Destiny

Assistant Director for Operations @CenterForMSIs & @SDPInstitute

[Destiny @Destinylj20]

@nataliepassov @SDPInstitute @marybethgasman @fabiolasantos44 @SerxioGonzalez Welcome Natalie ♥️

[The Samuel DeWitt Proctor Institute @SDPInstitute]

We sincerely thank you for participating in today’s discussion. Please continue to follow @SDPInstitute to engage in further discussions around leadership, equity, and justice! #SDPIChat

[Destiny @Destinylj20]

Yes to everyone:

It is okay to not be okay.

It will get better.

#SDPIChat

[The Samuel DeWitt Proctor Institute @SDPInstitute]

Before we end the chat, are there any final thoughts or ideas on the topic? #SDPIChat

[Destiny @Destinylj20]

A7: My advice to students of color struggling with mental health is to try your best to not deal with these issues alone. Whether you find a support system off-campus or on-campus, lean on them. Sometimes we rule the people most closest to us out. #SDPIChat

[The Samuel DeWitt Proctor Institute @SDPInstitute]

Q7: What advice do you have for students, especially students of color, struggling with their mental health in higher education? #SDPIChat

[Destiny @Destinylj20]

A7: A huge mistake I made when dealing with mental health issues was isolating myself. #SDPIChat

[The Samuel DeWitt Proctor Institute @SDPInstitute]

Q7: What advice do you have for students, especially students of color, struggling with their mental health in higher education? #SDPIChat

[Marybeth Gasman @marybethgasman]

#SDPIChat Self care can be not engaging with people who don't care about you, aren't in your corner, and don't want the best for you. Life is short. Engage with those who love, care, and respect you. @SDPInstitute

[Destiny @Destinylj20]

A5: However, I cannot deny that it is amazing seeing self care at the forefront of every market right now. From that perspective it is helpful ✨ #SDPIChat

[The Samuel DeWitt Proctor Institute @SDPInstitute]

Q5: In recent years, companies have begun to commodify #selfcare and market it as a “trend.” Is this harmful or helpful to destigmatizing mental health? How can we reframe the conversation around self care? #SDPIChat

[Destiny @Destinylj20]

A5: It is both helpful and harmful. As a Black woman, self-care is essential, over time I’ve found that the practice of self-care comes from within. There is no company that can sell or tell me what taking care of myself looks like. That is for me to learn #SDPIChat

[The Samuel DeWitt Proctor Institute @SDPInstitute]

Q5: In recent years, companies have begun to commodify #selfcare and market it as a “trend.” Is this harmful or helpful to destigmatizing mental health? How can we reframe the conversation around self care? #SDPIChat

[Destiny @Destinylj20]

A4: I'm hopeful that trust, turns into relationship and team building. Which will naturally lead to compassion and understanding within the work place. #SDPICHat

[The Samuel DeWitt Proctor Institute @SDPInstitute]

Q4: Audre Lorde has said “self care is political warfare;” how can we transition to a place where self care doesn’t function as resistance to societal norms (i.e. overworking, individualism, capitalistic notions, etc.)? #SDPIChat

[Destiny @Destinylj20]

A4: An example of that is how thousands of us were able to transition to telecommuting within the first few weeks of the pandemic. As a result, I believe employers now have more trust that their employees will get the job done, without overworking them. #SDPIChat

[The Samuel DeWitt Proctor Institute @SDPInstitute]

Q4: Audre Lorde has said “self care is political warfare;” how can we transition to a place where self care doesn’t function as resistance to societal norms (i.e. overworking, individualism, capitalistic notions, etc.)? #SDPIChat

[Destiny @Destinylj20]

A4: We are living through an interesting time where people are realizing that health, in all facets is important and should be a priority. The COVID-19 pandemic revealed to companies/institutions that their employees can adjust swiftly and efficiently. #SDPIChat

[The Samuel DeWitt Proctor Institute @SDPInstitute]

Q4: Audre Lorde has said “self care is political warfare;” how can we transition to a place where self care doesn’t function as resistance to societal norms (i.e. overworking, individualism, capitalistic notions, etc.)? #SDPIChat

[Destiny @Destinylj20]

@SerxioGonzalez @SDPInstitute Love this Sergio, thank you for your work!

[Sergio A. Gonzalez, Ph.D. @SerxioGonzalez]

A3: REFLEXIVITY! I like to create assignments that CENTER my students! Their narratives, counterstories etc., are the funds of knowledge we need to co-create in and out of the classroom. When we center our students it gives them so much agency! #SDPIChat

[Charles Senteio (he/him) @CharlesSenteio]

@SDPInstitute A2: we should also seek and share examples of others who are working to decrease the stigma #SDPIChat Here's a great piece I've shared: https://t.co/Bwm9HQ0vSk

[Destiny @Destinylj20]

A2: Mandatory policies at every higher education institution 🗣️

[Destiny @Destinylj20]

A2: A great step would be for higher education to implement policies that fund support groups and mental health facilities for students of color dealing with mental health challenges. #SDPIChat

[The Samuel DeWitt Proctor Institute @SDPInstitute]

Q2: How can we move toward destigmatizing mental health in places of higher education? #SDPIChat

[Destiny @Destinylj20]

A1: The mental health challenges that I specifically faced as a Black woman in higher education were: anxiety, stress, and depression. #SDPIChat

[The Samuel DeWitt Proctor Institute @SDPInstitute]

Q1: What are some of the mental health challenges that students of color face in higher education? #SDPIChat

[The Samuel DeWitt Proctor Institute @SDPInstitute]

Self-care has become an act of political resistance to the stigmatization of mental health. How can we move toward caring for oneself not being an act of resistance and, rather, acts of self-care being normalized in our society? #SDPIChat

[Fabiola Santos @fabiolasantos44]

Yayyyy @nataliepassov

[The Samuel DeWitt Proctor Institute @SDPInstitute]

This discussion will be hosted by our Institute’s intern, Natalie Passov! @nataliepassov