Mental health

Sharnade George is a celebrity wellness coach and founder of an online platform called Culture mindstv. Her goal is to encourage healthy conversations about mental health for ethnic minorities and offer support to those who need it.

As a therapist and wellness coach, Sharnade supports individuals with mental health difficulties such as depression and anxiety. She uses positive psychology by encouraging her clients to use their inherent strengths to manage how they think, feel and act.

This is very meaningful work, how you get into it?

I’ve always loved mental health and psychology. I started when studying at university and in the working environment. Working in private schools and psychiatric hospitals grew my passion and helped me love this line of work even more.

What are the common mental health issues people who come to you suffer from?

It varies. I work with clients with mild to moderate emotional and psychological difficulties. Many suffer from anxiety or low self-esteem. One thing most of my clients have in common is the lack of self-belief and self-worth, not feeling like they’re good enough and letting this affect their life.

I had one celebrity client who was struggling with anxiety. Their worries were getting the better of them and because they were in the public eye, this was affecting their career. They would also feel anxious about their health, job, work life, family life and this was having a noticeable impact on their daily functioning, mainly within their profession. They were always feeling sick, nervous, not wanting to perform at gigs when they saw the crowd, cancelling events, worldwide trips and many other amazing job opportunities.

We collaboratively worked on anxiety management, using their strengths for self-discovery and understanding their emotions, what’s healthy vs unhealthy and how they can manage this to help achieve their goal and reach their full potential. After the trajectory of our session, they were able to manage their anxiety and went on their worldwide shows.

Have you personally experienced any problems with mental health?

I struggled with social anxiety because I was bullied throughout my schooling experience, from primary to secondary. This heavily affected my confidence and self-esteem, and as I grew older I became very withdrawn and always fearful of being watched and others talking about me in a negative way. This was because I was used to constantly being criticized, judged or people wanting to fight me in school, yet I was a very friendly, quiet person who kept to myself. I never mixed with the wrong crowd.

My fear affected my social life.I would not go out much and was very withdrawn. I was also afraid of meeting strangers and did not know how to make friends or talk to people because I was always worried about what they would think of me. I avoided social situations and would not speak much in groups because I was scared of embarrassing myself or saying the wrong thing then being judged and bullied again. This was a massive impact on my self-esteem.

It wasn’t until I grew older and started working within the mental health profession that I knew in order to truly be a great therapist, I had to work on myself. So, I became my own therapist and learnt about my condition and how it was affecting me. Then I helped myself overcome my fears of being socially anxious. Now I have a great career where I’m always meeting new people and speaking at events.

How do you protect your mental wellness?

Surrounding myself with people who uplift me and have good energy is very important. I also pray, journal, engage in positive self-talk, spiritual practice and meditation. Lastly, not being afraid of how I think, feel and behave, which entails being honest with myself and always looking within for ways I can grow and become a better person.

Why do you think there is a lot of stigma about mental health within ethnic minority groups?

I think stigma is mainly caused by ignorance. Mental health is not often spoken about and not taught in schools, so people who have an interest in this area have to seek out this knowledge. Stigma could also be due to cultural upbringing and beliefs which have been learnt during our upbringing.

How do you think we can encourage people to have conversations about mental wellness?

Watching my interviews with public figures and ordinary people is a great way to hear someone’s story, which could spark a conversation. Knowing which form of communication is comfortable with you, verbal or nonverbal is important. Sometimes giving someone a hug can mean so much and spark a conversation such as “I need that hug.”

Why did you quit your job to become a well-being practitioner?

I quit my job for many reasons. I wanted to be there for my one-yearold daughter, as I was missing out on her development and growth, my fiancé and family. I also wanted to be able to have a healthy balance to take care of my own emotional well-being. In addition, I’ve always wanted to be my own boss.

Did quitting your job improve your well-being?

Yes, I was able to reconnect with myself and learn about myself and ways I can improve. As I mentioned, I struggled with social anxiety for a long time and having this time helped me learn about this and overcome my fears. After my child, my emotional well-being dipped and reflecting back, I can admit that I neglected myself and lost my sense of direction. I had to help myself and manage this for myself and my family.

What else would you like us to know about you/ your business?

My business aims to help encourage and support people from all cultures to not feel alone and to know there are people here who want to help them. I am currently creating a therapist directory for people to find a therapist and connect with other like-minded people and learn more about mental health. I also have a WhatsApp group of ladies who I’m helping to encourage and help build mental strength.

https://sharnadegeorge.com Instagram: ask_shar & culturemindstv