Openly Broken

Openly Broken
For African American Women dealing with Depression

Tuesday, October 2, 2018

Mental Note: The Company You Keep & the Place Where You Sleep


Now more than ever I realize how the company you keep plays a significant role in your mental health.  First of all, if you have a mental health issue I would encourage you to seek help from a "trusted" therapist or spiritual counselor. 

Secondly, I would take inventory of the people that's in your life.  Are they negative?  This may take some time and observation to find out.  How does this person respond to life on a daily basis? 

Everybody has moments of frustration, anger, sadness, disappointment, but this shouldn't be a every day or every week occurrence.  Being in the presence of or listening to or talking to negative people is very toxic.  And if you're "ill" you cannot be in a toxic environment and expect healing. 

We understand this in the physical world, which is why hospitals are so clean and often cold.  They've created an environment for healing and getting well.  You cannot get well physically in a toxic, and unclean environment.  In a hospital there are a lot of restricted areas.  Every body can't just step into any room or location. 


There are certain areas where there are restrictions and only people that are authorized are aloud in these areas.  Do you know why?  Because they know how to behave around a sick person.  They know the right clothes to wear to protect themselves and the sick person.  They know how to stay clean.  They understand the messiness of the sick. 

I often compare our mental state to our physical state because there are so many similarities.  When you are sick, you can't have other sick people around you because how are you going to get better.  You can't get well in an unstable environment. 

A hospital is a controlled environment.  You have to be in a controlled environment when you're trying to heal mentally.  You cannot be in a place where someone'e moods will change at the drop of the hat.  It's too much of a toxic situation for healing to take place. 

Some of us have gone through various things in our life that have caused us to become vulnerable to certain diseases--(dis-ease)-- cancers (toxins that spread) and dysfunctional behaviors.  In order to get better or to get healing you must change your environment. 

Nothing will get better in a messed up environment.  I sometimes think about trying to get clean in a swamp.  It really doesn't matter how much soap I use in the swamp, I will never get clean. 

Monday, October 1, 2018

NOTE: Remember Who You Are!


I recently re-watched the movie Black Panther and I noticed something that I hadn't before.  In one of my favorite scenes where T'Challa fights M'Baku, it looks like T'Challa might lose the fight, but he says his full name and finds strength that appears to come out of nowhere.  He defeats his foe.


Why did he say his name?  I believe it was to remind him of who he is.  So what's in a name?  I've had moments like this before where I've said "hey, I'm Candace, I don't have to deal with this or live like this anymore. 



What do you think about when you say your name?  What comes to your mind?  When you're in a battle you don't have the time to try to figure it out.  It is during the time of peace and quiet that you have the time to decide who you will be. 

Sometimes I've thought about my name and I didn't like it.  And that's because I didn't like me.  I didn't like who I had become.  But I had to remember who God told me and showed me who I was.  This gave me the faith to know that is was possible to change.  And once I knew that I could change I sought out the wisdom and knowledge so that I could know the steps to change.

So, now when I face battles that seem like I should lose, I remind myself of who I am, where I've been and what I've learned, and somehow, someway I find the strength to keep fighting until I win!

Remember who you are!!!