Mental Health Awareness Month: Boundaries Are a Security Control

Some of you might remember that I used to write a blog called The OCD Diaries. There, I chronicled my journey through anxiety, depression and the feelings of worthlessness that are often part of it. I haven't written there in a few years for two reasons:

1. I told my story and anything more would be repetitive.
2. My time is better spent highlighting where cybersecurity professionals can find support for their own struggles.

The blog is still there for those who may get use from it:

The Five Colors of the Anxiety Rainbow | The OCD Diaries

I broke free from fear-based anxiety a long time ago. But I still have episodes of anxiety. We all do, and it’s usually when we have trouble sorting through our emotions. To get a better handle on it, I’ve been trying to label the different kinds of anxiousness based on the colors of a rainbow.

The OCD Diaries |Bill Brenner

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and there's plenty of great work people in our community are doing to promote the tools for better mental resilience. I'm certainly grateful for that, because I've been navigating a bout of depression for the past month. Not a sad depression. More of a tired one.

I knew it was coming, because I've been pouring a ton of energy into adjusting to a new role (and a new side consultancy) since the start of the year. All great things that I love. But the body and brain need recalibrating once in awhile, and depression is usually the signal that I've spent all my fuel.

One entity I turn to in times like these is Mental Health Hackers. The beating heart of this organization is Amanda Berlin, a long-time friend and community builder who fuses technical credibility with honest conversations about burnout, leadership, and sustainability in security teams.

I recently profiled her here:

Five Security Pros Dedicated to the Mental Health of Cyber Defenders

Mental health tools for cybersecurity practitioners have become essential in this age of accelerating cyber warfare. Here are five people who are building those tools.

CYBR.SEC.MediaBill Brenner

Here is the main site:

Home » Mental Health Hackers

Welcome to the Mental Health Hackers online home! Our mission is to educate tech professionals about the unique mental health risks faced by those in our field – and often by the people who we Read more

Mental Health Hackers

On their social pages (LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram) this month, Mental Health Hackers is posting a daily tip, reminder, or reflection designed specifically for the people who protect everyone else's systems but sometimes forget to protect themselves.

They have started it off with a bang:

We at CYBR.SEC.Community encourage everyone to check the Mental Health Hackers social pages each day this month for much more guidance and flagging of resources we could all use from time to time.

We will also spend the month promoting additional resources designed specifically for those in our profession.

Wishing you all health and peace of mind.