Reclaiming Ourselves During Mental Health Month (and beyond)
On how self belonging gets us there
May marks Mental Health Awareness Month, which is a lovely invitation to explore, reflect, and reclaim our personal development, spiritual, and mental health journeys.
This week I discussed belonging at the Black Goddess Liberated summit, and shared the 3 belonging layers of being (1)seen, (2)embraced, and (3)celebrated. Every time I have ever presented the Belonging Integration™️ model, inevitably someone comes to me afterwards in tears. The response is always the same.
“When you talked about Self Belonging, I lost it. I didn’t even know that was a thing. I felt it. But I didn’t know how to describe it. I didn’t know I could create my own belonging. Until now.”
What are the barriers to belonging back to ourselves?
Belonging is rooted in loving, respectful, intentional connection. We create our own barriers to self belonging when we abandon our voices, our values, our core desires, our visions, our dreams, our actual values (not someone else’s) - all the gorgeous traits that make you, you. When we deny and repress and reject ourselves, we no longer belong to ourselves. The worst form of abandonment is self abandonment. Then the self doubt creeps in. “Am I too much? Or not enough?” And then we are risk of becoming someone who we simply aren’t.
The great news is that we can claim and create belonging. By naming our values, loving those values, and aligning our word and behaviors with those values, we are respectively seeing, embracing, and celebrating ourselves. Celebrating that you - without any titles, labels, or roles - bring something to this world that matters. Like kindness. Like radiance. Like insight. Like empathy. Like boldness and innovation. Like anything that is truly important to you. And the courage and strength to surround yourself with folx who support you in simply BEING.
What is one aspect of yourself that you can celebrate this month?
On the Pod
Belonging + Mental Health
This week’s podcast is a special episode for Mental Health Awareness Month. I was interviewed by our show’s brilliant producer Julius Shepard-Morgan, and we chatted about the important role belonging plays in our mental wellbeing. I also share my journey to reluctantly becoming a therapist, and the two ways I create safety in my inner world.
In this clip, I share what belonging means to me personally as a Woman of Color. Listen to the full episode on your favorite podcast platform!