CNBC: Mental health author shares her 3 best ways to turn anxiety into career success: ‘I had to learn to work differently’

Excerpted from CNBC. Read full article here. Until age 30, mental health author Morra Aarons-Mele worked in high-pressure political and marketing jobs. And something was always off. “I couldn’t figure out why I couldn’t succeed,” Aarons-Mele tells CNBC Make It, adding that she was smart and qualified, but always ended up crying in bathrooms. “It felt like my temperament was just not a fit.” 

After a major depressive episode led her to quit her corporate job, she arrived at an “aha” moment.

“The fact that I’m a very sensitive person, that I’m highly anxious and sometimes get depressed, meant that I had to learn to work differently,” Aarons-Mele says.

Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health concern in the U.S., with over 40 million adults impacted, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. And whether you have a formally diagnosed anxiety disorder or you struggle with anxiety periodically, it shouldn’t have to be a barrier to workplace success, Aarons-Mele says.

Today, she uses her experiences to help others reevaluate the connection between their success and mental health with her podcast, “The Anxious Achiever.” She published her first book on mental health in 2017, and has another one — with the same name as her podcast — slated to publish in April.

Here’s how Aarons-Mele recommends turning anxiety into a strength, based on her own journey. Read full article here.