What Does "Mental Health" Mean to Dressember Participants?

Individual mental health among activists intersects with global mental health in the fight to end human trafficking

I spent the first half of December interviewing individual participants in Dressember, which raises awareness about fighting human trafficking around the world. My lens is how it all relates to creativity and mental health. So I asked everyone, what does Mental Health mean to you? Today, I wanted to round up those responses. See all full interviews here.

“As a military spouse, mental health is a top concern. We are often told how resilient and strong we are to weather all that military life throws at us (deployments, moving every 2-3 years, being away from family and friends, lack of support, etc.) But more and more, wer realize that some days are hard and we need help. Mental health is often about awareness. The more I learn about different mental health issues, the more I realize that we all struggle with something. How can we better support each other through life and its struggles? How can we celebrate our small or big wins?” - Kristen

“One significant part of my mental health is being aware of what I am saying to me! I have in the past said things to myself that I would never say to someone else. I anticipate wearing a dress every day will remind myself of my own beauty and help me stay focused on the beauty around me. Beauty is vulnerable. And unfortunately in this world vulnerability is dangerous.” - Brenda

“Mental health to me meaning being aware of emotions and thoughts. It relates as it shows that I’m taking care of my mind.” - Claire

“My mental health is important to me. I believe that we have a mental health crisis in our country because so many people lack community support in their lives. Dressember is one way I can surround myself with a community of like-minded people!” - Library Lady Life

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“I struggle with ADHD, anxiety, and depression, so mental health is very important in my life. Nearly everyone who has experienced the horrors of the human trafficking industry is bound with trauma, depression, and other mental health struggles.” - Naomi

“To me, mental health is how you are doing psychologically and emotionally. Mental health has the possibility of being ever-changing. When you are struggling, this brings hope because things can get better! I think everyone has their own mental health journey and I've had some experiences with my mental health that have greatly impacted me as a person, as a wife, as a mother, as a friend, as a coworker, etc. Knowing how deeply experiences can impact our mental health, it shows me how important it is for us to help support survivors of human trafficking in their mental health journeys! I'm so glad to know a portion of our funds raised go towards providing services to support survivors.” - Kat

“As a woman who has struggled with anxiety and depression, for me “mental health”is synonymous with growth, healing, and the journey toward wholeness. It’s never a static, single dimensional thing. Dressember represents the pursuit and advocacy of mental health for women of all backgrounds, races, and stages of life. In our own unique ways, we all have baggage to work through and wounds that need to heal. Uniting together with thousands of other creatives to use our energies, talents, and skills to advocate for victims of human trafficking is powerful and healing in itself.” - Kristy

“In my own life, mental health stems from my relationship with myself. How I treat myself and how I perceive myself are major factors. I’ve had experiences with depression and have a family history of mental illness, so it’s something that I take seriously, but I try not to take myself too seriously. If that makes sense haha. Personally, Dressember has been an anchor point at the end of each year for me. It helps curb seasonal depression for me while also giving me perspective to be grateful. A big part of having a healthy life in general is helping others. Fighting human trafficking, cannot not improve mental health globally. Helping people regain and understand their value, their worth, and their dignity will only improve the world. As will taking action against those who perpetrate this awful act.”- Justine

“Mental health for me is a wellness marker of how my brain is doing. During dressember there are things I have to do to make sure I can sustain fundraising for so long - posting about and filling my brain with facts about human trafficking can be wearying, and wearing a dress means I have to be a little more aware of my movements and body when I’m doing things. I find it very interesting that dressember takes place during December and therefore largely during the season of advent. In the church, this liturgical season is marked by waiting and also by the awareness that our world is not what I should be or can be, the ways that we lack hope, peace, joy, and love. Because of this, I find that my depression feels at home and seen in advent, as does campaigning for Dressember.” -Christy

“Mental health is something we're only just coming to understand, and good mental health is vital to being able to cope with and navigate through the world. A large part of the work Dressember do involves support and treatment for people who have experienced unimaginable trauma, allowing them to begin to heal and live fruitful lives.” - The Bearded Ladies Team

“Mental health for me is the overall picture of the fluctuating state of our thoughts, moods and emotions. I believe that we all exist on a spectrum of mental health - or perhaps a spiral. As such, any cause is going to involve mental health considerations for me. Dressember, specifically, addresses human trafficking which relates to mental health a diverse number of ways including: 1) the trauma of human trafficking impacts the mental health of those who survive it, their family members, and the people working against it and 2) people with mental health challenges might, in some cases, me more susceptible to becoming victims of human trafficking” - My response

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