MindMyMelanin

First and foremost I would like to shamefully apologize to those who I have hurt because of my depression and anxiety… To those who I have abandoned at social gatherings without any notice. To those who I have screened an abundance of calls and texts, because I was too busy being “unbusy”. And lastly to […]

As a child I vividly recall coloring pictures of things such as flowers, people, and places I’d imagined in my budding mind, to subsequently showcase them to my parents. In return, my parents would encourage me with compliments like “It’s beautiful” and “Good job!”. When creating my masterpieces I became so captivated in my process, that […]

  Baby it’s cold outside, and I’ve gotten S.A.D. I’m not suggesting to the type of sad you get from a messy break-up. Or the type of a sad you develop from your goldfish swimming their last swim. I am referring to Seasonal Affective Disorder, also commonly known as Seasonal Depression.   “So what exactly […]

  “Me too” This is “newly” empowering campaign started by activist Tarana Burke, that I have witnessed numerous women bring forth onto their social media. In itself this phrase symbolizes the voice of women (of color in particular) who have ever been sexually harassed or assaulted. The goal of this movement is to educate individuals […]

As a dark-skinned black woman I never realized how much time I wasted attempting to validate my beauty and worth to society. I think that’s just the issue. I tried to validate things that never needed to be validated. Being a darker-skinned woman is rarely associated with the term beautiful by itself. In addition, it […]

What does it mean when someone compliments you on how you look with depression? What about anxiety? Bipolarism? PTSD? When someone tells you that you look good with depression or any mental illness, what they really mean to say is:   “You do an extraordinary job at hiding it so well”   But is that […]

I spent two weeks in Ferrol, Spain where I met five of the most uniquely beautiful young women. Their names were Sara, Mo, Grace, Morgan, and Kiana. The six of us were accepted into a pre med fellowship to shadow doctors abroad. Originally when I applied for the fellowship, I was still battling a series […]

Dear me, You are enough, and you always will be. You are beautiful, smart and strong. Never grant anyone the power to make you believe otherwise.  Do not be afraid of growth. Evolving is such a beautiful process, and the results are breathtaking.  Looking back is unnecessary since you are not going that direction. Do […]

This past Tuesday was the first time in what seemed like an eternity that I could no longer “self cope”. When I say self cope, I mean self medicate, I mean “be my own therapist”, I mean I could no longer DEAL. The thing about us  black women and  “women of color” (for those who […]

  This morning as I was getting ready for church, I face timed with one of my best friends from undergrad; who in reality kept me from going insane. Her name is Shanda. Per usual we were reminiscing and revisiting our friendship, when I asked her if she remembered the day she pulled me out […]