Mental Health

Mental Health Awareness Month

‘You are not alone. You are seen. I am with you. You are not alone.’ -Shonda Rhimes

Greetings Readers,

It’s been a minute since I last shared an article with you all! If we are being honest, I have been struggling really badly with my mental health. Life has been ‘life-ing’ and I needed to do what was best for me and my mental health which was to unplug to breathe. As a person with Generalized Anxiety Disorder, it is important that I pay attention when I feel overwhelmed so I can take the proper precautions to care for myself. I know I am not the only one that has had moments of struggle mentally, but I am here to remind you all that you are not alone.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month which has been observed since 1949 to shed light on the importance of mental health. The theme for 2023 is ‘Look Around, Look Within’, which focuses on how an individual’s environment can impact their mental health such as family, friends, school, etc., along with how to cope with those risk factors. As we strive to shed light on the importance of mental health, we are also eradicating the stigma that keeps people from speaking up. We often see this within the Black community where people suffer in silence rather than speak up about what they are feeling mentally. Mental health is a taboo subject–meaning the conversation is restricted–within our [Black] community for two main reasons: the stigma and lack of resources.

In the Black community, there is little to no conversation amongst families to discuss mental health as generations before have made us believe that we don’t experience mental health issues; only white people go through that, and this is false information. Mental health does not affect one race or gender, and it is important to know that so you could seek proper help for yourself. We have also been taught that expressing your struggles with mental health makes you weak, but in reality, it makes you strong because you are taking ownership of your mental health and not suffering in silence. Oh, and let’s not forget being told to just ‘pray it away’ as if that would be the only thing to save us from what we are feeling.

These are all the things that I heard since a young girl which kept me from opening up about my own struggles, and I am 100% sure that I am not the only one that has gone through this or i

s still experiencing it. This is why I started Dear Self Care and became an advocate for mental health and self-care within the Black community as I wanted to save ourselves, especially the future generations.

Next, is the lack of resources to care for our mental health. We must recognize that it is a luxury to have health insurance to care for your physical and mental well-being. There are many people within our [Black] community that goes without having this luxury, so it leaves them unable to receive the proper treatment. Luckily, since the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been organizations that have begun to offer free therapy sessions; however, that only last for so long. Since I do have that luxury, I make sure that I attend therapy every two weeks and it was the best decision ever. My mental health journey has molded me into the woman I am today: strong, empowering, determined, and most importantly, beautiful!

If you are someone struggling with your mental health, I want you to know that it is okay to not be okay. There are people out there that is willing to help and support you as you embark on the journey to better care for your mental health. To get the extra push that you need, head over to my website: www.dearselfcare.net, and download the May Self-Care Challenge in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month. YOU ARE NOT ALONE!

For more self-care tips, follow @dearselfcare via Instagram and Facebook.

Love,

Sharnell James, Thee Self-Care and Mental Health Advocate