Relational Health is Mental Health
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Hey Reader, I know it’s been a little bit, but I’m back! I hope you have been doing well as we transition fully into Spring. Did you know, May is Mental Health Awareness Month? Well, if you didn’t know, now you know! This month is a reminder to attend to your mental health and overall well-being. To take a step back and reflect on the ways in which you’ve handled yourself with care and attended to emotional, spiritual, relational, and psychological health. Often, we focus on completing tasks and being productive and fail to check in to see how we are doing, in our doing. So, I hope you take a moment today, tomorrow, and the rest of the year to connect with yourself and ensure you are well. If you need some suggestions, feel free to download my free workbook here. Now, I am not sure how up-to-date you are on the happenings in popular media. But, between the Kendrick/Drake feud... ... and the Amanda Seales interview on Club Shay Shay, I have been in reflection around ‘the culture’ in general–mostly in reflection around relationships and how our perceptions, experiences, and value systems impact how we experience and view interactions. While, I am not someone that likes to go back and forth (I mean sometimes I do), I also realize that my inclination to shut down a conversation or shut down emotionally, can interfere with coming to an agreement, or at minimum an understanding. In conversation, if one party feels slighted, defense mode is instantly activated. However, once we enter defense mode, we are now geared up for a fight. And when we are ready to fight we are not ready to listen, learn, love, or lead. We remove the opportunity for anything productive because we now feel the need to win the fight, sometimes by any means necessary – even if it results in the end of the relationship. But what would happen if we could understand that while something may be personal, we can still be relational? As adults, we have the privilege of choosing our relationships. And if we have chosen a relationship at some point it added value to our lives. But when we are in defense mode, its like our brains dismiss the value of our relationships, and the priority becomes getting one off, or essentially winning the argument. But since the relationship is important, what would it take, before getting into fight mode, to remind ourselves and each other, that there is value in the relationship. Because if we keep this at the forefront, it then changes how we interact and respond. ... It gives us space to clarify statements, ask questions, and maintain the relationship. ... It minimizes the need to come back later and apologize because we now avoid making statements that we regret later, and the other person will always remember. Maintaining healthy relationships, being healed in relationships, is a sign of good mental health. Furthermore, we all need people, and we do ourselves a disservice by engaging in behavior that reduces the support we have. So during this Mental Health Awareness month, focus on being gentle with yourself and in your relationships. It makes a difference. On another note, I am happy to announce that... Sikhona Sanctuary will host its first global learning experience in December 2024! Are you, or someone you know, interested in an immersive learning experience about mental health in Ghana? Awesome! Kindly forward this message to them with a request to [follow me & subscribe here] so they can be the first to learn more soon. As always, thank you for your support. Are you part of an organization or team that would benefit from award-winning speaking, training, or consultation support? I’d love to connect! [Book a consultation call with me to share about your vision for your team or organization.] Until we meet (in your inbox) again - take care. -- In Ubuntu, Dr. Ebony White Ubuntu | I am because we are, and because we are, I am. |
Dr. Ebony White | Sikhona Sanctuary
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