As Mental Health Awareness Month comes to an end, I really needed to remind myself and maybe you too that caring for yourself doesn’t have to look perfect to count. Now I say as someone who really struggles with this idea that for something to count it must be for x amount of time and that progress needs to be visible.

As this year comes to a close, like many others, I’ve been reflecting on my own “valleys and mountains.” You know, those moments when you feel like you can't get back up, and those times you wish would never end. Instead of harshly judging myself for what I could have done differently or how I might have changed things, I’ve been taking the time to observe how I treated myself during those moments. When I found myself in a valley, did I show myself compassion and try to see beyond the...

I’ve been thinking a lot about the ways I push through things alone—and how often I’ve mistaken that for strength. I grew up believing...