Did you ever have a mentor growing up? Maybe it was a camp counselor, or a friend’s older sister or brother. Those people in our lives that aren’t our parents but are older than us can really play an important role in our development. Everyone will have at least 1 role model in their lives. The important thing to note is that some role models aren’t exactly ideal while there are plenty that can be. It’s important to discuss the importance of having the right kind of role model to fit the needs of the person. I am fortunate that I had plenty of great role models that helped shape me into the woman I am today.

In this blog I discuss those essentials for those struggling with mental illness and include what science says, some personal and professional experiences and at the end share about a program I’m really proud about.

#1 Essential: 💃🏽 🏃‍♀️ 🤸‍♀️ 🧘‍♀️ 🙏 Know what does it look like to have depression and receive mentorship?

Mentorship can be found in all areas of life, and it’s someone that you can look up to and learn from. When it comes to mental health, having mentors can be incredibly beneficial, especially when it comes to depression. According to Mentor International they stated the following about mentorship and depression: “Mentors work every day to improve the situation for young people by letting them know they are someone who matters.” 

Emma, my Head of Creative shared with me, “I personally have a mentor that actually started out as the person I went to when I was going through a tough time with family. It was a type of situation that’s still really hard to talk about, so I won’t go into specifics right now. *Jennifer* was a new teacher at my school, and we instantly clicked. *Jennifer* ended up being like family to me, and even though everything with my family has pretty much resolved, that doesn’t mean she isn’t in my life anymore. Through a tough time, I was able to find a forever friend. And she helps to give me personal advice, checks in about my walk with God, how my social life is going (since I’m an introvert), and overall we just have casual conversations.”

Mentorships can provide you with an opportunity to feel seen, heard, and loved without being judged. An example is when my Head of Creative Emma, was getting trained to become a Certified Peer Support Specialist. She told me, “you learn to list, to guide, to encourage and to show acceptance no matter what someone is going through at the moment. This is what mentors do, and often they don’t have the training that a professional has, but that doesn’t mean that they can’t be helpful.”

Have you ever had a mentor, and if so, did it help you? Please Tweet us @MoveHappyTeam and we’ll retweet your story

#2 Essential: 💃🏽 🏃‍♀️ 🤸‍♀️ 🧘‍♀️ 🙏 Know what some signs and symptoms are of those struggling with mental illness that could use a mentor.

Depression is one of those mental illnesses that shows itself in different ways. What this means is that not everyone has the same symptoms, and sometimes it can even be difficult to know someone is struggling.

Some common symptoms of depression include deep sadness, moving slower, feeling unworthy, getting too much sleep or too little, difficulty concentrating, and feeling inadequate. When you have symptoms of depression, it can make every day living seem 10x more difficult, and challenging to the point where you don’t know what to do.

You could be feeling alone, scared, unseen, or even not loved by your family or friends, so the nice thing about a mentor is that they can come in and be that person that you can rely on. Yes, they don’t take the place of a mental health professional, but they can support you along the way, no matter what comes up.

My challenge to you and myself is to text your mentor (if you don’t have one, text someone you care about) and tell them how much you appreciate them and why. Share with us on our Instagram stories how it made you feel @TheRealMoveHappy. We’ll share yours and give you a shoutout.

#3 Essential: 💃🏽 🏃‍♀️ 🤸‍♀️ 🧘‍♀️ 🙏 Know what is the Global Need of Mentoring for people with mental illness?

According to the National Mentoring Resource Center, they believe that mentoring helps to prevent the more serious mental illness concerns from coming to the surface. “Mentoring is one approach that may improve the health and well-being of Youth With Mental Health Challenges (YMHC), through both prevention efforts, before serious mental health concerns emerge, and intervention efforts, when symptoms have already appeared.”

The research that has been done within this study, shows a decrease in symptoms, and this ultimately leads to feeling more confident because they have someone on their side that they can trust. If you don’t have someone, you often feel alone, so like I said, by having a mentor and someone that you can trust on your side, this can help you feel more confident and have a decrease in symptoms.

Do you think mentoring can have a positive impact on depression? Share your thoughts with us on our Facebook @TheRealMoveHappy and we’ll share your thoughts to our community and give you writer’s credit. 

#4 Essential: 💃🏽 🏃‍♀️ 🤸‍♀️ 🧘‍♀️ 🙏 Know what are some possible solutions and benefits in having a mentor in your life.

My Head of Creative, Emma, told me, “My mentor came at the time that I needed her the most. Throughout my life, I went to a small school, and whenever someone new came along my friend group would want to hang out with them instead of me. I would ask if I could come along, and they would laugh in my face. From there, I started to isolate more and become even more introverted than I already was.

All of my friends had abandoned me, the things going on with my family, and everything felt like it was going wrong, until I met my mentor. For the first time in what felt like eternity, I felt safe, accepted, loved, and cared about. *Jennifer* was there for me then and to this day, and helped me overcome my depression. Mentorships can have such a positive impact on your life, even when you’re least expecting it.”

