Monica Drake

Monica Drake is a communications specialist within Corporate Affairs for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. She is a mental health advocate, working to raise awareness about suicide and help erase the stigma associated with mental illness. Follow her journey on her website at www.meant2live.net.
Health and Wellness

How Seasonal Changes, Even in the Spring, Affect My Anxiety

I’ve noticed something about my anxiety over the years – that almost every year it feels like my anxiety heightens around mid-March/early-April. Each year, it comes as a surprise to me. Learn more about springtime seasonal mood changes.

Monica Drake
Health and Wellness

What I’m Doing Instead of Drinking This St. Patrick’s Day

Mental health advocate and contributing writer Monica Drake shares why she decided not to drink this St. Patrick's Day — and her plans to celebrate the Irish holiday without the alcohol.

Health and Wellness

What’s the Let-Down Effect? Here’s How I Dealt With It

Mental health advocate and contributor Monica Drake shares her experience with the let-down effect after planning and celebrating her wedding, and how she dealt with the feelings of listlessness after the big day.

Health and Wellness

How I Am Managing the Holidays While Grieving

Contributor and mental health advocate Monica Drake writes about how she is managing the holiday season while grieving a recent loss in her family.

Health and Wellness

How I Learned to Manage Impulsive and Intrusive Thoughts

Mental health advocate and contributor Monica Drake shares how she learned the difference between impulsive and intrusive thoughts -- and how they affect her mental health.

Health and Wellness

Advice for Coping with Holiday Blues

Contributor Monica Drake shares what you can do if the holidays aren’t feeling so joyful right now.

woman poses in a Santa hat while feeling sad with the holiday blues
Health and Wellness

How Change – Even Good Change – Affects My Anxiety

Contributor and mental health advocate Monica Drake writes about one of the biggest triggers for her anxiety -- change -- as she prepared to get married.

Health and Wellness

This Suicide Prevention Month, I Remember.

Contributor and mental health advocate Monica Drake writes about what Suicide Prevention Month means to her and why.

Mind

How I Protected My Mental Health While Dating

Since the unknown is one of the biggest triggers for my anxiety, it’s no wonder that dating had such an effect on me.

featured

How My Pets Helped My Mental Health 

Contributor and mental health advocate Monica Drake shares how her pets have helped her mental health.

Monica Drake's two cats
Mind

What Does it Feel Like to Have a Panic Attack?

Contributor and mental health advocate Monica Drake shares her experience with panic attacks, and talks about the strategies that help her manage them.

Monica Drake panic attack
Mind

How My Anxiety Weighs on My Decision to Have Children

Contributor and mental health advocate Monica Drake shares how her anxiety has affected her feelings on having a family in the future.

Monica Drake
Fitness

I Always Hated Exercise – Until I Saw How Much it Helped My Anxiety

Contributor and mental health advocate Monica Drake shares how starting an exercise routine has helped her manage her anxiety.

Monica Drake poses for a photo in her gym.
Mind

Here is What I Did When Life Felt Pointless

Contributor and mental health advocate Monica Drake shares how she managed her feelings when life felt pointless — and how she got help.

Monica Drake
Mind

Taking Care of Your Heart and Mental Health Go Hand-in-Hand

Writer and mental health advocate Monica Drake offers a reminder for American Heart Month that taking care of your mental health is good for your heart.

Monica Drake - Heart Health Month
Mind

How Access to Diverse Stories Would Have Helped Me in High School

Monica Drake shares how reading books from diverse perspectives has helped her as an adult — and imagines how they could have helped her when she was younger.

Monica Drake reads at home with her cat.
Mind

New Year Doesn’t Have to Mean ‘New You’

Contributor Monica Drake dispels the myth that entering the new year has to mean changing yourself — and offers advice on how to increase self-confidence.

Monica Drake poses for a photo wearing a Happy New Year hat
Mind

How Horror Films Helped Me with My Anxiety

Contributor Monica Drake writes about how scary movies — along with mental health treatment — have helped counteract her anxiety.

Monica Drake and her fiance dressed up for Halloween
Mind

Crisis Lifelines Make a Difference to Someone Considering Suicide

Contributor Monica Drake writes about how crisis lifelines can help someone experiencing suicidal thoughts.

Woman sits alone with her cell phone
Mind

Monica Drake: Check in on Your Child’s Mental Health

Contributor Monica Drake writes about why it's so important to check in your child's mental health — and to get them help if they need it.

Man walks with his teenage son to talk about mental health
Mind

Youth Suicide Rates In LGBTQ+ Community Decrease Since Legalization of Gay Marriage

Contributor Monica Drake shares a personal story from a friend who came out as gay; and how the legalization of gay marriage affected his outlook.

Two men stare at each other lovingly during their wedding ceremony
Mind

How Mental Health Care Changed My Life

Monica Drake, writer and mental health advocate, shares her mental health journey. “You are not alone in this. Millions of others, including me, are with you.”

Monica Drake

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