Clinical Psychologist, Minister, Educator, and Motivational Speaker, Dr. Lashaunda Poindexter Massey is on a mission to heal the world, one person at a time.
With her kind energy and resounding voice, Dr. Massey empowers people to reflect on, and take ownership of, every emotion, habit, lifestyle, and limiting thought, on a journey rerouted to the road of self-actualization.
Mental Health Social Media Trends: Yay or Nay?
Social media is awareness at level 1. However, we want to move beyond that to an action-oriented place. Using these platforms, how can we go deeper and encourage those with mental illness to seek professional guidance?
The False Pretense of Success and Achievement
Part of the challenge is that people tend to use these as life-wellness markers. We want to shift the focus so that successes are not mistaken for identity, and are instead seen as exemplifications of being a good samaritan and person.
Just because You Can Carry it Doesn’t Mean it isn’t Heavy
By pushing through adversities to “just get it done,” we are not recognizing the emotional wear and tear that’s taking a toll on our bodies, which over time can accumulate and break down a person.
Part of my practice is building healthy management tools so that people can learn to carry those loads in a more sustainable way.
Interconnected: Mental and Physical
We exercise to maintain our physical health. Likewise, we should incorporate active rest time for our mental health. This is not limited to sleep and can include non-urgent activities such as Sudoku.
Similarly, just as people eat clean to optimize their physical wellbeing, so too, we should practice emotional hygiene by expressing our feelings productively, and not stifle them.
Exercise, Sans Guilt
Create the intention to exercise, but also give yourself the grace to not always show up. Creating too stringent of a regimen devoid of flexibility can quickly deteriorate into a dis-encouraging downhill battle.
I personally enjoy using exercise as an opportunity to bond with family. My husband Eric and I like going on neighborhood bike rides and swimming together with our two sons.
Perspective Shift
When I found myself at home more often during the pandemic, my cooking journey really blossomed. I started taking pride in feeding my family healthy and nutritious meals instead of viewing it as a chore.
Learnin’ and Burnin’: Not Mutually Exclusive
With mental health, it’s largely about bringing to the table all the ways you find authenticity and meaning, and so we look at people as a whole, inclusive of these elements. If someone understands the world through the lens of spirituality, yet cannot address it in the clinical workspace, then that person becomes limited in how they process information and move through life. I welcome clients to be candid and learn how to utilize all their beliefs within this realm of care.
For more information, visit Drlpmassey.com or call 901.682.4930.
By Shlomit Ovadia
Photo by Tindall Stephens
