“Education is an ornament in prosperity and a refuge in adversity.” – Aristotle Dear Fellow Warrior, Sometimes, when I go out, maybe to the grocery store or run an errand, my mind tends to think that I still look like the person I was “before.” Before the pandemic. Before this grey zone – ‘identity crisis’…
Posts Tagged with stop stigma
Happy Mental Health Awareness Month!
“There is no health without mental health; mental health is too important to be left to the professionals alone, and mental health is everyone’s business.” – Vikram Patel May is Mental Health Awareness Month! Happy Mental Health Awareness! We all know that this month of Mental Health Awareness has fallen on a crucial time. ……
Testing for COVID-19 – With Anxiety
“Smile, breathe and go slowly.” – Thich Nhat Hanh Per my last post regarding mental health care during the Corona, I thought I’d share this personal experience… I got tested for Covid-19 today finally, after a month of my ‘extreme’ lockdown. I will know results in 3-5 days. I have a strong feeling my symptoms…
The Coronavirus “Bright Side”: Ending Mental Health Stigma Once and For All
After long days in the library, transcribing research interviews and coding, I recall the heartwarming feeling, when I was gifted a smile from a random stranger. The rest of the evening would be surprisingly pleasant and peaceful….A seldom solace. I could wrap myself in the warmth of that smile in order to sleep at night,…
Why I “Walk to Fight Suicide”…
On Saturday, November 2nd, I participated in the AFSP 13th Annual DC Out of the Darkness Community Walk for Suicide Prevention for the 5th consecutive year. By the time the event began, AFSP raised approximately $315,000 with the goal to reach $350,000 this year!The funds go towards research and advocacy, training, and community awareness among…
I will not cry…
I will cry, and that’s okay. I understand this is not your way… To hand me a tissue, when you see me on the train…. When a tear slides down my cheek, As my forehead hugs the window pane. But if I cry, I can promise you … My spirit will not die. It isn’t…
Islam and Mental Health: Fighting Stigma while Embracing God…
I’m no scholar of Islam. Although there was a time where I lived and breathed and walked and talked and drank and ate this religion (stealing Yusuf Islam’s words 😊 ) and a time that my greatest dream was to be a scholar of Human Rights in Islam. Dreams change, and sometimes they have to….…
Happy Mental Health Awareness Month!
I had these shoes for nearly five years, come this summer…. I got them during my medical leave that year, a few months after I attempted to take my life and landed myself in a psych ward of a hospital. The shoes became an integral part of my “survival routine,” since then. They have been…