Spirituality, Mental Health, and Self-Care

Today's guest post comes to us from Jewell M. Simmons, the creative force behind Hormones and High Heels.  Read her thoughts on Spirituality, Mental-Health and Self-Care below, and then head over to Hormones and High Heels to discuss, inspire, learn & laugh while exploring the realities of women and girls on a journey of womanhood.  

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Spirituality is our intimate gifted relationship with Supreme Intelligence.

And contained within this gift is Power and Wisdom and Light and Love that springs forth into our beings.

Spirituality and Power is an internal refuge where we draw our strength and ability to exist and create. 

Spirituality and Wisdom is the inner voice that speaks, guides, and implores our process as we navigate through our life cycle. 

Spirituality and Light is our interior trust and honor that God has a purpose for our life.  

And Spirituality and Love is our within that outwardly demonstrates our spark of Divinity.

  

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No wonder David said in Psalm 139:14  “I will praise Thee for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are Thy works and that my soul knoweth right well”.

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So armed with this insight and holding Spirituality as the central theme in this trilogy of connection between Spirituality, Mental Health and Self Care, I am encouraged.

 And for a moment, I want to stay on this side of the equation.  You know how they say “give me the good news first…” When we access our Power and Wisdom and Light and Love, our minds find solace and a quiet place to sit, think well or not, and just be grateful.  Because ultimately, our minds need to rest, be still, be comforted, and pampered with wondrous and wonderful imaginings and ideas and stories and laughter.  And though we may not always be mindful about our minds the truth is that our mental well-being is dependent upon our ability to welcome and engage in relaxation, repose, kindness, gentle thoughts, sounds, and colorful things.  And not just at night when we go to bed.  That is for sleep. But I am talking about purposeful and planned time to caress our mind in a soothing embrace of ease.  This profound and life sustaining union between Mind (Mental Health), Body (Self Care) and Spirit (Spirituality) is the ultimate love relationship, safe-guarding our being and keeping our sanity intact and from under attack. 

Acts of Self Care and of Mindfulness are ultimately our expressions of Power and Wisdom and Light and Love that we give to the world.  By doing so we are saying I am valuable, I am worthy, and I am an example of what God wants you to know.  So what are some of those actions and behaviors and choices and decisions?  They are what causes us to eat a meal that will create energy and provide us with healthier outcomes for our bodies, or performing an activity that will increase our muscle mass and produce a facial glow from the accomplishment of the task, or maybe even reading a book that will stimulate our brain activity and take us to galaxies within the realm of God’s majesty where we may become acquainted with our potential because He/She/It materialized it in our minds and hearts.   Positive Self Care and Mental Health Well-Being in concert with Spirituality is about letting the possibilities of life catch you doing things that leave you invigorated and captivated, frightened and excited, reaching, pursuing, stumbling and then straining toward that Light/promise that God has purposed for you. 

But before we go any further, let me correct my own self regarding what I said just a moment ago about the good news - there is no downside to what happens within this combination of Spirituality, Mental Health and Self Care. 

  However, I live and exist in this world and know that we have been and will be challenged by the trials, tribulations, troubles, turbulence and tantrums that befall all of humanity at one time or another.  Some things we will stand against and others we won’t be able to withstand, some things will put unimaginable pressure on us and some things will knock us down, and then some things will bow us low and others will leave us on our knees.  Spiritual showdowns, mental molestation and bodily battles will come up.  Some we will win, others we will lose and still others we will tap out on or draw a tie.  Oh yes, for as long as we are on this side of the soil, all of those things will individually or collectively find their way back to our mind address, heart city, and spiritual zip-code.  Some we will give directions to and others will google us.

All the more reason to get back to the Power and Wisdom and Light and Love that is ever-present and available as an aspect of Spirituality.  And we take that and gel and knead it into our mix of Mental Health and Self Care and come to the knowledge and understanding that we cannot exist as a schism.  All of these components dwelling in harmony are necessary for healthy and holistic living. 