When I was in junior high and high school I had a mentor from the college that I spent time with at church. She volunteered to be my mentor. She was finishing up college when we first met and in her first career job. She was from Japan so I got to learn about her cultures and traditions. Her name was Miki (like “Mickey”). It was helpful for me to have someone outside of the family that I could reach out to if I was having a rough day.

What are some ways we can be the mentor to others that we wished we had ourselves? I’d love to hear your ideas to our TikTok @TheRealMoveHappy and any song requests that you feel fit the mood of your story. I’ll either sing your request or I’ll find some dope background music 🎶 to go along with the comments and give you a shoutout.

Move Happy®️ Updates:

The Move Happy Movement Podcast© is in full swing! Together we are bringing awareness to mental health, providing practical strategies to empower those with depressed states to move towards their own happiness and inspiring the joy of movement! Next Monday I’ll be releasing episode 59 with Jennifer Cline. She is a DIY self claimed DeWalt woman on TikTok with over 170,000 fans from all around the globe. She and I met on LinkedIn and she’s got a powerful story of resilience. The episode will be released Monday by 6p EST. You can follow the show on iTunes so you don’t miss out!

Follow the Move Happy Movement Podcast©️ wherever you listen (iTunes and Spotify) and Tweet us @MoveHappyTeam if you’d like it on a different platform. The last few weeks my computer has not been converting files which Spotify requires (#TechSupportNeeded). With that in mind, listen to current episodes on iTunes or straight from the distribution website here

Once we have 10,000 listeners we’ll be offering a sweet giveaway! A private concert by me and my cool singer 🎶 friends! (Check my TikTok @TheRealMoveHappy for examples of my genre preference). You must be one of the monthly listeners to qualify and be active in commenting/liking/sharing/tweeting Move Happy®️ content on any and all social media platforms (and leaving iTunes reviews 😉😉😉). The more platforms you follow Move Happy®️, the easier it will be for us to remember your name when deciding on random giveaways 🙌. We’ll keep things updated from the distribution website below ⬇️⬇️⬇️

More Updates:

The World Health Organization estimates that $1 trillion dollars is lost annually due to lack of productivity from employees specifically diagnosed with depression and anxiety and not receiving adequate resources from their workplace. I designed a solution to help decrease this statistic. “Work Happy: The Practical Tools For Effective and Inclusive Workplaces©” ⁠is in beta. 

Employees will benefit from this because the workshop is designed with you as the main focus in a positive manner. Employers will benefit from this because people that are cared for work harder and take less sick days, thus increasing your bottom line 💰. The workshop includes a follow up refresher (2 days total). Next 2 businesses/EAPs to sign up get prioritized scheduling. Email me “Work Happy Workshop Interest” here to set up your Work Happy Analysis©️.

If you need services from Move Happy®️that can be provided by my team, that will be first priority. If you absolutely need to chat with me personally, I only have time for 1 for VIP client. Specifically, you look like a mental health practitioner/employer wanting specialized training in resilience/positive psychology. If that be the case for you, pay my $7,500/mo retainer rate here and email me your time zone and 3 days/times that work best with your schedule: subject line “MOVE HAPPY VIP CLIENT SCHEDULE REQUEST” to prioritize your email to the top.

#5 Essential: 💃🏽 🏃‍♀️ 🤸‍♀️ 🧘‍♀️ 🙏 How Can Move Happy®️ Help Mentors Who Work With Those Struggling With Mental Illness?

I’ve created the Move Happy Participant Journal©️, which is a 16-week journal that moves you towards happiness with pre-planned questions and lines to write your reflections. This journal has helped countless amounts of people through difficult times in their lives, and I want to be able to help YOU!

That’s why I’d love to give you a free copy of my Move Happy Participant Journal© or you can purchase a copy and 40% goes back to mental health charities of your choice and YOUR local chapter of Big Brothers Big Sisters (bbbs. org). 

To order the journal and donate to charities go here. To download the free version go here.

Have you ordered or downloaded a free version yet? We’d love to get your feedback! Tweet us @MoveHappyTeam how you like it and how it’s helped you. We’ll retweet your responses to our community.

So there you have it folks. Having a mentor and being a mentor are essential to healthy thriving. There is nothing more fulfilling that helping another human being. There is something magical that happens in your soul when you help someone that isn’t related to you and isn’t helping you gain income in anyway. Volunteer with an organization that you trust and see for yourself. People with mental illness need help more than you can imagine. They need others that struggle with their mental health but have found ways to cope. They need to hear from you and hear your stories. If you don’t have the funds or time to volunteer right now, who do you know that could help?

If this blog added any value to you what so ever I’d be honored if you’d share it with those you most care about. Thank you in advance ❤️✌️

PS: Don’t forget to tell someone you love them today