July is National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month

July has been dubbed National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month.  With more and more people, both famous and in our own communities, succumbing to various mental health conditions it is becoming more clear that we cannot take mental health conditions lightly. 

Today's stats say that one in four people have experienced a mental health condition, and those numbers are even higher for minority groups often due to lack of access to care, beliefs passed down about mental health from generation to generation, and other factors.  

Mental health conditions like bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, depression, etc. are very serious and should be treated as such. The problem is that most of us do not know what mental health problems look like.  

Some of the symptoms include:

Excessive worrying or fear

Feeling excessively sad or low

Confused thinking or problems concentrating and learning

Extreme mood changes, including uncontrollable “highs” or feelings of euphoria

Prolonged or strong feelings of irritability or anger

Avoiding friends and social activities

Difficulties understanding or relating to other people

Changes in sleeping habits or feeling tired and low energy

Changes in eating habits such as increased hunger or lack of appetite

Changes in sex drive

Difficulty perceiving reality (delusions or hallucinations, in which a person experiences and senses things that don't exist in objective reality)

Inability to perceive changes in one’s own feelings, behavior or personality (”lack of insight” or anosognosia)

Abuse of substances like alcohol or drugs

Multiple physical ailments without obvious causes (such as headaches, stomach aches, vague and ongoing “aches and pains”)

Thinking about suicide 

For more info about mental health symptoms and where to get help: http://www.nami.org/Learn-More/Know-the-Warning-Signs#sthash.3T7pH3J1.dpuf

I am not by any means saying that if you have one or more of these symptoms that you for sure have a mental health issue but, it is a red flag to go and seek help in getting a diagnosis.  Knowing is the first step to coming up with a plan and remedying whatever your situation may be.  

I say all of this from personal experience.  I have battled depression for some years now and it has been an uphill battle at times but, there is hope! I am a living example. I have written about some of my experiences here and there but, you can read some of my story here.  In addition to seeing a therapist in the past, I also supplement with Vitamin D (shown to help with mood/depression), try to exercise regularly and eat a diet chock full of fresh foods and veggies whenever possible.  Juicing and making smoothies are my go-to's!

If you or someone you know needs help, please do not ignore it.  You were created for a purpose and we need you here.  

Check out these resources for more info about mental health conditions and for tips on where to get help:

http://www.nami.org/nmmham
http://www.samhsa.gov/find-help 

Do you or someone you know live with a mental health condition? What do you do to manage your symptoms?

Practicing Mental Hygiene

It's a gray, cold day here in the ATL and I'm at home deep conditioning my hair for a (hopefully) cute, coil out.  Usually while I'm doing my hair, I will get caught up on my latest Youtube subscriptions or listen to some music.  This morning, I came across HeyFranHey's video and the title caught my attention right away.

In a day and age where we tend to pay a lot of attention to how we look physically and how well we are doing financially, we often forget to think about how our mental state is connected to our overall well-beings. When someone famous commits suicide or dies from an overdose, then we talk about all of the why's and how's for a few weeks.  After which it's back to focusing on Instagram pictures and what size our waist is.

In this video, HeyFranHey talks about how vital it is to pay as much attention to your mental/emotional health as you do to everything else. It could even be argued that this deserves priority over everything else.

As someone who has dealt with depression and toxic thoughts/emotions, I know firsthand how battling thoughts of worthlessness, suicide and just flat-out hoplessness can (and will) affect every other part of your life.  While I go to the gym a few times a week, work on my yoga techniques, try to reach healthy hair goals, work on my professional life, and make sure I go my bi-weekly facials, I know that it is a must that I take time out to examine and nurture my thoughts and emotions. Lord knows they get really out of control sometimes and I feel like giving up and running away!

Without  peace of mind, balance, emotional healing and positive thinking I will not be able to be the successful, well-rounded individual I am striving to be.

What do you do to practice mental hygiene?  

Sunday Ramblings

Hey, loves! What are ya'll doing today?  Me? I'm listening to T.D. Jakes, writing and sorting through bills.  I'm also trying to muster up the desire to do some semblance of a workout.  I haven't seriously worked out in about a week.  Ugh! One of the ways I try to motivate myself is by looking at older pics of myself at the gym (sounds vain or lame but, it works most times!)  The above pic was taken about two weeks ago.  

I'm probably one of a handful of people who finds it so hard to work out during stressful times.  I feel like the time at the gym is time I could be spending doing something to remedy whatever obstacle is at the forefront at the moment. 

