Mwanaume strong

Disclaimer, I am neither a mental health professional nor a mental health expert. My suggestions are solely based on my own experiences in handling anxiety . Battle in my mind. A common statement used to define what it means to struggle with anxiety. This holds factual, especially among men. As stated earlier, the vast populace of boys and men, find it rather taxing to open up about their internal struggles. Silence means approval. It simply means that you consent to anxiety's belligerent demands.  Maybe you might have not thought of it like this; quite understandable. I think this is what African society has taught men. " As a man you are; at any cost, not allowed to display your feelings, emotions, and struggles to the public."  "Men don't cry!" "You are the man of the house, what will your sisters do if you act like this?" "Man up!" All these repugnant and offensive remarks have been used several times, especially to boys w...

Self-care is  the act of taking care of oneself both physically or mentally without any health- professional help, a term used attributively; "I had a tough day so I'm going to use the next four hours for self-care." Self-care has existed since time immemorial. However, it has been predominantly and quite ostensibly practiced by the female species. Hence, men have always affiliated the term with ladies, not knowing that they, also, are in dire need of a bit of self-love and self-care. I think until recently, men have always had a retrogressive attitude towards "self-care". deeming it to portray them as paragons of weakness; especially for society's so-called; "Alpha males". This has now been proven otherwise; as self-care has now been panned out to be rather integral in the healthy development of the human mind and body.  Few stoic men have practiced different forms of self-care. This is especially popular among athletes and the "Z...

Well  hello there! Welcome back to the "mwanaumestrong" blog. I hope this time we have spent away from each other has been nothing but productive if not healthy. In today's blog post, I would like to focus on a very minutely discussed topic; 'Toxic positivity'.  Well, for starters toxic positivity or positive toxicity is dysfunctional emotional management without the full acknowledgment of negative emotions, particularly anger and sadness.  It is prevalent, especially in African culture and more so; in Kenyan culture. I remember almost vividly when I finally decided to open up about some of my mental health issues, I received some impertinent remarks from a few fellows here and there; mostly elderly adults. These statements included: "being negative won't help you" - (.... thanks for the advice I think I should have known that by now), "good vibes only". (... seriously? even when I am having a depressive episode?), "Other p...

  I think death itself is the summary statement of one's predicament, and people usually come into its embrace, days and months before the barrel of a gun feels cold against one's tongue, its head mounted in a vantage position on the roof of the tongue, and from it; slightly acidic and pungent smelling gun oil, immaculately oozing or the calloused fingertips finally and lastly experiencing a rough feel of the rough metal between the bridge rails. Then it's "boom!"; rivers and rivers of blood, almost livid and ketchup-like, that it almost looks fake. Just to sum up, some people die before they experience death. " I was tired, I was weary, I was weak, I was worn". Scene; alliteration, that is what my powerful English teacher taught me. I use it to hide the hidden meaning of my poem. I use it quite ostensibly. The barbiturates I take to regulate my emotions have turned me into an insomniac. I had been awake almost the whole night pondering the w...

Welcome back to my Blog!  In today's post, I will be talking about the arduous and rocky journey in trying to combat depression and anxiety through therapy. The Journey began on February 13th 2022. Ironically, It was a Friday (spooky....I know). This was the day I first set foot in a psychologist's office. I had mixed feelings to say the least. I remember feeling quite anxious, my heart pounding and almost throbbing out of my chest. My futile attempts with self help from self help books; seemed lackluster. I couldn't hold it within me anymore. The water guard had slipped off my puny hands and collapsed, breaking into pieces just at the door step. The door step to my temple. I literally collapsed in prior episodes before this day.... filled with "zeal and zest". My benign mother alias " mayi " went in first as I remained transfixed to the car seat with a fatalistic expression, plastered on my visage. I can say, I allowed my mind to roam fleeti...

TRIGGER WARNING ⚠️ I remember that day quite vividly. The day I thought I had finally drawn my last straw with a once happy and cheerful life. A sudden change, almost intransigent. My therapist says I have a very high intrapersonal intelligence (Individuals who are strong in intrapersonal intelligence are good at being aware of their emotional states, feelings, and motivations). Sometimes it's difficult for people to be aware of themselves and the vast changes taking place in their minds. For me, it all started when I lost a close friend and my dear and beloved grandmother -a once domineering matriarch who always found the inner strength to pull herself out of anything this life threw at her. As the very popular Beyoncé song goes; 'she was served lemons but she made lemonade'. RIP " Kukhu wanje ". All these culminated in me getting quite depressed and anxious. Death is like a phantom who haunts lonely roads, it always comes unexpected. One minute you a...

They bathe me. They bathe me with their love, they bathe me with their confidence, and they bathe me with their reassurance. They have stood me in great stead in my struggles with my mental health. They are magicians, they have pulled me back together, knot after knot after knot from my cut pieces. They have brought me an orchestra, they have made the man in doubt disappear. No one and I mean not a breathing soul can do it on their own. This is no rocket science. As men, it is sometimes; in simple terms; "mind-boggling" to open up about our issues. This is especially rampant in the "African Janadume" … better known as "mwanaume strongs" of society. I would now like to tell you... baptize those tears, dry your eyes, wear your 'big-boy pants, and seek HELP! I was once very frightened. The thought of opening up made my stomach churn. I mean, how would the patriarchal society view me? I simply did not want to be a social pariah. But I knew for ...

 Well hello there!!! Welcome to my blog where I try or we try to debunk myths and misconceptions about mental health, especially in men and teenage boys. Well, with my fair share of depression and anxiety, I have had an odyssey filled with stereotypes and derogatory statements from people whom I have interacted with. I wouldn't blame them, there was once a time I was quite in the mix about mental health and people who struggled with mental health. I think starting this blog was all about challenging some of these condescending statements and debunking myths about mental health. First of all, any person can struggle with their mental health. People have this notion that if you have broad shoulders, thick thighs, and "pompous abs" ...you simply cannot succumb to a mental frenzy. I think society has impacted our understanding of many things including such retrogressive notions. One thing people don't know is that mental health struggles can impact anyone and ...