Reclaiming Wellness (cont’d)

workshops, trainings, community events and mentorship pairings as well as partners with religious leaders, stylists and barbers to normalize conversations about mental health within the community.

Cammack, whose goal for the organization is to “developresources around mental health and wellness from a black perspective”, believes that reclaiming wellness can mean setting strict boundaries with yourself and others--even if it upsets those around you.

“When you start to do your healing journey, the people who have benefited from you not having those boundaries are not going to like it. You have to re-educate people on how to interact with you,” Cammack said.

Brabham, who struggled with learning to set boundaries, echoes the same sentiment.

“I have been someone who has struggled with it for so long,” she said. “It sounds harsh in some situations, but you have to say no in a situation, especially where you know this is going to override your stress levels, or put you in a position where they’re taking advantage of your peace and emotional well being.”

Both Cammack and Brabham use social media to increase brand awareness, but agree that social media can take a toll on one’s mental health.

Cammack believes that social media, although filled with authentic content that can inspire others, can be misleading and oftentimes not based on facts. She urges those who look to social media to start their wellness journey to “vet the source” and acknowledges that while massages, spa days, and trips are nice, it’s not what wellness is about.

“[Social media] makes self care and wellness seem like this easy thing, and while those things can be part of self care, that is not getting to the core of what it is,” she said.

While Brabham believes many social media pages focusing on wellness are meant to help others, there’s still a few that create content that isn’t beneficial.

“I feel like there are some people who do try to make an impact and try to find different resources for people within not only our community but in different communities to better our mental health. I do feel like there are some things that people post…it’s not really there to help,” Brabham.

Despite this, reclaiming wellness is a continuous journey with no set destination. It means practicing compassion and setting boundaries even if it means severing ties with those around you. Within a social media environment that breeds comparison, envy, and stress, reclaiming wellness doesn’t just mean reclaiming time. It means reclaiming your energy and focusing on what brings you happiness, wholeness, and fulfillment in your life.

“Even when you get to what you think might be the goal, there’s still always work to be done and giving yourself grace in the process. Healing is not about judgment. It’s not going to be perfect. It’s not going to be easy, but you have to think about if I’m coming out a better person on the other side, then it’s definitely worth those things.” Cammack said.