Tags: by Gayathri Ramprasad | Jul 18, 2020 | #BIPOCMentalHealth, #MyStoryMYSUPERPOWER, MentalHealthMatters
As an eight-year-old Latina girl growing up in New York, Dior wrote in her dairy – “My life is over. My mother says no my life is not over. Well, I think so. The end.” Her parent’s divorce, domestic violence, threat of eviction and bullying at school filled her with despair. But her grandmother’s love sustained and inspired her to excel at school and become an activist. Today, Dior is a Latina Feminist Mental Health Activist advocating for equitable mental health care for all. She is the creator of the People of Color and Mental Illness Photo Project, a response to the invisibility of Black Indigenous People of Color in the media representation of mental illness. She is also the editor of The Color of My Mind, a photo essay book based on the photo project. She tours the country giving keynotes, hosting workshops, and speaking on panels. Her work and insight have been covered in media outlets such as The New York Times, Forbes, Newsweek, and NBC News Latino. Dior is the recipient of numerous awards including, The White House Champion of Change for Disability Advocacy Across Generations under the Obama administration. Watch Dior’s inspiring...
Tags: by Gayathri Ramprasad | Jul 2, 2020 | BIPOC Mental Health, Mental Health Matters, My Story MY SUPERPOWER
Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame hooper and Olympic gold medal winner Chamique Holdsclaw has dedicated her life to end the stigma of mental illness and be a voice for those who feel marginalized and voiceless. Watch Chamique’s inspiring story and share it with your family and...
Tags: by Gayathri Ramprasad | Jul 2, 2020 | LGBTQ Mental Health, Mental Health Matterss, My Story MY SUPERPOWER
Adam knew he was gay from a very young age, but it took him over a decade and a half to admit it to both himself and those around him. He went through multiple episodes of depression, without realizing it was because he refused to accept essential parts of himself and share them with his friends and family. Once he learned how to become vulnerable, he realized how powerful it can be to operate from a place of radical vulnerability and not listen to shame. Compared to people who identify as straight, LGBTQ individuals are 3 times more likely to experience a mental health condition. And LGBTQ youth are 4 times more likely to attempt suicide, experience suicidal thoughts, and engage in self-harm, as compared to youths that are straight. Watch Adam’s inspiring story. about his journey to well-being. And, share it with your family and friends....
Tags: by Gayathri Ramprasad | Jun 14, 2020 | Mental health & wellness, Resilience, You are not alone
I’ve lost track of how many weeks it has been in this quarantine. I’ve lost track of the day and date more than a few times. I have been isolated in my house, with my dog, 24/7. We are in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. Oregon did not get hit the hardest, thanks to early physical distancing. But our confirmed cases and the death toll are still rising. Society is being tested to the extreme. How are we going to survive collectively? What will life look like after the pandemic? Before we can answer those questions, there’s a more pressing one: how are we going to survive together, individually? In order to give that question some thought, I want to share my mental health journey when I was challenged by USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services) almost exactly a year ago, as I’m noticing many parallels between the two experiences. I was facing the danger of deportation. During that time, my mind was in a constant fight-or-flight state. I was hypervigilant, anxious, scared, and traumatized. I constantly felt alone, isolated, disconnected, and unseen. Even my closest people could not understand my pain. I was screaming inside, silently, and no one could hear me. But I avoided talking about it. I felt ashamed and exhausted. However, I was fortunate enough to find mental health professionals to help with my anxiety and PTSD. Does that sound familiar? In quarantine, how many of us constantly feel not only physically, but also spiritually or mentally isolated from other people, even people who are close to us? How many of us have tried...
Tags: by Gayathri Ramprasad | Jun 14, 2020 | It's okay not be just okay, Mental health & wellness, You are not alone
Already struggling with generalized anxiety disorder in my daily life, the COVID-19 pandemic has threatened my mental health and wellbeing. I realized that I had a problem when I could not bring myself to turn off the news for fear that I might miss something important. I was afraid to go to work because I knew that I would be exposed and could bring illness and even death to my loved ones. Those things that I used to do to calm myself in times of stress were unavailable. A pandemic is just not okay. It occurs to me that this would be much worse if the weather wasn’t so fine. In order to be safe and stay well, I have educated myself as to how to minimize my chances of contracting/spreading the disease. My travel is limited my travel to work and home and I’m on a reduced schedule. I follow guidelines for hand-washing, social distancing, and use of personal protective equipment (PPE). Any day that I don’t leave the house, I use the treadmill and can jog now for the first time in my life! I started online school, mostly to convince myself that we have a future. I now have some measure of progress, even while at home. Learning to teach prenatal classes online has been a fun challenge. Music practice has taken on a new dimension—it is less about performance and more personally fulfilling. I have found comfort in my time with God. My family has had meaningful, enjoyable conversations as the pace of life slows. 3 tips you to help you navigate through these difficult...
Tags: by Gayathri Ramprasad | Jun 14, 2020 | It's okay not be just okay, Mental health & wellness, You are not alone
2020 has been a hard year for me personally – and even more importantly, less than ideal globally. When people ask me how I’m doing, my boiler plate answer is: “I’m surviving not thriving.” Those that know me best (or even not all that well) know that my spirt animal is undoubtedly a cat. Cats sleep up to 70% of their life, and honestly that seems like the dream to me! (I also happen to own two and they are my best friends; though I’m never sure if the feeling is mutual). All that to say that as an introvert who has a dedicated section in her closet for jammies and ‘sleep socks,’ – yes, they are their own classification – I entered Stay at Home thinking that perhaps this was the life I was always destined to lead. In theory, I knew the importance of ‘wellness;’ of routine and human interaction. But the truth is I didn’t truly realize its importance in my life until life as we knew it was abruptly taken away from us all. By week two of working in pajamas and throwing all semblance of routine and normalcy out the window (something I had initially thought of as the ultimate sign of liberation and freedom), my skin was crawling and I was spiraling out big time with regards to...
