The last post I talked about how K, one of the littles had two hammers under her pillow while sleeping in her brother's room. Now this is not shocking to me, as she has always wanted to have some type of "tool" with her at any given time. Gangsta Granny might have perpetuated this need just a little bit, but that's just how she rolls. Well, K suffers from severe anxiety and we are in the process of trying to find therapy for her to help deal with this. She will meltdown at the drop of a dime. She has a distinct fear of being left behind, even though she is included in everything we do as a family.
With all of that being said, I too suffer from severe panic/anxiety myself. This may just be a manifestation from raising her, but it is getting to the point that we need to step in and get her help. I have been working on my anxiety for awhile now and do take medicine to help relieve the anxiousness I feel on a regular basis. Most people think I am happy go lightly, but what they do not know is that I am anxious for a majority of the day. I am coping and I hope that K will be able to cope with this as well, once we find the therapy we are looking for. As parents, we do not want to see our child go through this. It is heartbreaking. We do all we can to make sure she feels secure and safe at all times. But one drawback to her anxiety is the need to ALWAYS have a "tool with her. It's kind of like Linus from Peanuts- he had his blanket; K has her "tools."
I took all the kiddos to the water park last week and my sister called to ask what was in K's hand in the picture. She thought it was her screwdriver, which she does try to take with her. I assured her that it was not the screwdriver, but her rocket toy. But wait there is more...I had to explain that the point on the rocket is rather pointy. Again, I think she has this need to feel safe at all times and having her "tool" of choice that day allows her to do so.
As I raise a multicultural/multiracial family, having been raised in one myself, I noticed one thing; we as a family tend to push these issues under the rug, until it effects our children directly. As an adult, I sought out the help I needed. My sister sought the help she needed. But with K, she can not do so, it is up to me to do that for her. In many black families there is always the auntie or uncle that is always a little "off", but we just laugh it off and just make a joke of it. There is a stigma with mental illness, in our society in general, but in my family and many minority families, we always joked about the auntie that was a little "crazy." We laugh and what they do and say and just ignore the root of the problem. Minorities are less likely to seek help for mental illness, which tells you about the stigma attached to it is great!
NAMI (National Association of Mental Illness) has a wonderful video talking and discussion talking about the reason many African Americans do not get help for mental illness. As a family we are trying to break this stigma and not be the "auntie" and "niece" that is a little "off." We are speaking out about what is going on and if that helps at least one other person know that they do not have to suffer in silence, and there is help for you, then we will SHOUT it from the rooftop. My youngest sister(my ghostwriter) is very open about what she has been through in the last two years and will tell you that having an open discussion about mental illness is nothing to be ashamed of. Just like talking about the person in your family that has cancer and how they are doing, families need to talk about mental illness as well and how it is not just an "invisible disease," it is physical as well.
If you would like more information about mental illness and ways to get help for you or a family member visit the NAMI website: https://www.nami.org
Off to another adventure with my crew!
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