The Importance of Mental Health (and going to CAPS)

Hello, my name is Athena Destiny Bonner. In today’s article, I will discuss the importance of mental health, what it means to me in my healing process, and share resources to help you heal and get help.

I am in the process of healing myself and learning to be alone for the first time. However, I am not lonely. I have music and art. I also write about my experiences in speech therapy at a young age and speak about them. I am learning to seek help from the campus therapist program called CAPS, specifically from Dr. Jeffrey Burda and Najeia Mention. I also turn to my loved ones and those who were around since the 504 days and the BGCB Charlestown days. Now, in my junior year of college, I want to be the woman who is taking her future seriously.

I want to shout out to those who always say “hi” outdoors or call me every day. It means the world to me. I love you all! Mental health in our community is vital, and I highly encourage you all to seek help for your mental health.

I remember the values I had written down during my UISS course “Adult Journey” during an exercise meant to get your friends or significant other on the same page in the most transparent way possible without judgment. My values are connection and creativity. 

Having a connection may mean that it is a way to relate with others through an artist you may like. To name a few, I like India.Arie and Tems). Connection is a skill that I lack sometimes. I often say sorry for being so awkward and geeky about my art. I am going to be a better connector in 2022.

Creativity may be a way to express yourself in any medium you choose. I express myself in three mediums: writing articles, poems, paintings. I enjoy producing and showing off my pieces. When they are done and dried, it is a source of therapy for me. We are all human. WE ARE ALLOWED TO MAKE MISTAKES AND TALK ABOUT HOW WE FEEL FREELY. These are great ways to heal yourself and your heart.

I tried sharing these things in a group assignment, and it opened my eyes. I wanted to develop ways to be a better communicator because that is a skill that I lack. I will stop staring at people in public, and I am going to wave at you regardless now. This one is a shoutout to Dr. Carrissa Phillippe Phipps for being such a great professor during my UISS course “Adult Journey.”

With CAPS, I am taking this time to reflect on my life and mental health. CAPS is an essential resource for all undergraduate students while on campus.

CAPS will help lead you on a positive track to accept that developing loneliness while growing is okay. I am learning that if I ever try to get to know others personally on campus, it is important to be free and vulnerable. I had to grow out of some relationships and remain a creative giver and a strange being. I have always been that way. I have experienced much grief this month, with friends passing away suddenly. May they all rest easy. Their deaths have taught me that life is short. Enjoy the people who want to enjoy you as you, and try to love and support them.

I am a woman from Chelsea, Massachusetts, who enjoys listening to R&B, soul, and musical soundtracks, whether it be Jill Scott, Maxwell, Prince, or even “Rent” the musical, as well as independent artists such as Chance the Rapper and artists like the Studio 205 Collective. As much as I have a love-hate relationship with them, they have supported me in small ways that former friends of mine lacked. So, thank you to them and Just Creatives for providing the sounds to my college activities and my summers. I respect all of you as artists. It is time for me to shine and create my emotionally driven pieces.

I appreciate all the losses in my life because it is always okay to lose friends and let go of the old temporary relationships you have now. It is okay to interact with the world freely and speak to people away from Snapchat and social media. These apps are not your real life. Stay present.

I am learning every day to love myself more and take help from people. I am also learning to help others more in small ways because they are aware of what happens in the world, and they will be very grateful.

So, what are your values?

These words represent areas in your life where you are doing great or would like to improve. You can write your personal questions for yourself and your “container” building. Ask yourself some questions, then ask your loved ones about some personal connections. To help further your bonds with new friends, I forgive you all for this past year of life. It is all good here. I have myself and new relationships. So, thank you for getting to know me.

I hope you enjoyed my article, and I hope this article is a safe space.