World Mental Health Day

October 10, 2026, is World Mental Health Day, and I'm lucky enough to work for a company that not only recognizes it, but gives us a day off to celebrate it. If that's the right word. In any event, today is that day.

Actually, we get two mental health days a year, typically in May and October. That's great, but I never know exactly what to do with the time. On a few occasions, I've met a friend and colleague for lunch. Today, I decided to stay home and think about it.

It's not that a day off – or two days off – will solve anyone's mental health problems, and that's not the point. The point, I think, is twofold. First, my company prioritizes our mental health, and that, of itself, is a good thing. Second, it gives us time and space to consider our own mental health and work on long-term strategies to improve it.

As someone who's battled my own stupid brain for as long as I can remember, I can't emphasize that point enough: Long-term strategies.

There's no quick fix, despite what social media influencers would like you to believe.

How often have you seen posts on Facebook or other platforms with cheery little clichés like "Happiness is a choice" or "All you really need is a walk in the woods"? I used to see those all the time, though I see them less often these days. I won't lie: those posts used to annoy me... until I realized the posters most likely weren't talking to me. They were probably talking to themselves. We all need a little pep talk once in a while, and sometimes we have to be the ones to give that pep talk to ourselves. So, I try not to judge.

Honestly, though, feel-good memes and hashtags tend to obscure reality. Dealing with mental health is complicated and no one approach works all the time. It takes constant effort, constant recalibration, and you will experience setbacks. That's guaranteed. Progress is never linear, and that's why it's so difficult to measure.

Which is not to say that happiness isn't a choice, but the choice isn't as simple as flipping a switch inside your head and – voila! – you're happy! The choice is hard. The choice is recognizing that you have mental health problems and taking the steps you need to take to get better. And that means asking for help. Nobody want's to do that. It feels weak and vulnerable.

It would be much easier to believe that you have no choice. It would be much easier to believe that you were born with this brain, you lost the gentic lottery, life is unfair, and there's nothing you can do about it. Believe me, I've thought about it that way many, many times.

That's the inertia you face. A body at rest tends to stay at rest. And it's really, really hard to overcome that inertia. I'm not entirely sure I've overcome it, but at least I've taken a few steps in the right direction.

And let me tell you, it's remarkable how much relief you feel just by taking those first uneasy steps. Because, if nothing else, taking those steps helps you realize that you really do have choices. You really do have some control over this – let's face it – really bad hand you've been dealt.

When I talk about mental health, I don't talk about specifics precisely because everyone is different and no one approach works for everyone. In fact, no one approach works for anyone. Yes, in fact, a walk in the woods is good for your mental health. So are exercise, eating right, and getting enough sleep. Meditaion probably helps too, along with a million other strategies that "wellness experts" push on social media.

For some of us, those things aren't enough, and that's perfectly okay. If medication helps, take medication. If therapy helps, go to therapy. But most of all, don't base your decisions on social media influencers. Talk to your doctor. Address your physical and mental health togehter, not as separate things, but as two equally important, interdepenent halves of your overall health. Get help from real experts, people who've dedicated their lives to helping people just like you. They're out there.

It's so hard to take that first step, but when you do, it gives you a tremendous feeling of power over your circumstances, and sometimes that's the only thing that enables you to take the next step, and the next one, and the one after that.

Overcome that inertia. It's never too late.