Mental Health Awareness Month | Briana Willcockson

For Mental Health Awareness Month, we are featuring the stories of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals employees. Meet Briana Willcockson, Director, Web and Online Components. 

**Trigger Warning: discussion of suicide and suicidal ideation .** 

 Mental health and wellness were a topic of discussion in my household growing up. I knew the signs associated with depression and anxiety, but it was much harder to recognize in myself than in others. The day after my college graduation, I drove across the country to start a new job in a city where I didn’t know anyone.    

While I enjoyed the new scenery and life after college, I recognized that I wasn’t happy; so, I picked up running. I made new friends, and pushed myself into as many social situations as I could. I created a gratitude journal, meditated, tried yoga, hiked, and tried pretty much everything else I could find on the internet that promised to promote happiness.   

 Then, on a fall morning, I woke up disappointed: I was disappointed that I’d woken up at all. I hadn’t had suicidal ideation before, or ever attempted to harm myself. But in that moment that I realized for the past month I’d been hoping to just slowly slip away in my sleep and never wake up. My declining mental health didn’t happen overnight. Rather, after years of rigorous academics and extracurriculars, this new, slower phase of adulthood had allowed me the mental and emotional capacity to realize I wasn’t okay and hadn’t been for some time.  

I called my healthcare provider and said, “I think I have depression, and I need help.” And for the past 5 years I’ve gotten various forms of help. From therapy to medication, online resources for managing my mental health, and tactics to manage my anxiety, asking for help has dramatically improved my life.    

 Over the past year, I’ve found it more important than ever to be open about my experiences with mental health. I love the phrase, “It’s okay to not be okay”, because it allows for humans to lean into and identify our complex emotions. Today, there are a variety of resources to support mental health; while taking the first step and asking for help is usually the hardest part, it has led to the most rewarding support system and sense of empowerment I’ve ever had.

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Through her role at Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, Briana helps raise funds for local children’s hospitals, which serve the mental health needs of children across the U.S. & Canada. You can help your local CMN Hospital address the mental health needs and more by making a donation today. Donate here.