Mental Health on the Move: Small Change for Big Impact
“New Year, new me".”
That’s the saying isn’t it? That with the start of the new calendar year, somehow, some way, this year would be a better, healthier me. As a military spouse of over 10 years, I look back and see how I have changed to match the speed of the military life. From leaving my home-state, family, and friends to changing careers and going back to school. I never thought I would be sitting here writing a blog as I started a business to help others in need.
Mental health isn’t just a catch-phrase to use as a shield or a weapon, but rather it’s a necessary part of being a human-being. Even in 2026, the words bring a sense of stigma and misconceptions. In everyday life we find ourselves in small and big transitions. You transition from your bed to your closest to get dressed for the day, from your home to your car, from the highway to your job, from your work to your friends. Transitions we don’t even think about. The small act of rinsing your glass or taking out your trash has an impact on mental wellness.
How often do we go about our movements without thought, without mindful presence? How many times a day do we look in the mirror and truly see the person staring back at us? Do I look professional enough? Will they know I’m nervous? Will they question what I’m doing here? Will I be good enough? Too often have I wondered what others would think of me in the outfit I was wearing, the words I would say, and the failures I hide.
As a young adult, I had a manager who believed in “look good, feel good”. She was a firm and caring manager that trained us in routine for store care and flexibility in interacting with customers. She was the type of woman who would never dream of leaving her house without a full face of make up and clean, pressed clothes. She was a marvel in a suit and a powerhouse presence even in the warmth of her own backyard. She was my first mentor and a guiding presence even today.
Over the years, I have come to better understand what my first mentor was trying to instill on us impressionable young women, that my life is my own and I am accountable for the way I choose to live it. At the core, it wasn’t about the suit or the make-up she wore but the mindset she carried that has been fostered in me. That when I look in the mirror, I need to see me with all my beauty and all my flaws. Confident people are cultivated through trial and tribulation, finding ways to stand tall in the face of adversity and to forge a new path one step at a time.
Not every transition goes smoothly. Some days are more positive than others especially when it’s 4:30pm traffic, my husband is on military-orders away from home, I’m running late to pick up the kids from aftercare in a different city than my job, and I have to get the kids dinner before taking them to their evening sports. In those moments, stuck at a red-light in traffic that feels like eternity, I force myself to slow down and breathe. In small moment of reflection in the chaos of life, I remind myself I’m a mom trying her best, a wife supporting her husband, a mental health professional who spent the day helping others, and a human being making a small change to breathe in the power of pausing.
Mental health, like everything else in life, is about the small changes we make and the consistency in maintaining those changes one step at a time. So where will you find a moment for small change while on the move?
Happy February #MH4ME Family! I look forward to the next time.
Inspiration for Action
"True life is lived when tiny changes occur." — Leo Tolstoy