I always eyeball what’s trending on Twitter when I check my account first thing in the morning. Trending today is #WorldMentalHealthDay. I clicked on the hashtag to see what people were tweeting about globally.
I landed at this Tweet from @FRESHSpeakers and took their advice. I had to get my workday going and we all know how you can get sucked into more time reading smart posts about things that interest you. I watched this TED talk by Ms. Nkki Webber Allen and felt compelled to share it here on HealthCetera.
Nikki Webber Allen is a mMultimedia producer and is working to create a safe space for honest conversations about mental health in communities of color.
Having feelings isn’t a sign of weakness — they mean we’re human, says producer and activist Nikki Webber Allen. Even after being diagnosed with anxiety and depression, Webber Allen felt too ashamed to tell anybody, keeping her condition a secret until a family tragedy revealed how others close to her were also suffering. In this important talk about mental health, she speaks openly about her struggle — and why communities of color must undo the stigma that misreads depression as a weakness and keeps sufferers from getting help.
As it’s #WorldMentalHealthDay, teach yourself a new fact about mental illness. The more the world knows, the more we reduce the stigma #WMHD.
Be kind to others. Listen to their stories. Support them to seek professional help. Keep checking in with them. Tell them they matter.
