In the introductory episode, I briefly shared my mental health story with you. Today, I’m going to delve a bit deeper into it. This way you can see that you’re not alone. Also, if there’s a specific mental health topic you would like for me to discuss, please feel free to reach out.
Shownotes
My Humble Beginnings
- I know there’s someone out there who can relate to my story. For years I dealt with depression, anxiety, abuse, and body image issues, starting from my childhood.
- Growing up with Haitian immigrant parents wasn’t easy because their specific views on the world and how they dealt with mental health issues were challenging.
- After I was born, my mother found out that she had cancer and instead of receiving medical treatments she sought help through natural and spiritual remedies.
- This led me to live with my aunt in Miami and the loss of my mother caused a huge impact on my mental health as a young girl. Even though my aunt was there and provided as much love as she could, I still needed my mother.
- To make things worse, my father was stationed in Africa due to work obligations as a doctor. My siblings and I suffered from childhood depression that went untreated due to the negative thinking of the 70s era and our Caribbean background.
- Around the age of ten, my father came back, but I didn’t know who he was. He was basically a stranger, and this has caused a strained relationship between us that made my mental health more challenging.
- Trying to figure out how I could make positive changes in my life, I decided to join the military. At the time, I figured it would help me with my housing and income issues.
- Even though it did provide me plenty of opportunities, I still struggled with mental health issues due to the abuse I suffered from the father of my twin boys.
- Leaving the military and becoming a single mother caused me to send my children to Haiti. I wasn’t mentally or physically able to be there for them and thought that having someone else to look after them would be a better option. Of course, this gave me mom guilt and messed with my mental health even more.
- During this time, I went back to school to start a new career and worked towards a criminal justice degree. My plan was to go to law school, but from working in a PTSD clinic, I decided to go into the nursing field.
- Working at the clinic also allowed me to seek help with my own mental health problems, and this was when I realized what had been going on with me this entire time.
- Receiving therapy helped me become the person I am today. Sometimes it’s hard for me to recognize who I am as years ago I was entirely different. The way I think and feel is more positive than before I went to therapy.
- This is why I created this podcast. If you are unsure about seeking therapy, you can at least come here and seek some type of refuge from your mental health struggles. Never feel alone in this journey as there are always resources there to help.
“As women of color, we’re expected to carry a heavy load and nobody talks about it. We are the beast of burden within our society. We carry our responsibilities of maintaining the home, finances, and work, and we rarely take care of ourselves. It’s time for us to start doing this.” – Dr. Kathleen Estimé DNP, PMHNP-BC.
Resources
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Sponsor
This episode is brought to you by Fortis Mentis Psychiatry, where black and brown girls can find individual therapy, mindfulness, and meditation, coaching, medication management, and case management. To learn more, go to fortis mentis psychiatry.com/safeplace.