Are you feeling behind in life?
Throughout your life, but especially during your pre-teen/teen years, people have this tendency to compare themselves to others. We develop this idea that we need to be better than others; we cannot miss any opportunity; we need to do what other people tell us to do. We have developed this FOMO mentality and if we do not choose what career we want for our entire life by junior year of high school, go to college directly after high school, get married by 27, have kids by 30, etc., we are behind in life. This competitiveness and "being behind" mentality does not fuel positivity and higher self-esteem, but rather a feeling of inferiority and potentially sadness, anxiety, worthlessness. The reality, which Nathaniel Drew talks about in the video (below), is that life is nonlinear, just like our emotions and healing. We cannot predict where we will be at in 5, 10, 20 years. We can have goals for our life and things to aspire to do, but each person's life path looks different and is not meant to be the same. I love what Nathaniel says towards the end of the video: "When the day comes, or if the day comes, that I am able to finally get it in my head that I am who I am, I am how I am, I will be able to accept that I am doing the best that I can. There's no such thing as being behind in life. That's just using a measuring stick that's wrong for you. It's a measuring stick that's based on the success of others...it has no meaning when it is translated into your life."
This year's theme for World Mental Health Day is access to mental health care for ALL!
Part of helping ALL people gain access to mental health care means recognizing who is lacking the access to this care and why the access is lacking. Please take some time to listen to Taraji P. Henson discuss her experiences with anxiety and depression and how race has shaped her view on the world, mental health and how she has coped up until this point.
If you or someone you know is struggling to find a culturally competent counselor, please reach out! Counseling can be for everyone, but you need to find someone who you truly connect with...and yes, that includes the topic of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, etc.!
Selena Gomez is a singer, actress, and mental health advocate. She recently partnered with Apple TV to create her documentary "My Mind and Me", where you can follow part of her years-long struggle with mental illness/hospitalization, making music, and overcoming life's challenges. She also partnered with her mom, Mandy Teefey, and business partner, Daniella Pierson, to create Wondermind. This organization sends weekly newsletters to subscribers where they discuss mental health trends, coping skills, and provide interviews with professionals and celebrities who are opening up about their challenges with mental illness. The website is continuing to evolve to also provide you with an interactive feelings and coping skills filter where you pick the emotion you are feeling right now and it provides you with resources on how to manage that emotion! Take a moment to watch this ABC News interview with Mandy, Daniella, and Selena to learn more about their journey and Wondermind!
During a visit with homeless LGBTQ teens at the Ali Forney Center in Harlem, New York, Lady Gaga (a bisexual pop-star) revealed she has struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
“These children are not just homeless or in need. Many of them are trauma survivors. They’ve been rejected in some type of way,” Gaga said. “My own trauma in my life has helped me to understand the trauma of others.”
During her visit, she led the young people in a short group meditation, adding that she uses a mantra every day to help her cope with her own struggles.
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