Dominique
Dominique
Take it one day at a time
A lot of times people see me and don’t think that there’s anything wrong.
They see me as strong and powerful, but they don’t necessarily see that I struggle too, because I don’t look depressed or I don’t look anxious—but neither of those things have one set look.
Sometimes depression is a six-foot-seven-inch Russian guy, and other times it’s a five-foot-five-inch Black girl.
Around the time she was 12 years old, Dominique knew something was wrong. Being touched made her uncomfortable. In school, she was constantly anxious.
Still, she didn’t say anything until her senior year of high school, and by that point she was having panic attacks every day.
In time, Dominique was diagnosed with anxiety and depression, but she didn’t begin treatment until she was a 20-year-old college sophomore. Treatment, she said, “has had its ups and downs.”
“Stop faking the positivity, because sometimes that’s more detrimental than it is helpful. Take it one day at a time. Breathe.”
Although she has been able to find a medication plan that helps with her anxiety, she still struggles.
The hardest part of fixing a problem is acknowledging its existence.
We have to stop making it seem like it’s not okay to not be okay.
Encouraging others to learn from her experience and seek help for mental health issues is important to Dominique. She’s concerned about mental health in her community.
In my community, we don’t talk about mental health. You suck it up and deal with it.
But ignoring mental health challenges, she feels, “really does a disservice, because not only does it invalidate the reality of these issues within our community, but it also reinforces unhealthy coping mechanisms.”
Ultimately, Dominique wants those with mental health issues to take steps to take care of themselves.
Stop faking the positivity, because sometimes that’s more detrimental than it is helpful. Take it one day at a time. Breathe.
