We All Have Mental Health: Why It’s Time to Treat It Like Our Physical Health

May 2026

Hello Community—May is Mental Health Awareness Month. While I wish we were talking about mental health more consistently, I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the way we talk about mental health in general…and the ways in which we don’t.

Here’s what I keep coming back to:

We all have mental health. Just like we all have physical health.

But we don’t treat them the same way and as a result, we don’t engage with them the same way.

We All Have Mental Health:

Why It’s Time to Treat It Like Our Physical Health

Recently, I attended a New York Philharmonic community event called Take a Breath, part of their Music + Wellness series.

Two facilitators guided us through mindfulness and meditation practices while four musicians played live. It wasn’t just a performance to be consumed; it was an experience to participate in. We were invited to notice our breath, our thoughts, and our internal state.  And then we reflected on what we experienced together.

We explored practices like anchoring and sensing, which are simple tools that bring us back into the present moment.

I left with a powerful reminder:

Mindfulness is something we practice.

It’s not something you either have or you don’t. It’s not something you only turn to when you’re overwhelmed. It’s something you build over time, through consistent and intentional practice.

And that idea—practice—kept bringing me back to a bigger question:

Why don’t we approach mental health the same way we approach physical health?

Think about what we’re taught—from a very young age, through PE classes and health education—when it comes to taking care of our bodies.

We’re told to move our bodies, to lift weights when we’re ready, to go for walks, to eat a balanced diet, drink enough water, and stay consistent. There’s an understanding baked into all of it that none of this works overnight.

We know that doing any of those things once won’t change anything.

We expect repetition. We expect that some days it will feel boring or not fun. We expect inconsistency. And we trust that strength builds over time.

If you’ve ever trained for a race or followed a workout plan, you know this intuitively. Some days you feel strong. Some days everything feels heavy. Some runs feel easy, and others have you questioning every life decision.

And we don’t make that mean something is wrong with us.

We accept it as part of the process.

But when it comes to mental health, the narrative has historically been very different.

For a long time, stigma shaped how many of us were taught to think about mental health. It was often framed that something was wrong with you—something to fix—and something that only applied to “some” people.

While that conversation has started to shift, there is still a lot of work to be done.

We all have mental health.

And if that’s the case, then it’s something we should be learning about, building, and caring for—from a young age—just like we do with our physical health.

Instead, many of us have internalized a different expectation. We expect ourselves to feel “good” all the time.

And when we don’t, it’s easy to assume something is off, that what we’re doing isn’t “good enough,” or that we’re somehow failing.

We haven’t been taught to see mental health as something we build. Something we train. Something that requires consistent, daily reps—even when it feels boring, hard, or not particularly exciting.

So what would it look like to shift that conditioning? And to treat our mental and emotional health the way we treat our physical health?

It might start with a reframe: mental health is not about eliminating difficult emotions. It’s about building the capacity to be with them.

This is where mindfulness comes in.

Mindfulness is the practice of paying attention to the present moment, on purpose and without judgment. And like any practice, it strengthens over time—not because we suddenly stop having thoughts or emotions, but because we begin to relate and respond to them differently.

If we think about this in terms of training, then we can start to ask a different kind of question: What are my “mental health workouts”?

Mental health workouts might look like:

• Practicing mindfulness or meditation

• Noticing and naming your emotions

• Pausing before reacting

• Challenging automatic or limiting thoughts

• Reaching out for connection instead of withdrawing

• Setting boundaries

• Journaling to process your internal experience

• Using breathwork to regulate your nervous system

• Creating space for rest and recovery

• Working with a therapist or professional coach

These aren’t quick fixes or one-time efforts. They are ways of practicing being with yourself differently. And when done consistently over time, they build emotional intelligence (EQ), resilience, and the ability to respond with greater intention and choice.

And just like physical health, we can track progress.

Not through numbers on a scale or how much weight we lift, but through how we show up—in our thoughts, our behaviors, and our relationships.

You might notice progress when:

• You pause instead of immediately reacting

• You recover more quickly after something difficult

• You can name what you’re feeling with more clarity

• You make decisions that feel more aligned

• You ask for support sooner

• You feel less at the mercy of your thoughts or emotions

The shifts are subtle, and easy to overlook in the moment. But over time, they add up and begin to change how you experience yourself and the world around you.

And here’s another parallel we don’t talk about enough.

When we want to get physically stronger, we rarely do it alone. We ask for help, hire trainers, follow programs, and join communities that support us along the way.

But when it comes to mental health, many people wait until something feels really wrong before reaching out. And some never do—because it can feel vulnerable, uncomfortable, or even unclear where to begin.

Working with a therapist, hiring a professional coach, or being in spaces where you can reflect, process, and grow aren’t signs that something is wrong. They’re ways we build mental and emotional strength over time.

Because the reality is, we’re navigating a world that doesn’t always make this easy.

We’re more connected than ever. We can reach anyone, anywhere, at any time. Technology has made so much more accessible, and AI is rapidly changing how we work, communicate, and move through our daily lives.

That level of rapid change naturally creates stress—an ongoing need to adapt, recalibrate, and make sense of shifting expectations, both externally and internally.

At the same time, many people feel increasingly disconnected from themselves and from each other. We’re in the middle of a loneliness epidemic.

Which makes this work even more important. Not just individually, but collectively.

A few questions to reflect on:

*What is one mental health “rep” you can commit to this week?

*Where might you need more support than you’re currently giving yourself permission to have?

*What would it look like to treat your mental health as something you train, not just something you react to?

PS: If you’re looking for support in building this kind of practice—whether individually or within your team/organization—this is the work I do through coaching, workshops, and leadership development. Let’s Chat!