Mental Health, It's Okay....
A few months ago, on my Instagram page, and a bit on my latest post, I spoke about my struggle of dealing with depression.
Dealing with any kind of mental illness, as a Christian, and coming from an African home, in general, is hard. My mother, those who know me personally, know she is truly my best friend, however, there was a moment in which my best friend could not understand that I needed more than prayers. I wanted more than a prayer night at church, then anointing oil, then playing gospel music through the house or sending me gospel music videos through Whatsapp.
I needed to speak to someone that wasn’t my friend or a church member or a family member. I wanted and I knew it, and it was also hard for me to accept, but I needed to see a therapist. There were so many things going on, and emotionally, life just did not seem okay. I struggled to wake up. I struggled to get dressed. I struggled to smile. I was allowing my past to torment me and was not allowing myself to be present. I kept allowing myself to venture on this cycle of my confidence and whether or not it truly existed. I was always questioning my worth. Always downplaying myself. I was allowing past relationships to ruin new relationships because I kept allowing myself to be a victim of my past.
Guys, please read this carefully. YOU ARE NOT A VICTIM OF YOUR PAST.
And this was going on for months.
I remember back when a blogger I followed shed light on mental health in the black community and how it was okay to seek therapy. The word that I stared at was, OKAY.
It is okay to be a believer in Christ but to still seek therapy. It is okay to love your African culture fully, and still see a therapist. It is okay to be on social media, to build a platform, and share your struggles of depression and still talk about seeing a therapist. It is okay to exist in a black space and still seek therapy.
IT IS OKAY
As a result of that, I finally took the step and went to see a therapist. Now, to be quite honest this wasn’t my first attempt. Normally, I would try to set up an appointment, and just would not show up, and never respond to a callback. I know, I know, and I truly felt guilty every time. However, it wasn’t until December 2019 that I finally took an initiative to see a therapist. Went to Therapy for Black Girls, an online space that helps black women and girls find therapists and also provides resources for mental wellness. I went on this site and found a therapist under my insurance and one I felt could understand me based on their bio. I took the biggest step ever by going to my first appointment and from there making a plan for myself along with my therapist. Finally, I was able to allow therapy to be apart of my healing journey and it felt good. I was OKAY.
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Another part of my healing journey is affirmations. Trust me, waking up in the morning and reading yourself an affirmation can truly shift your mood. Or even when things get sour, you read an affirmation during the day and remind yourself of how amazing you are. How worthy you are, how resilient, how strong, how forgiving. It definitely eases the mind a bit but gives your confidence a little nudge.
Below are the top five pages I visit for daily affirmations. I trust that you’ll love these pages as much as I do!
1) If you are not following, subscribing to this woman right here then please get your life, Shanice Lawrence of Shesamotivator . The name truly speaks for itself. Shanice uses weekly affirmations to motivate you to be the best version of yourself. What’s so great about this page is that all you have to do is go on her website, subscribe to her newsletter and you will receive weekly affirmation right into your inbox. What’s the best way to start off your week? Then having a week’s worth of affirmations?? Listen, subscribe, and thank me later!
2) Another woman, another page, I truly feel gives me light when things look dull is author Alex Elle. I live for her dear self reminders. How she sheds light on marriage, family, and most importantly taking care of you.
3) Next, definitely need to shout out this doll, Chelsea Satine. Chelsea states her purpose exactly in her bio which is to help people who suffer from depression experience joy without pills. She does this through her uplifting posts and videos, as well as her other page The Joy Academy. Through quick videos and her posts, she teaches us certain things as what we put in our bodies that trigger depression. Her light does bring a sense of joy and peace and I am so grateful for the space she has created!
4) Next, I’m sure many people are following this page, but if not, get into it sis! We The Urban is a space to celebrate all women, all bodies, all types of healing, all love. No matter how you are feeling there is a post that always reminds you of whatever stage you are in your life, and that seriously everything, everything will be OKAY!
5) The last page and ya’ll this one is for my entrepreneurs early in the game and still in the game. Black girl magic, motivational, and melanin unity vibes all day, here at She Leads Africa. A page I know I can definitely go-to for my morning inspiration to be great, and whatever great meant for me that day. It’s literally a community of hope, inspiration, and a reminder that WE, black women, can do ANYTHING!
I can’t stress enough the importance of following positive accounts. Along with affirmations these positive accounts also do help especially dealing with depression. I didn’t say it cured everything, but it was and it is a start. My healing journey still includes my spiritual relationship with God. And with that, it includes therapy, affirmations, and following accounts that surely know how to bring light to any moment of my darkness!!
Photography: Mr. Prepah
