For a long time I did not believe this. Even though at the age of 10, I was an overweight kid who was constantly picked on because of how I looked, and those encounters led me to anxiety and depression. I didn’t even know that mental health existed, but I had these feelings I didn’t know how to express and not many outlets to help me properly vent.
“I was so confused – if I’m not supposed to be dealing with any of these feelings or struggles, how do they always seem to find me?”
Growing up on the Southeast side of Chicago, mental health was not talked about much. We were lucky if we had even one therapist or a counselor in my school system during that time. If we tried to open up to parents or elders, we were typically told we were too young to be dealing with sadness and had nothing to be depressed about. Depending on the upbringing from a religious standpoint, it was usually a conversation that circled around needing more prayer or getting closer to God.
For some of us, myself included, we were told that this was a white person’s problem and that Black folks didn’t have time to deal with these types of issues. Hearing all these narratives from different sources throughout my childhood, I couldn’t understand why I found myself suicidal by the age of 14. And this lifestyle stuck with me until I was 20, in my sophomore year of college facing a final suicide attempt that almost took my life. After that experience, I was forced to sit in front of a counselor in order to stay in school. I had to talk about all the emotions and issues I had bottled up for so long. I was so confused – if I’m not supposed to be dealing with any of these feelings or struggles, how do they always seem to find me?
It was through that therapy that I came to the understanding that mental health and mental health struggles are not exclusive to one group of people. It was in the space of therapy where I gained a true understanding that we all have mental health. The same way we all have a physical health that we tend to give our time and attention to, we have a mental health that we must do the same for. We understand that if we don’t properly invest in our physical health, at some point in time we will start to see the results of that. It may come through small tweaks and pains in the body or an ailment that needs to be addressed later in life. Our mental health is the exact same way. We go through life dealing with experiences and traumas that don’t always rear their head immediately. And when they do, it can be confusing to try to identify the source and why it has such a profound impact on whatever it is we might be dealing with.
I’m a firm believer that having a mental health is actually a beautiful thing. Our minds are beautiful and they deserve to be treated as such. So when I say we all have a mental health, it’s not a bad thing. And for those of us who struggle mentally and emotionally or have been diagnosed, I want you to know that this doesn’t make you any less of a person. You are still so valuable and worthy. As someone who knows the struggle of being in mental battles where you can feel like it’s pointless, I want you to know that your life still has such a great purpose. You are more than the sum of your diagnosis and you are so much more than the label that has been put on you. You are stronger and more capable than you think.
I’d like to invite you all on a journey I call the 31 days of power. It’s a series of conversations that revolve around our daily life experiences that affect our mental and emotional health, whether we recognize it or not. From this journey, I want us to be able to find our power and the voice for our mental health.
I leave you all with two thoughts around the notion that “we all have mental health.”
- The first: What will it take for you to acknowledge your own mental health? To admit to having a mental health and learning to embrace it?
- Second: What are some ways we can become proactive rather than reactive with our mental health?
I believe by doing this we give ourselves a great opportunity to tap deeper into our own identity and learn to champion our daily mental health. You’re not losing your life, you’re not feeling, you’re simply between the dream.
If you or someone you know is in a life-threatening mental health or medical emergency, call 911. In an emotional distress crisis, call/text 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (24/7) or chat with a counselor at 988lifeline.org.
Additional mental health resources Black and African American Communities include:
For more mental health resources, visit Premera.com.
Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, Richard Taylor has created an impact over the past decade as a powerful leader and voice of impact for men, women, and children around the world. Taylor is the Founder of TaylorMade Empowerment, a self-published author of seven books, Board of Directors member for NAMI Eastside and host of a global podcast. He is also a highly sought-after speaker who brings an empowering message of victory by creating a unique way to make the conversation of mental health easier and digestible for all of his audiences.
