Return to Work & Workplace Consultant
Living with depression
Mandi was diagnosed with Major Episodic Depression more than 25 years into her career, throwing her life into turmoil. Through various therapies, searching to understand what was happening, and connecting with her spirituality, she now has a life she loves and believes that “depression happened for me, not to me.”
Mandi’s Story
Briefly, how has your condition impacted your life?
I was first aware that something was wrong when, at work, I would break down and cry; I felt overwhelmed and I did not trust my own abilities. I became very fearful of not being able to accomplish things that I would have been capable of doing in the past. The external impact was that I walked away from a 26 ½ year career. The most difficult thing for me was the inner turmoil that I was experiencing. I was torn between wanting to keep my career until early retirement age, and knowing I was totally unable to function.
What is your life like now? What does success/living well look like for you?
I have a full life, I am remarried, I have a career that I love. I live with gratefulness. My healing journey has enabled me to form a company that offers a suite of return to work and recovery workshops and programs.
What help or specific strategies helped you to get well and move to stability?
Curiosity and willingness to learn were instrumental in my healing. I make sure that I take care of my emotional stability by exercising, doing yoga, meditation, and being mindful of my inner and outer world.
Doing the mindfulness-based program was life-changing for me. Talk therapy with a social worker, exploring integrative medicines such as reiki, emotion-focused work, inner child work and shadow work, and peer relationships also helped me move to stability.
How do you manage your condition and stay healthy on an ongoing basis?
I live with awareness. When I know I am getting overwhelmed, my ‘go to’ is physical exercise. This is also part of my ongoing regime for wellness.
What words of encouragement would you give to someone struggling with a condition similar to yours?
I believe everyone has the capacity to recover. It just looks different for each person. As a starting point, I would encourage them to think about what is most important for them because that is where the ‘spark of hope’ lies.
What motivated you to join The Stability Network?
Sharing my story was part of my recovery journey. Now, I would like to continue to do so in a way that inspires others to reframe their experiences into a narrative of confidence and authenticity.