This digital life we now live in has changed so much in the last few years and I believe it truly does affect our mental health – many times not it a positive way.
I started my Instagram account as a hobby which slowly turned into a part-time job, but with being a ‘content creator’ came many responsibilities. These responsibilities impacted my mental health drastically to the point where I would push away my loved ones or have imposter syndrome for days on days. Even though I love my work and connecting with amazing people around the world, we all have those days where we feel overwhelmed and anxious about everything.
This is the part no one really talks about, the drain of creativity, and how it impacts our mental health. People don’t really talk about how difficult it gets when you are always on social media or have the expectation to be constantly creating and posting. I know everyone faces challenges in life and they experience those challenges differently. Stats show that 1 in 5 Canadians struggle with a mental health concern every year, and this reaches a point where it’s difficult to move forward, whether that’s for several weeks or maybe even a lifetime.
It has been three years since I first started my Instagram account and 1 year since I turned it into a part-time job. The first couple of months I started were difficult and I had no idea where to start, I would always have overwhelming thoughts of not being good enough and getting inside my head. Although I still worry and have times where my anxiety gets the better of me, this year I have become more comfortable in work and most importantly, in myself.
One thing that I have recently started is BEACON, and after trying it out for a few weeks, I was very impressed with it as an affordable option for mental health care. BEACON is Digital Therapy that provides effective, affordable and accessible therapy and uses Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), a psychotherapy approach that helps you develop skills to change negative and anxious thinking, so you can feel and function better. I personally know many freelancers and self-employed individuals who struggle with stress, anxiety or depression.
In my family, mostly everyone is self-employed and I know for a fact that many of them don’t have the benefits to cover therapy sessions. BEACON is a great alternative that lowers the costs of mental health treatment up to 80%, but they still give top quality services and work with an “anywhere, anytime” model that is very convenient for someone who is always on the move like me. For those of you who are employed, BEACON is reimbursable through most benefits plans.
As part of the program, I got my own personal BEACON therapist (a registered mental health professional) who was dedicated to me and customized my care from start to finish. I messaged my Therapist at any time and they got back to me within 1-2 business days (but I find that it was much quicker than that).
What are some ways you deal with your anxiety or stress? Have you tried any online/digital therapy?
This post was done in collaboration with BEACON, though all words, images and opinions are my own.
