In light of the recent celebrity suicides this week (Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain) I wanted to share some words on mental health issues. I wanted to also give some general advice for people who are fortunate enough to not suffer from these issues themselves.

A month ago I completed grad school and designed my graduation cap with a positive affirmation, “Sadness is a Blessing.” The last few years have been the toughest of my life and that phrase was something that I would constantly say to myself to try and convince myself that one day this suffering would be worth it. Unfortunately, it never worked. I continued to suffer privately. On the outside I’ve learned and perfected the art of pretending I’m happy and that I’m ok when I’m quite the opposite. I have so many people convinced. I’ll speak more about my reasons for hiding in my next post and I’ll link it here.

I say all this to say, you never know what people are going through. Many people in your life or celebrities that look like they’re having the time of their lives can still be suffering behind closed doors. So it’s important to check in with you’re loved ones even when they seem ok. And it’s important to be open and to listen without passing judgement or imposing.