‘It doesn’t have to be this hard.’ A former Harvard VP talks about her struggle with anxiety to help others who suffer

April 25, 2023 Morra Aarons-Mele

This article was originally published on FORTUNE.com and is excerpted below. See the full article here.

The state of our mental health has a profound impact on how we work and manage others.

Poor mental health is the No. 1 reason people miss work. A 2021 Mind Share Partners report found that 76% of U.S. workers reported at least one symptom of a mental health condition like anxiety or depression, and 84% of respondents reported at least one workplace factor that had a negative impact on their mental health.

Research shows high achievers struggle more with their mental health. And yet few prominent executives are willing to speak publicly about their personal struggles. They believe exposing their anxiety will make them seem weak. They worry that opening up about their personal mental health challenges will tank their company’s stock price. They think—correctly, based on my experience—that people consider anxiety and strong leadership incompatible.

When our leaders don’t share how they feel, it sends a clear message to the world: It’s not okay to talk about mental health in a personal way. Successful people typically hide how they feel. But this is changing, and more leaders are sharing their personal experiences with mental illness. Storytelling can heal and helps reduce the stigma of mental illness.