Last week we touched on mental illness, and this week we’re talking about mental health and how to preserve it because it really is so critical to your overall well-being. Mental health plays a part in your relationships, finances and wealth, and in your faith too. It’s also part of the first pillar of Redefining Wealth.
Typically when I talk about the FIT pillar, people assume I’m talking about being physically fit, and although that is a part of the pillar, being mentally fit is often more important.
In today’s episode, I sit down with Dr. Joy Harden Bradford, founder of Therapy for Black Girls and a licensed psychologist in Atlanta, as we unpack mental health. Here, we discuss the basics of mental health and when it’s best to see a therapist and what you can expect from the experience. 
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About Dr. Joy Harden Bradford 
Dr. Joy is a licensed psychologist in the state of Georgia. Her specialty includes working with Black women in both individual and couples counseling. Her primary areas of interest include break-up and divorce recovery, depression, work-life balance, relationship skills and self-esteem improvement.
She also has considerable knowledge in working with undergraduate and graduate students in areas including procrastination, stress management, dissertation/thesis support and career development. 
Dr. Joy created Therapy for Black Girls as an online space dedicated to encouraging the mental wellness of Black women and girls. So often the stigma surrounding mental health issues and therapy prevent Black women from taking the step of seeing a therapist. As such, Dr. Joy developed the space to present mental health topics in a way that feels more accessible and relevant.
What Is Mental Health?
Mental health is comparable to our physical health – it’s something we all have. So when we get check-ups, have blood work done, exercise and eat right, we’re doing things to take care of ourselves physically. Mental health, on the other hand, often gets forgotten because many people don’t realize that it’s also something they need to take care of. 
“Mental health encompasses our emotions and how we experience things. It often feels intangible, but is very important in our lives.” – Dr. Joy 
Historically, the African American culture has been one where you couldn’t or shouldn’t share certain types of information with other people. Reasoning for this often meant it was for survival purposes or for life, work or social opportunities in business or in the community.
And while it made sense back then, now we’ve come to realize that leaving things bottled up inside is not healthy. 
Having said that, therapy is still difficult for a lot of people. People still struggle with the idea of sharing about their childhood and family and that’s often because they’ve been raised to not talk about those things.
What is Mental Illness?
Mental illness is a diagnosed psychiatric condition. This can be any conditions such as a major depressive disorder, an anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. With any of these there are a specific set of symptoms that impact your life in significant ways – that’s why they’re classified as a mental illness.
Therapy for general things, however, is usually not a full-blown mental illness. So if you’re feeling anxious about a new job or an upcoming interview that’s not necessarily an anxiety disorder.
Another example is if you want to be more assertive in your relationships,