Mental Health Awareness Month: The Mind Behind the Mood By Riley Long, Mental Health Professional Specializing in Cognitive Functioning
“Mental Health Isn’t Just Emotional—It’s Neurological, Too”
Every May, we raise the banner of Mental Health Awareness Month—and rightly so. We advocate for more open conversations around anxiety, depression, PTSD, and emotional resilience. But while those conversations are critical, I often find myself asking: What about the mind behind the mood?
As a mental health professional with a specialized focus on cognitive functioning, I work with individuals whose challenges are often misunderstood, misdiagnosed, or missed altogether.
I work with people who say things like:
- “I know what I want to do, but I can’t get started.”
- “I keep losing track of time and missing deadlines.”
- “I forget things all the time and it makes me feel incompetent.”
- “My brain is constantly buzzing and I can’t focus on anything.”
These aren’t just complaints—they’re signs that the brain’s executive functioning systems may need support.
Cognitive Functioning: The Overlooked Side of Mental Health
In many ways, cognitive health is the foundation for emotional health.
It affects how you:
- Focus on a conversation or task
- Recall what was said in a meeting or class
- Organize your thoughts, your day, or your life
- Self-regulate in tough or overstimulating moments
- Adapt to unexpected change
When these systems are under stress—or simply wired differently—it can feel like you’re fighting your brain, not living in it.
And when you’re constantly fighting your brain, emotional exhaustion follows close behind.
Who I Serve and What I Offer
I work with students, professionals, creatives, and caregivers—people who are intelligent, compassionate, and driven, but overwhelmed by the gap between intention and execution.
In my practice, we don’t just talk about how you feel.
We work to understand how your brain functions.
Together, we build strategies for:
- Task initiation and completion (so you don’t get stuck in procrastination loops)
- Time management and planning (using methods that work for your brain, not against it)
- Memory support and attention training
- Stress resilience through neuro-education and mindfulness
My approach is therapeutic, practical, and deeply personalized. It’s not about “fixing” you—it’s about building awareness and strategy around the way your brain naturally operates.
Why It Matters This Month (and Always)
Mental Health Awareness Month gives us a reason to pause, reflect, and ask ourselves questions we often avoid:
- Am I thriving, or just surviving?
- Do I feel capable and confident in my daily routines?
- Are my mental habits helping me or hindering me?
For many of us, the issue isn’t willpower—it’s wiring.
And that’s not something to be ashamed of. It’s something to understand.
When we understand how our minds work—how they store, recall, react, and reset—we reclaim our agency. We learn to extend compassion to ourselves. We develop tools that stick. And we stop cycling through burnout, shame, and self-doubt.
A Personal Note
I became passionate about cognitive functioning because I saw the pain in people’s eyes when they couldn’t name what was happening to them. When people were labeled “lazy” or “unmotivated,” I saw the mental fatigue underneath. When others saw resistance, I saw executive overload.
I’ve sat with the students who shut down during exams, the adults who cry at their calendars, the moms who feel broken because they can’t remember what they walked into the room to do.
I’ve made it my life’s work to say: You are not broken. Your brain just needs a different roadmap.
And together, we can build it.
Ready to Begin?
If any part of this speaks to you, I’d love to connect. Whether you’re a parent looking for support for your child, a college student feeling overwhelmed, or an adult trying to rebuild your focus after burnout—I’m here.
Let’s turn awareness into action.
Let’s make this the month you move from surviving to strategizing.
Because healing happens when we stop blaming the brain—and start working with it.
— Riley Long, MS
Cognitive Function Specialist | Mental Health Advocate | Strategy-Based Support for Real-Life Change
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