Fatou’s Mental Health Journey
Growing up in the city of Detroit and being in a rather big family, I feel like mental health wasn’t at the forefront of my life. I remember some days when I was younger and felt like I hit a breaking point but had nobody to share my feelings with, not even my own family or close friends. I vividly remember being in my room one day crying myself to sleep and I thought to myself how I would never want my future child to feel that way. My relationship with mental health looks very different today, especially as I’m stepping into adulthood. The ways I maneuver on a daily basis with family has also changed, especially since I haven’t lived in the city or with family for 5 years. Dynamics change and so do relationships, and that’s okay.
As a 22 year-old woman, I can proudly say that my mental and spiritual health are crucial to my overall well-being. My space is important. If I cannot live and operate comfortably in my own environment, then I go into fight or flight mode. Friends always tell me how I can’t stay put, which I disagree with, but it’s something about being able to move freely, with ease. I decide the rules and choose what energy to keep in my space. So, after transitioning from Detroit to Washington, D.C. and D.C. to Italy, I’ve picked up on a few activities that keep me guided and serene.
Self-care for me looks like prayer, meditation, reading and writing. Each of these activities bring a level of peace where no one can disrupt or interrupt my vibe. Red wine, incenses and spicy food are a few factors that also keep me content. The most important aspect from my journey is that no one can make you happy like you do. After living in Italy for 7 months, even in the midst of a pandemic, I had to realize that the actions I choose to make will affect my happiness, not the next person. One thing I learned from traveling is to be yourself, in any setting. This played a major role in how I maintained my mental health during my first year of graduate school.
I am still evolving. I cannot offer one definition of what evolving looks like for an individual but my experiences define evolving as holding myself accountable at times when I feel low and at times when I feel like I’m sitting on the mountaintop. I know I’m evolving into the person who I’m destined to be when I accomplish and defeat tasks that I never imagined before. Through faith, hard work, balance and self-care, I continue to evolve day in and day out.