Mind & Body
#Truth
Family - Join Donovan for some cardio and a tutorial you can enjoy while you’re on that machine or even during your power walk.
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Tenille Ademiluyi, LMSW
Mental Health Therapist
Get Therapy!
Mental wellness is a hot topic right now and understandably so. The past 2 years have placed an incredible amount of pressure on all of us. Depression, anxiety and related disorders are at an all-time high. For the first time in their lives, many people are wondering if they should try therapy. If this describes you or someone you know, I hope this article will help reduce some of the stigma associated with seeing a therapist.
The stigma surrounding therapy is broad due to our culture’s poor understanding of mental health and what makes people tick. For people of color, the sting associated with mental health support is especially deep. As a woman of color, I believe this is in part due to the sense that being vulnerable runs counter to a deeply rooted survival instinct. People of color have needed to be mentally strong to live on the margins of society. There is little time to unpack feelings of being cast aside, isolated and demeaned when the situation is ongoing. When I have suggested therapy to my friends and family, I have heard things like, “But I’m not crazy!” and “My issues are not that bad” or my all-time favorite, “Therapy is for white people.” Our guards go up at the threat of being vulnerable. We hold on to the concept that we are unshakably strong because we need that win.
As a therapist, I am used to this resistance and speaking directly to it. I tell my clients that coming to therapy is not a sign of weakness, but great strength. It takes guts to own your story, accepting that vulnerability and strength can coexist and can do so beautifully. However, even as I have said these things, I was confronted with the truth that I had not been in therapy myself. I was offering others grace while withholding it from myself because, well…my issues just weren’t that bad.
Realizing I needed to address my hypocrisy, I decided to sit on the other side of the chair and try therapy. I remember that first session. Me, the professional therapist, sitting there with sweaty palms and a racing heart. Was this person going to judge me? Would her face really reflect what she was thinking about me? I pressed past these initial fears only because I knew I could not expect my clients to lean into this process if I could not. To my surprise, each week, I found myself feeling safer and safer with this person who walked with me as I reflected on my deepest hopes, dreams and fears. The most powerful outcome for me is that I heard and owned my own narrative for the first time in my life. I realized my story matters. I matter.
And you matter. Finding a therapist that is a good fit for you may be the most gentle, loving thing you have ever done for yourself. Owning your narrative and understanding why you are the way you are can be incredibly empowering. It is a springboard to healing.
If you decide to embark on the journey of finding a therapist, here are a few tips to knowing when you have landed a good one.
A good therapist:
--Listens to you! You are not a diagnosis or a set of challenges. You are a person.
-- Should be professional, yet relatable.
--Will demonstrate an interest in your strengths and your ability to survive challenges.
--Will not tell you what to do. They will help you unlock your own inner wisdom so that you can own your choices.
-Tenille-
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Supplements: Black Seed Oil (BSO)
I now understand that healthy living must sometimes include adding supplements to your diet.
Overtime, our bodies can become deficient in needed minerals and nutrients, so supplements can help. Personally, I take a variety of supplements -Vitamin’s D, C, zinc, fish oil, collagen… the list goes on. However, my number one supplement that I try to never go without is Black Seed Oil. My friend Marcia introduced me to BSO about 4 years ago. She and I are both breast cancer survivors. Post treatment we were on a search for supplements that build the immune system and create a defense against future cancers. What we discovered was BSO. It has a long laundry list of conditions that it can be used in treating. In addition to being a great immune booster, diabetes is one of the major conditions it helps in treating. Several people have said they’ve seen a significant difference in their A1C levels after they routinely began taking it. I’ve noticed a difference in my energy and alertness, and my overall sense of wellbeing is improved when I take it vs when I forget and don’t. That’s often the thing with supplements; you might not think they’re working until you stop taking it.
Black Seed Oil is a derivative of the black seed (Nigella sativa). It’s a flowering plant native to Asia and the Mediterranean. It’s been used to make medicine for thousands of years. There are even biblical references to the use of the black cumin seed or “Ketza.” I encourage you to do your own research before taking this or any other supplement, and check with your doctor if you like. But I wanted to share that BSO is at the top of my list of ones I recommend you check out. I’ve tried lots of brands, but this is the one I seem to keep coming back to. Available on Amazon and at Vitamin Shoppe. - K-
Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional. Any comments included here are solely my opinions and views.
This month’s mind/body question: Are there supplements you take that you recommend? Why?
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