I promised myself that I would not have postpartum depression this time, as if that’s a thing you can promise yourself. The truth is, it’s beyond our control. No person who has ever experienced a mental health challenge could control it, or we would choose not to.  Your body has experienced a great shift

We’ve all heard of getting butterflies in your stomach when you feel nervous, so it should be no surprise that when you’re taking care of your mental health, good gut health is a must. After all, our gut is our second brain. There’s so much to explore when it comes to the connection between gut health and mental health, including the connection between gut health, autism, and ADHD.

By understanding the foundations of our society, we understand that this trauma has shifted DNA, familial patterns, mental health, societal roles, and daily experiences. Understanding the history and the foundations of our society is necessary to understand the complex ways in which these formative actions impact mental health. The dance of injustice has been a long narrative in this country and has shaped the mental health of a people.

What originally began as a brief visit quickly became a sister circle where vulnerability and support converged to create a healing experience none of us knew we needed. We spent the next several hours, yes hours, discussing relationships (familial and romantic), trauma, forgiveness, self-worth, and other topics important to women.

I recently revealed on my popular Instagram reel show: Search for Serotonin that I went on a date. People in my DMs congratulated me and said they were proud of me for taking this step. I thought it was funny all the fuss people made, but I had been very vocal about not trusting anyone ever again and remaining single to protect myself. And now here I am, allowing a man to give me butterflies.

PTSD nightmares are a reality for many survivors of trauma, whether you experienced trauma yourself or witnessed a traumatic incident. Every day millions of people are impacted by PTSD, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, which can affect anyone who has experienced physical or psychological trauma.

As a full-time student and international student dealing with depression and anxiety daily, it is a struggle, primarily when you continually deal with hardships: homesickness, social difference, and all-around stress. Sometimes there are difficulties within people. Students who have experienced anxiousness or depressed feelings should know that they are not alone. It merely is not uncommon to feel this way—in particular, being involved in the university community.

More than ever, individuals are beginning to reclaim their power and understand the importance of personal wellness and caring for one’s mental health. This is especially important for Black women, as we are often expected to go above and beyond in the workplace. We are seen as most useful because of our labor, and our humanity is rarely taken into account.

Depression takes time to heal and the journey is not linear, it’s full of peaks and valleys that can threaten the stability of your life, your work, and your relationships. As someone who lives with depression, I have to continually monitor my mind and body as well as shift my perspective on what’s “normal” to what’s healthy for me as an individual. Over the years, I’ve noticed a few telltale warning signs that my depression may not be in check.

To me, “sensitive” means that I feel deeply, that I’m observant, and that I have a keen sense of the emotional and mental states of others, detecting dishonesty, bad vibes, or genuine love and compassion, naturally and with ease. I never really thought much about how being a Highly Sensitive Person might be affecting me or my mental health, but one day, a friend asked if it had ever occurred to me that I might be an empath.

It’s spoken of in hushed tones at family gatherings or mentioned with concerned looks as “that” family member enters the room. No one wants to call it what it is. I don’t even want to, until now.

When someone dies by suicide, everyone wonders “Why? How did it come to this?” and I understand that. It’s hard to conceive of a pain so great that it makes you not want to live anymore, but whether you’ve ever been there or not, it’s important to know that this place exists. It’s real and to judge a person who has been there as “weak” or “selfish” just shows that the level of judgment and hate that sent the person to that dark place to begin with is real and extremely problematic.

In moments like this, I never want us to lose sight of the things that still matter. The world would lead us to believe that our lives don’t matter, but they still do. We absolutely must continue to pursue our goals, dreams, and passions.

Like you, the last four months of my life have been completely turned upside down. I was used to waking up in the morning, my husband and I getting our infant ready for daycare, and then all of us quickly leaving the house. After a long day, we would return home, perform our evening routines and then spend some time together before we do it all over again the next day. Those days were long but it was our routine and I was used to the rapid pace of our life.

March was when everything started to look different.

I was always sort of hiding how everyone in my family didn’t get along. How every gathering turned into an argument until we stopped gathering altogether. How jealousy and resentment ran rampant amongst the different age groups. It wasn’t until I was thirteen and in high school that I realized more families had similar issues to mine than I thought.

Summer Walker is living her dream and her nightmare all at once. Social anxiety is only a part of who we are as individuals. It’s possible to be a famous singer and also be completely terrified by crowds and strangers. We should allow Summer Walker, a young black woman, the space to be multilayered and complicated.

Growing up, I was always the quiet kid at the back of the classroom writing stories and song lyrics in the margins of my notebooks. Without anyone telling me to do so, I discovered that writing was my escape. No matter what was going on around me, I could create a world of my own through language and take refuge there for as long as I needed to.

Watching Mercy move is a visceral, gut-wrenching experience. When you see her perform, it feels uncomfortable and all-at-once invigorating, kind of like the thrill you’d get from stealing and reading your big sister’s diary. That’s because Mercy, in many ways, uses movement to move her experiences out of her body, releasing them back into the world transformed. It’s like a moving memory.

Traveling down the stairs in a single file line as the school day was ending, my 7-year-old body was nervous. I knew that my mother was waiting for me at the bottom of the staircase with the other parents and I didn't want my friends to see her. 

Two months. It’s been two months since I’ve graduated college. Even though this was a huge milestone, my mind was fixated on what I hadn’t accomplished. Senior year came with many anxieties and securing a job before graduation day was my biggest concern. Time had passed, and graduation had come and gone. However, there I was, unemployed and living at home. My goals seemed sidetracked and my dream remained pinned to a vision board.