- addiction
- adolescents
- anxiety
- art
- behavioral health
- children
- covid-19
- creativity
- crisis
- crisis intervention
- culture
- depression
- eating disorder
- fear
- grief
- holidays
- hope
- loneliness
- loss
- mental health
- mental wellnes
- mindfulness
- POC
- postpartum depression
- PTSD
- race
- racial trauma
- racism
- relationships
- seasonal depression
- self harm
- social justice
- st
- stress
- substance use
- suicide
- suicide prevention
- teens
- therapy
- writing
You Aren’t alone. You are powerful beyond measure.
Friday night was magic in human form. So many of you came to me to say how moved you were by the artists. So many of you came to me to say how important this was as an artist. So many tears, smiles, goosebumps, untethered emotions.
Women’s History Month
As we celebrate Women’s History Month, I’d like to share my perspective on ways that fellow men can practice intentional allyship with respect and purpose.
Lift Every Voice: Mental Health and Black History Month
For nearly 50 years, February in America has been designated as Black History Month. Negro History Week, Black History Month’s predecessor was founded by Carter G. Woodson in 1926 to herald and highlight the achievements, struggles and resilience of Black Americans. But it’s also a time to shine a light on the challenges that still exist today—like mental health. At first glance, Black History Month and mental health might not seem connected, but when you dig deeper, there are some parallels. Both are about recognition, healing, and finding strength in the face of tough odds.
The Shortest Month, The Heaviest Load: Black History and Black Mental Health
Black History Month has always been bittersweet—a time marked for celebration, yet a reminder of how much further we have to go. Even the month itself, the shortest of the year, feels like a symbol of how we are often given less and expected to do more. But if history has taught us anything, it’s that Black folks can turn a little into legacy.
September - Suicide Prevention Month
Each September, during Suicide Prevention Month, we take the time to remind ourselves and others that hope is real, help is available, and no one has to walk this journey alone. We all face moments in life where the weight of the world feels unbearable. It’s easy to feel isolated in those moments, thinking no one could possibly understand the pain we carry. But the truth is, you aren’t alone. There are people who care deeply about you, even when it feels impossible to believe.
Suicide Safety Planning
Awareness is just one step in suicide prevention. Asking if someone has thought about suicide and taking action can be vital in saving a life. Having suicidal thoughts or thoughts of self harm does not mean you are broken or crazy, it just means that you can no longer do this alone and you absolutely don’t have to. Hope and help is out there.
When It Starts To Get Dark
This poem represents some feelings that take us away from our surroundings. When we become overwhelmed in thought, help seems distant, and the trauma that tries to keep us bound seems resistant. But I aim to motivate you today.
Be Aware
I have learned to stay abreast of situations that cause me to go on an emotional mountain with spiral roads. I used to fail at seeing the signs, but then I realized I was in charge of mounting them. I am now mentally aware of the state in which I travel daily. If I veer off from where I should be headed, I am okay with pulling over to assess the situation and get back on track.
9-8-8 Crisis Line Launching July 16th
The 9-8-8 crisis line for behavioral health (mental health & substance use crisis counseling) is launching July 16th. Let’s talk about what that means.
This is an amazing step toward behavioral health crisis intervention but we still have a long way to go and we certainly can’t do it alone.
Letting Creativity and Sound Choices Set You Free
Mental Wellness Is Achievable — My definition of 'choice' is the possibility of becoming free of the thoughts that bound you. I know, that's easier said than done. But understand that the will to choose is inherent for the sole purpose of living life more abundantly. Creativity is the tool to create that abundance. Whether you decide to create a multitude of ill discretions or of positivity and productive projects, you can freely design at your own will. What you think about and act on becomes a part of your immediate world, the environment around you. You are forming your future right now, and you're doing it all from the inside out. Be intentional about the life you will live 10 years from now.
DEPRESSION IS A LIAR
I’ve never considered suicide. Not because I thought there was hope or that things would get better. No, when I was at my lowest point and the depression had taken over, my inherent fear of dying is what kept me alive. But that’s the thing about depression. It engulfs you until all that’s left are negative emotions. It replaces hope with despair, happiness with emptiness, and love with loneliness. Because depression is a liar. It will poke and prod until you can no longer see the good things about yourself or the world, and, without help, it will continue to eat away at you until there is nothing left but darkness.
WISHING YOU PEACE THIS HOLIDAY SEASON
We know the holidays aren't always the happiest. And today, as wishes of joy fill the air, we want you to know that whatever you're feeling is valid and you are so very not alone. We want you to find peace and hope in the smallest moments, but we also know that this season can come with sadness and pain, especially as we close out a year of immeasurable loss.
RACISM IS THE OPPRESSION THAT IS KILLING THE BLACK COMMUNITY MENTALLY AND PHYSICALLY
WRITTEN BY LARA ASHLEY
Racism is the oppression that is killing the Black community mentally and physically.
The Black community is dealing with two viruses: COVID-19 and racism. Both are killing us. Black people have reportedly been dying at a rapidly higher rate with COVID-19, with 75% of the frontline workers being people of color. A frontline worker, a Black EMT, was killed in her home while resting from working tirelessly caring for the ones who contracted the virus.
LIVING IN QUARANTINE: THE AFTER EFFECTS
Covid-19 forced many of us into self-isolation. In this isolated state, emotions can be heightened, and mental health can be gravely affected. A recent review in Psychology Today on the effects of quarantine on individuals points to increased confusion, anger, post-traumatic stress symptoms, and extended periods of grief, sometimes lasting even three years after the end of the quarantine. Stressors range anywhere from longer quarantine duration, inadequate information and supplies, and infection fears, to frustration, boredom, grief, financial loss and stigma.
MY DISORDER THRIVES IN THESE LONELY MOMENTS
WRITTEN BY: BECCA AMES
we compare our pain as if there is only a certain amount in this world to be given. rank our suffering, use it to give or deny ourselves the permission to feel. there are people who are sick, dying, losing their jobs, people who never had them to begin with. people who are hungry. who are you to be experiencing anything but gratitude?
I DO SEE COLOR. AND IT IS BEAUTIFUL.
We hear it a lot. "I don't see color." And, I get it. The sentiment is there. We're all human beings after all. But here's the thing, it's our differences that make us who we are. It's our background, our pain, our strength, our culture, our history, our hardships, our triumphs, that make us beautiful. It's time to open our eyes and explore the differences. It's time we not only see color, but celebrate it. It's time. I see you, and you are beautiful.
LET'S TALK ABOUT IT, EVEN THOUGH IT SCARES ME.
I've been hesitant to write about what I've been dealing with these past couple weeks. Mostly because it's not exactly positive or uplifting. As the founder of the project, I know that people are looking to me to offer something, anything, during this time. I believe we've done a lot as an organization by sharing resources and hosting giveaways and virtual meetups, and I'm proud of that. But I also started this project with the intention of being bold in our conversations about mental health and that starts with me. That starts with honesty and vulnerability.
LOSING SOMEONE YOU LOVE IS HARD.
Losing someone you love is hard. You sit at a table for a family gathering, for birthdays, holidays; and you all feel it. You realized that you’ve missed each other because life gets busy and that you love each other more deeply than you thought possible. You laugh because you enjoy each other’s company so much. But then you feel a pang of guilt for laughing instead of crying. You smile a little less. And look around and realize you’re not the only one.
WHAT DOES ANXIETY LOOK LIKE?
t looks like the light tapping of your fingers on a desk in a perfect pattern.
It looks like biting your nails till they bleed.
It looks like staring off into space.
It looks like ignoring someone you love.
It looks like leaving a packed room to get some air.
It looks like anger, fear.