Cie Thomas Ah, springtime, that season in our lives where we find ourselves deep in thought about purpose and life refocusing. As we spring clean our closets, cupboards, offices and even our vehicles, we think about doing the same for our minds and spirits. We spoke with Cymone Lashae, Mental Health Advocate and Chief Executive Officer of A Sound Mind Incorporated, about the importance of taking a moment to assess whether our emotional and mental health need a checkup, or some decluttering.
by Editor-in-Chief E. Claudette Freeman
“I do believe in prevention and being precautious, as opposed to trying to catch up afterwards. I try to get proper rest. I'm very busy – like most people. I work full time in my organization. I have a lot on my plate. But I try to schedule time to take care of myself, to rest, and make sure that I am well. Because I do live with mental health disorder. I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, so I have to be especially intentional about getting rest and not being getting burnt out.” For far too many of us, rest is considered a negative thing. Taking time to sit still, steady your breathing and thoughts, calm and listen to your seems like slacking off. While napping (or resting midday) is a part of some cultures, it is viewed as slothfulness in America. Lashae says there are seven different types of rests that we should consider this Spring, or at any season when overwhelm and hectic days have become the norm. Sleeping is rest, but also rest comes from taking time off of social media. That's a big thing for me, taking time off social media to be present with your family or with your work, or even with yourself, just to be present and enjoy the nature.
Getting outside is super important in managing depression. Often when we get depressed, we want to stay in bed; we don't want to get out but getting that extra vitamin D is truly a blessing. Resting from negative people and environments is key. Like social media, resting from the variety of news and newsmagazine programs is also vital. Learning to regulate information overload and your emotional response to it is critical to resting. Practicing some regular form of self-care is a great tool of rest; as is practicing some form of spiritual care, including meditation, prayer, worship and fasting. When it comes to coming off of social media, or restricting, Lashae admits that can be difficult especially if part of your business or professional life requires it. She talks about how she manages it her life. “I have different social medias accounts. I know a lot of us do. I have Snapchat, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook. One of the big things I will say is that the unfollow button will bless you! Unfollowing is huge, and I'm quick to hit that button. And people are like I don't want to hurt my friend's feelings or my family. I can't take them off, but there are ways on social media that you don't have to, they don't have to know. But they're off your feed and you don't have to take in that negative energy or whatever they're putting out that you can't necessarily consume all the time. That's not good for you to consume all the time. That's jeopardizing your mental health.” Self-care must also become something we teach and share with children, and Lashae encourage men to be more open to. “Children mimic what they see and when they see you taking care of yourself, they're more apt to take care of themselves. When they see you making self-care a priority, they're more likely to make it a priority. Be intentional about teaching your child what self-care looks like, I grew up thinking it was just manicures and spa days and things like that. It is journaling, meditating, sharing your truth, doing something creative that helps you get in touch with you are. It is important to instill in your child what self-care is and how they can best take care of themselves. I don't think a lot of men realize the importance of self-care. And I think one of the big things, especially with minority men is feeling like they have to be strong all the time. Lie they can’t be human, can't feel their emotions. We have to assure them that they don't have to be strong all the time. Lashae wonderfully points out that were some telling ways to identify if you need to kick your self-care up a notch to ward off potential cracks in one’s emotional and mental armor. “Wanting to stay in bed is a huge one. Not being able to get up and get out. Not feeling like you have purpose. You are not motivated. You're not interested in doing the things that you are used to doing. A lot of people have a certain picture in their mind as to what depression should look like. And it's not necessarily crying all the time or anything like that. It can look different for different people. And so, when you start seeing the behavior changes in yourself and you start noticing that you're sleeping more than usual, or you're sleeping less than usual. You're eating changes suddenly or strangely, it's time to pay attention and see what might be going on.” JUNE 2022
ISSUE 03 |17
