Our mental health can be seen even when we are not looking to see it. This particular individual was looking to follow her passion, and did so... then found out that it led to other complications she didn't anticipate...

My mental health has be complicated to say the least since starting engaging in social work. After college, I dove head-first into the child welfare and adoptions field. I was excited to start working directly with children and families and optimistic about making a difference in their lives. I quickly found out that the job was much more demanding than I had anticipated. As a representative of Department of Children and Families, I was the "enemy". People avoided me and were not open or honest. I worked twelve hour days and was often on-call. I dreaded getting up in the morning, but found I was so anxious I could not sleep at night. Every day was unpredictable. I started having panic attacks. Eventually, I realized I needed to prioritize myself over my job and left my position. I enrolled in an MSW program and found a job that balanced my career and my health.