick Google search, or a fancy meaningful quote pulled off of Pinterest.

What I will do though, is offer myself to you in your time of need. I don’t care who you are, where you came from, your social or economic status, the color of your skin, your age, ANY OF IT. I want to help when the depression is making your skies grey, when the anxiety is taking up a little bit too much of your head space, when you feel like you do not matter anymore, or when you struggle to find a purpose. It could be the worst day of your life all because you stubbed your toe, and I am here for it. I do not decide what makes you feel the way you feel, and I understand that.

Know that I am here to be a friend. I am here to listen. I am here to cheer. I am here to motivate. I am here to care. I am here to encourage. I am here to support. I also happen to know A LOT of different recourses that are available to you here in Glasgow, Mont. I even have a fancy little printed list of them! Another bonus? I don’t cost you a thing! Enter disclaimer here: I am not a mental health professional. I have attended as many trainings as I could get my hands on in regards to mental health, so do with that information what you will.

I can’t sit here and write this and say that I don’t have my own mental health issues as well. I’m not a hypocrite. I am here to be vulnerable and transparent. We all struggle, whether or not you have a diagnosed mental health issue is neither here nor there. We all suffer, but we do not have to do it alone.

I have spent my entire life caring for others in one capacity or another. It is in my DNA. It is what I do, and it is what fulfills my heart. So, if this article motivates someone to reach out to talk to me, ask for help, be a friend, be a confidant, or ask for resources, then I would consider it an utter and complete success.

Let’s all be good humans. Let’s lift each other up. Let’s be vulnerable together. Let’s love so hard that giving up is not an option. Let’s not allow other human beings to suffer alone, and in silence. Let’s stop the stigma on those who suffer with mental health issues which is simply a thing of the past and we are not living there anymore!