Transform with Verve

Have you ever walked into a café and ordered something and as soon as you do that, the server starts speaking loudly (or shouting) back at you? Or even ignore you? Just because you look different from them, they believe you cannot understand or comprehend the language.

And you wonder why? And suddenly start feeling conscious and thinking, am I dressed all right? Is there something on my face? Did I not say the order correctly? Am I an alien?

No, none of the above. You are being stereotyped even before an engagement has been fully established. This is a form of .

Racial slurs, violence, or discrimination is overt racism. Though this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Covert racism, and aversive racism on the other hand such as implicit biases, and microaggression are more subtle in comparison to blatant racism. Though the impact is no less. In these situations, the person is not even aware of their behavior. They believe themselves to be non-prejudiced even though they harbor negative feelings and beliefs about different ethnicities.

These unconscious negative feelings and beliefs are developed over a while because of normal (not sure what normal is), almost unavoidable, and frequently functional, cognitive, motivational, and social-cultural processes.

Even though people shy away from discussing or addressing racism. it is experienced at all levels be it at schools, social settings, or even workplace environments. It should not be taken lightly considering the damage it does to an individual just based on their appearance, clothes, age, s*x, gender, language, marital status, etc.

Racism can influence our mental and physical health significantly, where, the person not only feels stressed but it can lead to feelings of , isolation, , , disengaged from society & culture, and spiraling downwards into poor habits including addiction.

What can we do about it?

👉Respect & appreciate cultural diversity

👉Build cultural competence

👉Join different community groups

👉Raise your against racism

👉Ask for support

👉Build personal resilience

👉Ask for mental health support

“Empty vessels make the most noise” was my science teacher's favorite phrase every time she handed out the test results, especially to the ones who did not achieve the desired results.
Whilst, it was funny for the rest of the class, I am sure it was super embarrassing & uncomfortable for the child to be singled out in front of everyone.
So, each time the science tests, and exams were announced all students scrambled to get the best results not for the love of the subject but out of fear of being singled out in front of the class.

Though the teacher never asked, how can I help you to understand the subject better?

Then, there were times when there was corporal punishment (not literally) handed out to students for being non-compliant such as for not completing their homework or not answering the question exactly to what was there in the book.

Followed by being labeled as “stupid”, “dumb” “lazy” and so on.

Whilst these are some of the extreme examples of schooling, they do have a lasting effect on a person.

Why am I talking about and the ways at school?

Well! Schools are one of our founding pillars to gain knowledge, skills, social skills, etc. Though when there is a significant to know everything and to perform well in all subjects, then the joy and passion are taken away.
It becomes a race (dare I say rat race) to perform/outperform self and others.

Don’t get me wrong I love any institution that imparts knowledge and that fosters learning and growth. Though when everyone is expected to perform and assessed on a single parameter, it gets challenging as we are all not designed to be the same. We are all with different interests and passions.

When we are viewed from a single lens, it adds significant stress and can lead to issues such as anxiety, panic, fear of being judged, labeled, and not being due to poor performance, etc.
I remember suffering from asthmatic attacks every time I had exams.

So, what do we do? Leave school?

Perhaps not! Education is important.

Though what can you do to build resiliency for your mental health?

👉Encourage open communication.

👉Ask for support from your peers, teachers & family.

👉Cultivate a hobby (s).

👉Pursue different interests.

👉Eat, exercise and sleep well.

👉Don’t believe everything on social media.

👉Social media does not define you.

👉Familiarize yourself with world history.

👉Read about great personalities.

Have there been times when you heard people snickering and saying “Is it that time of the month”?
Well, guess what!! Yes, it is and you know what? I am in pain, I am feeling dizzy, experiencing brain fog, have a headache, and am massively irritable so steer clear unless you want to help. These can be classified as premenstrual symptoms (PMS) and they differ from person to person varying in severity levels.

Have you ever experienced any aches or pain? A client of mine recently developed severe backache and seemed like his whole world shifted. He just could not think straight or focus on anything as the pain was taking most of his energy.

Growing up I remember how conscious one used to be when there was a skin breakout and the remedies that were concocted to fix it as soon as possible. Now consider someone who is suffering from a prolonged skin condition, how much distress they must be experiencing emotionally and psychologically?

Or have you ever suffered from low iron or anaemia in your life and suddenly noticed a drop in energy levels which impacts your motivation along with the need to preserve energy?

Now, why am I talking about PMS, aches, acne, and blood quality?

As I am not a qualified doctor though I can proudly say with the ailments I have suffered during life I can surely qualify as half-quack.

Simply to point out that our determines our . Even if there is the slightest shift in our physical health it affects our .

I haven’t even touched the body image and its impact yet.

So, what do we do?
👉Of course, speak to a doctor and get your health checked regularly.

Though the other things that can help;
👉Establish a routine.

👉Ensure you are getting enough sleep.

👉Incorporate some – yoga, dancing, walking, swimming, etc.

👉Be mindful of what you eat.

👉Practice some form of mindfulness to not let intrusive thoughts overpower you.

👉 .

👉Talk to a trusted , confidante, , or .