hate – DSM (Defeating Stigma Mindfully)

July 2, 2020

Gray-Hearted Individuals

Angry brown Indian male pointing finger with open mouth

People Who Get Under Your Skin

We have all experienced being around people who get under our skin; there’s no avoiding it. These individuals roam the world like wild flock, crossing your path at predictable and unpredictable times. Some of these people you have to work with and see them on a daily basis while others randomly come and go. Whatever the situation, almost anyone will agree that they are a pain in the ass to deal with. Not only do they get under your skin, but they get under many people’s skin.

One thing to keep in mind is that attempting to understand where they come from will do you no good in the long run; you’ll often never find out. You may ask yourself why. The reason is because they will not change their perception and attitude towards you; if they haven’t after a month, six months or a year, then they never will. So why bother wasting your energy attempting to under them?

I call these people gray-hearted individuals because it’s not clear whether their hearts are filled with love or hatred. A lot of times, it feels like they are in-between; on some days you are able to sense some love while on others, all you can feel is anger, jealousy, envy and hatred. One thing that you know for sure is that their hearts are not full of love because otherwise, they wouldn’t be rude and mean to you in the first place.

People who carry a lot of love in their hearts do not consistently get under your skin. These are the people who you can feel their love radiate not only onto you, but onto everyone in the room as well. These are the people who even if you don’t have much in common with, you can sense that they are loving human beings. Remember that you don’t have to have something in common with someone who is loving.

But these gray-hearted individuals are bitter and lack a heart full of love. If they feel threatened in any way by you, they are quick to jump on your back to stab it a few hundred times; it’s almost an automatic response for them because they have been doing it their entire lives. On the other hand, if you get on their good side, they decrease their attacks on you, but at what expense are you willing to sacrifice your sanity to get on their good side? If you can do it by still being yourself, then that’s what you call emotional intelligence!

What is your experience like with these gray-hearted individuals?

Are you Ready? (This is Defeating Stigma Mindfully)

June 12, 2020

Love-Hate Relationship

Collection of photos of young blonde woman making many different facial expressions

Having Patience With Mental Health Patients

Whether you are a loved one, friend, acquaintance or healthcare worker caring for a mental health patient, you’ll come to realize very quickly how the dynamic in the relationship is not consistent at all times; think of it as a love-hate relationship. That’s because we are humans and they are humans; in other words, our emotions fluctuate and our tolerance dissipates at times. On the other hand, mental illness is unpredictable and does not remain predictable day in and day out.

We have to learn how to maintain our composure with mental health patients because if we lose it, then sh*t will really hit the fan (pardon my Portuguese). This goes for anyone who is interacting with a patient in a meaningful way; you cannot lose your cool around them! At times, not only will the patient feel defeated but you will as well; this is when you retreat, wipe the sweat off your face, meditate and get back to it in a cool, calm and collected manner.

Mental health patients rely on us because they are temporarily at a disadvantage; their minds are malfunctioning and they cannot afford to have ours do the same. If you have a low frustration tolerance, then you should probably not be interacting with them in the first place. Patients need a supportive system because they lack support within their own selves.

At times you’ll feel like you hate your patients because they are not recovering and are doing just about everything under the sun to piss you off. They may not be compliant with their medications, curse at you or even attack you! Why in the world would you want to continue interacting with this human being who is putting your physical health at risk? Because you should care about them while reminding yourself that they are not in their right state of mind.

Other times you’ll love your patients because they are doing just about everything right under the sun. They are taking their medications, their symptoms are subsiding, they are nice to you and are showing consistent signs of improvement. Unfortunately, this does not happen all the time and you have to be prepared for the other side which frequently presents just as often. It’s a challenge treating mental health patients but the rewards can be amazing!

Remember that at the end of the day, mental health patients are not any less than us and we are not any better than them. Just because we maintain our sanity and they lose theirs, does not make us any better. We also cannot allow them to be lost to follow up, falling through the cracks into a mental health crisis, potentially resulting in suicide. We must remain united and help each other out at all times!

Are you Ready? (This is Defeating Stigma Mindfully)

December 30, 2019

Hate Has No Place In Our Hearts

Woman holding yellow smiley balloon with X eyes

Texas Church Shooting

With the wave of anti-semitism flooding the country and the shootings plaguing our churches, we are reaching a point where unaddressed mental illness, hatred and domestic terrorism are almost becoming the norm. Without an honest and open dialogue, these acts of violent hatred will continue to rein terror. Hate has no place in our hearts.

The modern-day war that we are experiencing is not only affecting Christians and Jews, but muslims as well. What do you call the wars in the middle-east? How many innocent muslim children, mothers and fathers are dying every day from western drone and military attacks? The war is not only in our backyard; evilness is like a virus infecting all parts of the world.

We have become divided for no good reason. We remain confused and point the blame onto others, rather than taking responsibility ourselves and acting like mature adults. Why do you think this is happening? Because it’s easier for people in power to control the world population under the influence of chaotic fear.

How do you ask? Through violence, new solutions can be introduced. Through hatred, new wars such as “the war on terror” can be initiated. This is not all be accident. If you still believe that all of these events are just random acts, then think again. There is a war on your mind.

The way that we’ll ever defeat this war is through love. Regardless of skin color, cultural or religious background or political affiliation, we need to come together and love each other once again. Rather than focusing on what we dislike about one another, let’s find the positives and embrace them wholeheartedly.

We are not always going to like everything that we come across. Every culture has its ways of being that may not be particularly attractive to others, but this does not mean that we should respond with hatred and violence. Stepping into a Texas church and shooting innocent people, or entering a Jewish home and stabbing people with a machete is not the answer.

The DSM Ready Community calls on all of its supporters to spread this message to as many people as you possibly can. Only through love, will we be able to reunite and put an end to such hideous acts of nature.

Only through love, will hatred be squeezed out of the chambers of our hearts and forever flushed away from our bodies.

Are you Ready? (This is Defeating Stigma Mindfully)