I have had the most trying two weeks physically, financially and emotionally.  I literally feel like I'm in a serious battle with my thoughts and emotions.  I''m in such a dark place some days that it scares me.  A few events that have taken place really threw me for a loop and I'm having a harder time coping than I realized.  

I've been reading my Bible like crazy, upping my vitamin D daily intake (most people are deficient and it can directly affect your moods!), and forcing myself to write and combat the crazy thoughts with positive ones as much as I can right now. Although I have not had much luck with therapists in the past,  I may need to find someone's couch to lay on for a few sessions. 

I know this will pass soon.  

May is Mental Health Awareness Month

When most of us think about our health, we think about aches, pains, diseases and ailments but it can be argued that our mental health is more important than our physical health. Without a healthy mental state, we will not be able to function properly in society.  Just getting up in the morning and going about the day-to-day activities can become so difficult when one is battling anxiety, depression or any other mental health issue.

 I have dealt with episodes of anxiety and depression throughout my life and it is one of the most isolating, complex feelings.  Sometimes I would think that I could just shake it off and other times I started to wonder if I was going crazy but, it was not until I reached out for help and incorporated some natural remedies (getting more Vitamin D, exercise, etc.) that I began to see and feel some positive changes in my thoughts and life in general.  One day I will share my story of depression and anxiety (I am still debating it!), and of course, it's a daily battle and I have to consciously do things to change my perspective about life's curveballs as they arise but, I feel like I am much more prepared to deal with anything that comes my way now.  

May is Mental Health month and I could not let this month go by without acknowledging the importance of mental health and recognizing the signs of various mental health disorders.  Any mental health issues that you may be experiencing, do not take it lightly.  Things can get better and there is help out there! 

If you are having thoughts of harming yourself or feel like you just want to end it all, please talk to someone. There is a hotline you can call where trained mental health professionals are willing to give a listening ear and point you in the right direction to get more help.  Call 1-800-273-TALK

Mental Health America is a great organization committed to helping individuals understand and gain control the thoughts and feelings they struggle with everyday.  Go to www.mentalhealthamerica.net for online screenings, mental health resources and more.  As long as there is life, there is hope.  You don't have to live in a dark, isolated place.  

The Death of Yusuf Neville: Putting the Spotlight on Mental Health

Source: Instagram

Yusuf Neville. A young man laid to rest today. A name I did not know until I saw it all over social media a few days ago.

He had a dream job at a Fortune 500 company, was a  Hampton University grad, someone's fiancee, a son, and had touched the lives of many celebrities, friends and family. Terrence Jenkins, E! News host and Rocsi Diaz, Entertainment Tonight host, were among the numerous celebs tweeting about the tragic passing of Neville.

Rest in peace Yusuf. My heart is so heavy. You mean so much to all of us. I can't even articulate right now. #weallwegot
— Terrence J (@TerrenceJ) January 30, 2014

Even with all of the success, celebrity circles, and loved ones around him, Yusuf was suffering in a way that no one even knew. Last week, this young man took his own life by jumping off of a parking deck in Greensboro, North Carolina.  Just hours before taking his life, Yusuf tweeted this:

Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.
— Yusuf (@YusufNC) January 29, 2014

Suicide and mental health issues are taboo topics, especially in the African American community.  When we hear of yet another victim , we post a few lines of sympathy and then go back to our lives not realizing that there is a deeper issue at hand that is not getting better with time.

Depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder and other mental health conditions are no respecter of economic status, background or age.  It seems like every other week a celebrity has fallen victim to this epidemic. This has hit home for me too as I have seen people in my own circle lose the fight to chronic depression. I have also battled suicidal thoughts and depression in my own life. I have been through various events in my life that I allowed to take me to a place so dark I couldn't see up.  It is a daily battle but, through exercise, natural remedies, therapy, and developing my spiritual life I am in a much better place mentally.

How many more people will take their own lives before we as a society begin to take mental health issues seriously? 

Reach out to friends and family whenever possible, you never know how a kind gesture or a few words of encouragement could change someone's outlook on life.  If you are suffering from depression or suicidal thoughts, do not be embarrassed to seek help from a therapist, counselor, or minister, and let even one trusted individual in your life know what you're going through.

I know how it feels when  life is almost unbearable and it physically hurts to get up and deal with day-to-day issues but, know that things always get better.  Your life, complete with the trials and disappointments, has a purpose. This too shall pass....