Too many of us brothers and sisters live in shame and isolation due to our imperfections and as a result we don’t get the assistance needed to bring us back to or as close to wholeness as we can be. 

Let me express it this way,

It may not always pretty but a limping man can walk.

 And truth be told, we all have a limp but it just may not be in our limbs and therefore outwardly or readily apparent.   

 However, through utilizing the fruits of Spirituality, we can raise the quality of our mental health outcomes and self-care behaviors so that our limp is not only less noticeable but less debilitating.  And while Spirituality sits at the helm, its’ engagement for positive results in Mental Health and Self Care render it as part of a reciprocal relationship.  We need not be embarrassed to receive these blessings because Supreme Intelligence gave cures and therapies and apparatus and medicines and scientific minds to scientific minds so that we could appreciate and relish in the benefits of His beneficence.

My limp is my unique opportunity to share my experience of the Divine.  I don’t always get it right but I have learned and continue in the lessons of  using my Spirituality to refocus, calm and discipline my raging and rage-filled, unruly, far-flung passions and passionate, stagnant and stuck thoughts, and behaviors when my mental health needs to be realigned, re-positioned and settled down and my body needs me to make better choices for sustaining, strengthening and respecting its’ capacity and responsibility.  I need this trilogy / my triplets to be in harmony so that my Power is disciplined and balanced, and my Wisdom is rightly directed and utilized, and my Light is brightly and appropriately illuminated and my Love is experienced and shared in the fullness and truth of itself. 

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“I will praise Thee for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are Thy works and that my soul knoweth right well”.

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Panelist Profile: Kathleen Sousa

The wisdom in each Wisdom Workshop comes from the talented panelists who share their knowledge and experience with us.   The first panelist we are going to feature is a licensed independent clinical social worker in both the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the State of Rhode Island.  We are proud to have Kathleen A. Souza, MS, MSW, LICSW join us!

My initial education and experience began while attending the Community College of Rhode Island in their Mental Health Counseling Program while employed as a Mental Health Counselor-Community Outreach with the Providence Community Mental Health Center. I graduated with honors having received an AA Degree in Mental Health and was inducted into the National Junior College Honors Association. 

I went on to enroll and graduate from Roger Williams University in Bristol, Rhode Island with a BS Degree cum laude in Social Services. I continued to increase my education and developing experience while attending Leslie University in Cambridge, Massachusetts receiving a MS Degree in Management. I continued to develop my skills in the field of Mental Health/Health striving to reach my goal to become a Social Worker and entered into Rhode Island College Master Social Work Program in North Providence, Rhode Island where I received a Master of Social Work Degree (MSW). 

My education and experience journey has helped me to understand and work with many diverse populations; to be non-judgmental; to begin any intervention where the client (s) is/are; to understand that only when the mind, body and spirit are in sync can there be any real change; and as a “mandated reporter” to maintain the Social Work Code of Ethics.

Spirituality. Mental Health. Self Care.

As we continue to prepare for the Wisdom Workshop on Spirituality, Mental Health, and Self-Care, we have invited guest bloggers to contribute their voices to the conversation. Today's guest post comes from Romney Donald. Read more about her at the end of this post.

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Some people will describe spirituality as a feeling and not want to confuse it with religion. I believe that an individual’s idea of spirituality to them, is just that, what they envision it to be. For me, my spirituality is rooted in my faith, which represents the love I have for Jesus. Take some time to think about what spirituality means to you. While we are in this change of season, consider how you can refresh your spirituality. What does that look like to you?

September is Self Care Awareness month and I believe this is especially fitting for the upcoming change in the season. As we are all switching gears from the warm sunny days to falling leaves and windier days, what better time to check in with ourselves? It is important to take care of ourselves because we tend to have the habit of putting others first, consistently. If we neglect to take care of ourselves, we really won’t be much good to those that we do want to help and take care of. It’s incredibly easy to get caught up in a routine where we are constantly moving, but it is imperative to carve out that “me time” and show yourself some love.

