Reason #1:Why You Should Choose Being Mentally Healthy as a Valentine’s Day Gift

Peggie Kirkland  0:04 
Welcome to the Momma's Motivational Messages podcast, where women learn to stop putting themselves on the back burner and start paying attention to caring for themselves first, so they can be better for everyone else in their lives. I know you'll be inspired by the stories of resiliency and starting over of health and self healing, of gaining clarity through journaling, of showing self-love through world travel, and the list goes on. I encourage you to relax and enjoy. I'm your host Peggie Kirkland, PK.

Peggie Kirkland  0:44 
Hi everyone. In this episode, we're going to focus on one of the pillars of self-care and that is mental health. Remember when Naomi Osaka talked about taking time out to focus on her mental health. And I don't know if you remember, who or know who Naomi, Osaka is. She is the four-time Grand Slam singles, female tennis star. And she talked about taking time out to focus on her mental health, because she had faced long bouts of depression ever since she won the United States open in 2018. And when she did that, she experienced a lot of criticism, people were talking about her as though what she wanted to do was something negative. But what some people don't realize is that she was really being very smart and taking her self-care into her own hands.

Peggie Kirkland  1:51 
Since then, there have been many reports about high-profile suicides. For example, the son of representative Jamie Raskin died by suicide on December 31 2020. And then you had award-winning, American actress Regina King, she lost her son and only child, Ian Alexander, Jr. to suicide at age 26. And that was very recently, I remember when I saw them, celebrating on New Year's Eve with Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen. And I thought, Oh, how cute, they look together. And now he is gone. And then just recently, we had former Miss USA Chesley Kryst who died at 30. Her death is being investigated as a possible suicide. Now, these are three suicides that were public because the figures involved were public, or they were related to public figures. But according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the reality is that suicide is a leading cause of death in the United States, which makes being mentally healthy, an area of critical importance.

Peggie Kirkland  3:17 
And so, I just want to define a little bit what is meant when we use the term mental health. And for that, I went to Mayo Clinic, which, if you're not aware, Mayo Clinic has been recognized as the best hospital in the nation for 2021 - 2022 by US News and World Report. The clinic defines mental health as the overall wellness of how you think, regulate your feelings, and behave in personal and family relationships, at work or school, and in social settings.

Peggie Kirkland  4:02 
At this point, you might be asking yourself, "Am I mentally healthy?" Well, I'm going to give you nine cues from Mayo Clinic that will help you to start thinking about whether you need to seek help from a mental health professional. And here are those cues:

Peggie Kirkland  4:23 
if there are marked changes in your personality, eating or sleeping patterns. If you're having an inability to cope with problems or daily activities. Do you have feelings of disconnection or withdrawal from normal activities? Are you experiencing excessive anxiety? Do you have prolonged sadness, depression, or apathy? Do you have thoughts or are you making statements about suicide or harming others? Are you engaged in substance misuse? Do you have extreme mood swings? And are you exhibiting excessive anger, hostility, or violent behavior?

Peggie Kirkland  5:22 
The truth is, many people avoid dealing with their symptoms because of feelings of shame, or fear. And we know that to be a fact, and especially in the black community, we know that there is significant stigma that's associated with mental health concerns. And in fact, many people in the black community prefer to rely on religious coping strategies or guidance from pastors. Or I'm sure you've heard this repeatedly, "Just pray about it."  If you're wondering why this is the case, oftentimes, it's a direct result of the lack of access that minority communities have not only to appropriate but culturally responsive mental health care. And then there's the prejudice and racism that blacks encounter daily, and the historical trauma that blacks have experienced from the medical field. According to Columbia University Department of Psychiatry, these are some of the reasons why members of the Black community may not seek help from mental health professionals.

Peggie Kirkland  6:48 
The bottom line is that if the cues that I mentioned resonate with you, then you should give yourself the gift of being mentally healthy for Valentine's Day, because the effects are going to impact your life way beyond this day of Cupid and his arrows of gifts of chocolate and flowers and jewelry and cute lingerie. This is about putting your mental health first.

Peggie Kirkland  7:20 
In our next episode, we'll take a look at giving yourself the gift of physical health. And please, if you or somebody you know is in crisis, please call the toll free National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK.  That number again is 1-800-273-TALK. See you in our next episode.

Peggie Kirkland  7:52  
If you've been inspired and encouraged by the positive messages in today's show, please take a moment to rate and review the show on Apple podcast. This will help to keep the show alive. And remember, sharing is caring. So don't forget to share these gems with friends and family strangers too if you like, let them know it's available wherever they listened to their podcast. I'm counting on you to share the love. Until next time. This is PK sending you much light and a whole lot of love.