Navigating Labels and Finding Connection at the MAC

Receiving a diagnosis can be both scary and a relief.

The stress of trying different medications for symptom relief and undergoing tests to find answers can feel like a scavenger hunt that has no end. But the moment a professional can offer a name for what you’re feeling, it can change your circumstance or mindset. And before you know it, labels easily become part of our identity (e.g. CEO, cancer-survivor, OCD, queer) whether you embrace it or not.

The way that words or labels can carry meaning is a power is something I’ve been thinking a lot about lately, and I don’t take it lightly. Especially when it comes to healthcare. Past experiences, associations and fears all come along with a diagnosis or label. And unfortunately, many mental health conditions still carry a social stigma. In our achievement-driven culture, there is a perception that showing any sign of weakness can set you back. Ironically, this obsession with achievement may be the exact cause of many of your current mental health hang ups (especially if you grew up with immigrant parents, like me!).

Receiving a diagnosis of chronic migraine about five years ago left me feeling frustrated more than anything because I didn’t want to carry the burden of any type of chronic health problem when I was young and taking such good care of myself. The only relief was that it offered me additional treatment options–Botox being one of them. This popular drug is also a cosmetic godsend, erasing facial wrinkles and the very visible signs of exhaustion on my face. But after a year of suffering through 30 injections all over my head and neck every three months without migraine relief, the minor cosmetic perk wasn’t worth it.

I don’t want to carry the burden of a label of a chronic pain sufferer, anxious, ADD or immuno-compromised, even if these conditions or experiences have shaped my personality. On the flip side, a few labels I do identify with and embrace: creative, emotional, enthusiastic, curious, mother, wife, journalist, author and feminist.

So whatever kind of healing journey you may be on, or whatever type of label you chose to identify with, remember that only you can choose how you define yourself and what you value. Authenticity is the way through, so I fully believe in , transparency, but chose not to allow any labels or struggles (physical or mental) define me. What it has taught me is to stay humble, kind and positive.

One thing that is for sure: there are probably thousands of different labels, if not more, that MAC Members, Makers, and People live with every day. While “labels” can certainly be a thing that bog us down or place us into a box, they are also what help us find our place with people that we can connect with and relate to, and we invite you to come find your people at the MAC.