So what are some ways that we can practice self care? The answer to that can vary of course, depending on the person. We all have different ideas of what it may look like to put our needs first and that could include, sitting on the couch uninterrupted for a bit and binge watching your your favorite Netflix show. Maybe you want to check out a yoga class, or try a new restaurant by yourself. There is not wrong or right answer to what self care looks like to you, as long as you are willing to prioritize making it happen.

Another avenue of self care appears in the form of therapy, which can be beneficial to your mental health. While doing things that make you happy is important, there may also be times that that just isn’t enough. Consulting with a licensed therapist or counselor, may also be in your best interest. The resources are endless and doing the work in therapy is worth it. Many times people do not know where to start when looking for a therapist, luckily in this age of technology, that obstacle is a thing of the past.

I have personally attended therapy sessions off and on since I was in college. My first experience with a counselor was during my Freshman year, following a bad breakup and learning about my father having cancer. When I look back on this time, I am very proud of myself for seeking the help that I desperately needed. As time went on, I became a mother, worked full time and focusing on myself was not a priority.

Last year I lost 2 jobs within months of each other and I was certain God was telling me that I need to pause, take care of me and trust in Him. Instead of applying for more jobs, I filed for unemployment, enrolled into school and searched for a therapist. I really wanted to maximize on my time that I was not working by doing things that would be beneficial to my growth, spiritually and mentally. Completing my degree has been on my “to do list” for years and it was nearly impossible to make happen. Not working for a few months allowed me to put myself in a position where I was my own priority.

Searching for a therapist was not challenging, but finding someone who was right for me is where I had to be realistic. My non-negotiable was that my therapist had to look like me because I would not feel comfortable otherwise. There are great resources such as TalkSpace.com, that allows you to find a therapist that you would communicate with through live videos, text and even audio messages. Websites such as TherapyForBlackGirls.com, has an entire directory of black women that are therapists! Lastly, PsychologyToday.com can also show you therapists in your area and even includes a photo.

In my opinion self care aligns with mental health and spirituality and we can only benefit by being aware of all three.

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Romney Donald is a single parent to an incredible 7 year old, named Nia Sarai. She enjoys spending quality time with her daughter and she strives to ensure that Nia is exposed to endless opportunities. At the moment, Romney is completing her Bachelor's Degree in General Studies with a Social Science concentration. Her expected graduation date is December 2018 and she plans to continue this educational journey to pursue a Master's Degree in Counseling. Follow Romney's journey on instagram @momtonia.

Spirituality... Mental Health... Self-care... Oh my!

Once upon a time, spirituality and religion were considered an indication of mental illness.  This is an understandable assumption when you consider the atrocities committed all over the world in the name of God, or in the name of the church, or because someone claimed that the voice of God told them to do something.  As time has gone on, however, scientists have begun to measure the positive impact that religion and spirituality have on both mental and physical health.  In fact, now it is believed that people who have regular spiritual practices are better able to deal with the highs and lows of life.

As for me, I strive to be a more spiritual person.  Every day I plan to pray, meditate, exercise, eat reasonably well (although I do like unhealthy snacks), be nice to people, be nice to myself, drink water, and get closer to God.  Of course I also have my regular job, my responsibilities in church, and my family.  Its a lot to juggle, and in order preserve my sanity (my mental health), I write things down... ideas, plans, goals, prayers, wishes, hopes... they all go into my planner so that I have some semblance of order, and I can maintain balance.

Somehow, this is all related to self-care.  My homie Alex says, "I noticed that when I am spiritually fulfilled or enlightened, that my mental health does not plague me as much and I feel that my overall physical health is in tact (no pains or aches).  Is there a connection?  Is it mind, body, soul; soul, mind, body; or body, soul, mind?"

Over the course of the next few weeks we are going to explore the relationship between spirituality, mental health, and self-care, culminating in a Wisdom Workshop on October 20, 2018, where three experts will share their perspectives on the topic in person.  Follow our journey on this blog, and on our Facebook page.  Hopefully we will learn something together!