Health
-
The Worst Day of My Life and the 20 Years of Trauma That Followed
Twenty years ago, my life changed forever. When I woke up on July 16, 2000, I never could have predicted how different my life would be by midnight. But it was. And I was. And still am, if I’m being honest. As I was scrolling my social media feeds this morning, I noticed that my…
-
The Cakewalk: Cops, My Mental Condition and the Tradition of Police Brutality
It started with a piece of strawberry cake. During my years after high school, some of my good friends, who would later become family, opened a Caribbean restaurant on H Street N.E. in D.C. It was really a takeout place with a few places to sit, but for many of us, it was a second…
-
How 'Spoon Theory' Can Help You Monitor and Manage Your Mental Wellbeing During Turbulent Times
The news about the state of the nation’s mental health was alarming even before the traumatic events of this past week—when news cycles and social media timelines were flooded with news about racists, deadly, and un-redressed assaults on black people. On Tuesday (which, somehow, wasn’t three years ago) a Census Bureau report showed a third…
-
3 Tips You Can Try Right Now to Improve Your Mental Health
Quarantine life is a lot, y’all. Not only have lives been lost, but millions of jobs have evaporated as we’ve struggled to regain some sense of normalcy as a society. It also doesn’t help that with stay-at-home orders in place, many of us have suffered through this experience in solitude. Thankfully, author Justin Michael Williams—go…
-
To Navigate Your Mental Wellbeing, You Need to Use Your Body
During a pandemic, your body is the biggest thing there is. I live in New York, a city where, under pre-pandemic circumstances, you can feel everything and nothing at once. But since the first coronavirus case was confirmed here, my life, like the lives of many others, has been contained, no longer ping-ponging from one…
-
On Riding the Waves of Grief
“In a split second, I felt like I was drowning.” text In the summer of 2011, I took my very first out-of-country trip to Cancun, Mexico with my family. I relished in the warm wetness of the Caribbean Sea, as the saltiness tickled the space between my toes. 2011 was also rather significant for me…
-
Psychology Professionals Discuss How Quarantine Affects Mental Illness Sufferers
It’s been a little over two months since we began quarantine and social distancing nationwide, so if you feel like you’re completely losing your mind, you are not alone. During this time of unprecedented uncertainty, many are struggling with stress and anxiety stemming from news regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. Our mental health as a whole…
-
Sammy Watkins on How Depression, Alcoholism Nearly Destroyed His NFL Career: 'My Whole Life Was In Shambles'
It’s easy to throw around the word “bust,” but far too often there’s a story behind a player’s inability to perform on the field that’s either fallen on deaf ears or remains untold. In six NFL seasons, Kansas City Chiefs receiver Sammy Watkins endured trade after trade and an endless deluge of injuries before finally…
-
Taraji P. Henson, Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation Offering Mental Health Initiatives Amid COVID-19 Pandemic
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and now more than ever, it’s incredibly important to have mental health check-ins with yourself and loved ones in order to stay sane during these challenging times. Taraji P. Henson is working to ensure that in the age of COVID-19, the mental health of those on the frontlines remains…