Let’s unite!

There is SO MUCH stigma with mental health in society overall! This encourages people to isolate themselves when they are struggling because they don’t wanna look weak!

But you know what, “sharing is caring” applies JUST AS MUCH to kids sharing their toys as being open with each other about our struggles. We are all human, we all go through struggles or situations that we don’t understand. Someone else may have gone through those same struggles and seen the rainbow after the storm so can help you through it. If you’re an overcomer, let’s unite  by paying it forward to help empower others!

TIME HEALS ALL WOUNDS! Like I mentioned in the new year post, everything happens for a reason. I feel like it’s a blessing in disguise that I got this experiential PhD which I didn’t exactly choose to take, but its the path God willed me to take to get me to this other PhD in this emerging area of neuroplasticity.  There is this Steve Job quote from a commencement speech that summarizes this situation perfectly: “You can’t connect the dots looking foreword; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. Believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow you heart. Even when it leads you off the well worn path, and that will make all the difference.”

If you a struggling here are the steps I recommend you take:

1. Look through Instagram and Youtube. They will both be constantly updated!
2. Find a father of confession that you are comfortable with and try to talk it out with him. You might have to try a few until you find the right one. But once you do, STICK TO HIM! Don’t keep priest hopping! After all, the whole point of a father of confession is that they know you really well so that they can give you the best advice possible!
3. There is NO SHAME in seeing a therapist! But you need to proceed cautiously and choose a CHRISTIAN one. Furthermore, because of the uniqueness of the Coptic culture I highly recommend a COPTIC CHRISTIAN. You’re in luck because we have a COPTIC professional psychotherapist in our midst!
4. Find an outlet! I can’t emphasize how CRUCIAL this one is! So I used to be a HARDCORE emotional eater. It’s gotten ALOT better but I must admit it still comes back sometimes. When I started my masters, I realized that this outlet was getting me ABSOLUTELY NOWHERE! So I knew I had to look elsewhere, this is when I made the BEST DECISION I have ever done in my whole life and found the gym. Who would have thought that this girl who always barely passed gym class and would always be the last one chosen would become a total GYMAHOLIC! If this option looks appealing and you are on the same boat then I have one piece of advice for you: GET A TRAINER! When you join most gyms, they either have a few free sessions available with a trainer of your choice and/or some introductory package at a fraction of the cost. Give this a try! The same principle of father of confession applies here: you need to find the right match! Another option would be to try some of the classes they offer. Personally, I’m way too self-conscious for those! This is just an example of an outlet that works for me, again you need to FIND THE RIGHT MATCH! This could be running, playing organized sports (I know soccer is quite a popular one lol), painting, music and the list could go on and on!