GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan — Scott Norman knows some things are tough to talk about. And yet, that makes it important to do so.
In 2021, he lost his wife, Jenny, to cancer. That is where his journey to grief began.
"She was 49 when she passed away," said Norman. "The kids were teenagers finishing up with high school. She didn't get to see them even graduate. And that stays with you a little bit."
After Jenny passed, Norman said he was focused on making things bearable for his three children. He put his own needs "on the backburner." However, over time, he realized that was not working.
"Recognizing that how I show up every day impacts not just me, but also my kids and people I work with or my family," said Norman.
He began talking about how he was feeling and dealing with the grief.
"I tried to encourage them to talk about it," said Norman about his kids. "I like talking about it because it makes me feel better. I think talking about things that are painful or hard or traumatic is in a way giving away a little bit of that pain to somebody to allow them to help you through it."
Now, he shares his story of navigating grief to help his children and others know it is ok to to share how you are feeling.
"No matter what you're dealing with in life, there are challenges," said Norman. "We all deal with loss or we're going to deal with at some point in our life. There is a tomorrow, and that tomorrow comes and moving forward is really important and having the strength and courage to seek help when you need help."
May is Mental Health Month. Mental Health America is encouraging people to improve their mental health, while also encouraging others to do so. The organization says one in five Americans will receive a mental health diagnosis this year. However, everyone has mental health, just like physical health.
"We don't talk about it enough," said Norman. "We easily talk about our physical health, but a lot of times, we leave it out of the conversation, either because we're afraid to talk about it, or we think that somehow we can't talk about it."
He hopes to help break that stigma. He said he used to feel embarrassed talking about how grief affected his life, but not any more.
"If that can help illuminate something for somebody and they can see it in a way to understand that it's okay, then that for me very much honoring Jenny's legacy," said Norman.
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