Let’s Talk Mental Health

You are not the bad feelings you get in your head. You are not the storm you walk through. You are the person experiencing the storm. The storm may knock you off your feet. But you will stand once again. Either the weather will find change or you will find shelter. Hold on.

~ Matt Haig

Growing up I have always suffered from stress and anxiety. Even throughout primary school, the smallest task would put so much pressure on me and it would make me stressed out and filled with panic my system. My anxiety stems from immense fear and a series of stress related panic attacks. For me, it actually got to the point where I was unable to make friends and even keep the relationships I had close to me.

My anxiety driven persona was a major factor that has put me back and stirred me away from not only my career/education but also from my social life and the people I care about the most. As life moves forward, it slowly gets easier for me knowing that I still have dreams just waiting to be reality.

Mental Health in a POC Household

Mental health has mostly been a very taboo and unspoken topic in my household as a person of colour. It was something that wasn’t spoken about often and when I did speak it, it was often turned down or said to be a “normal” that everyone has to deal with. Getting help didn’t ever really seem like a viable option for me, and I never really thought I needed it either.

As a child, my parents were always very understanding towards what I was going through and never pressured me to do things that seems to hard or triggering for me. But as I grew older and faced new challenges, it felt as if I was going through life alone with nobody there to guide me. It was more because I wasn’t ever really given the opportunity to speak up and felt embarrassed to go and talk to people about it rather than just having my support system turning away when they felt like it. I could never find ways to even

I’ve learnt to deal with stress and anxiety on my own terms and become more at peace with myself even when times were the toughest for me. It‘s a really slow process and I’m still finding ways to deal with them but it definitely gets better with time. As they say “time heals all wounds”.

I’ve recently had this conversation with someone about how lockdown has really stirred me away from so much that I’ve wanted to accomplish and really took a toll on my mental health in a negative light. She kinda explained that since she wasn’t working at the moment and stuck at home, she felt that she didn’t really find the will to do anything and since I’ve been in that position for the longest time I mentioned my story and really opened up about how it’s been for me to let her know that she isn’t alone in this situation.

I explained my side of the story and here’s how it went: after prac this year I was going to ask if I could come in as a teacher’s aid but the teacher that supervised me was so bad I couldn’t even go back to ask. I went to a couple more schools and gave them a resume but never got a call back. So I decided to just sit back for a bit and relax but then we went into lockdown and I really couldn’t do anything with my life. When Uni started again I did have something but it wasn’t nearly enough. But just recently, things were finally put back in order and I had a job at a medical centre. My mum was super worried about me too, but now things are looking up a little for me.

Opening up like this especially about my mental health but what was truely going on in my life was something that I couldn’t really ever get the courage to muster. But as life moves on, everyone including my family has realised that this topic isn’t really something that should be ignored in any household. Speaking up about it to anyone even the people you’re closest to, isn’t an easy task but really opening up to people and slowly telling them what’s been happening is a really beneficial process for both yourself and the next person. Don’t shy away from it and try to come to terms with yourself, it will only look up from there.

What Positively Influences Your Mental Health/Well-being

I didn’t exactly come to terms with my wellbeing until recently when I started doing things for myself and not for the sole purpose of pleasing those around me. I started putting out my writing about things I’m truely passionate about and starting finding a different means to help others understand me. I realised that communication isn’t as stressful as I make it out to be and finally started to really open up to the people I really care about and boy was it such as relief.

I’ve realised that nobody really judges you even if that’s what you perceive them to be doing and I found ways to talk about my passions and really just anything in general. It can be hard, especially during our current dilemmas but it was more than just worth it.

Finding ways to be happy in our current stages of life no matter where we’re at or how stressful life seems to be is honestly one of the key factors that positive influence your mental health and wellbeing. I find that staying time away from our screens, maybe going out for a walk or reading a book can be super beneficial. Finding new hobbies to add to your daily routines and finding something completely spontaneous really adds to life’s joys and gives us more reasons to live life to the fullest.

Something else that really keeps me going is the dreams that keep me up at night, the dreams I aspire to make true one day. A phrase I used to always say to myself is “one day I want to be somebody that makes my grandparents proud” and even if some of them can’t see the person I’ve become, I will still continue to achieve those dreams until time runs out.

Taking Something Away

The real lesson to this is to find reasons that make your life great and to find more reasons to live for. It is to keep dreaming big because I know one day you'll achieve them, and even if you don't, just know that when you look back at them you'll still smile because the person you will become will be just as amazing. Live for yourself, not to please others but live to see yourself smile and the person next to you will smile for you along with everyone you love. The person you are today and the person you'll be the next day will still continue to make others happy if you're the one that's happiest.

Some other tips to improve mental health and well-being:

• Being physically active. Exercise can reduce feelings of stress and depression and improve your mood.

• Getting enough sleep. Sleep affects your mood. ...

• Healthy eating. Good nutrition will help you feel better physically but could also improve your mood and decrease anxiety and stress.

• And most importantly, be happy!!!!

Mental Health is not a destination, but a process. It is about how you drive not where you're going

~ HealthyPlace.com