Mental health refers to one’s emotional, psychological and social well- being. It affects how one thinks, feels and behaves and it also determines how one can handle stress, relate to others and make decisions and choices. Thus, good mental health enables you to deal with life’s challenges, realise your potential and abilities, learn and work well, contribute to your community as well as form and maintain healthy relationships. Mental health is an important part of one’s well-being, yet it is one of the most misunderstood and stigmatized aspects of health. It is therefore vital to explore what mental health issues are, why they matter and how societies can better address them.

According to WHO more than one billion people globally live with a mental health condition, making it one of the leading causes of disability worldwide. In Zimbabwe it is a common thing to find mentally challenged people roaming the streets. It is worrisome to note that many more people succumb to stress and depression due to social and economic reasons. Experts describe mental health as a public health emergency, with rising rates of depression, anxiety and stress- related disorders found across all age groups.

Common mental health issues comprise depression, that is persistent sadness, loss of interest, fatigue and lack of sleep that affect one’s daily life. Anxiety disorders emanating from excessive worry, panic attacks and other physical symptoms like rapid mood changes and violence depict mental health challenges. Some people struggle with mental health as a result of drug abuse and substance use. I have witnessed disheartening incidences of people struggling with mental health issues. At my workplace some student teachers have to postpone their studies in order to seek medication as a result of substance use. Even when they return to resume their studies, you can still see that they would be vulnerable and struggling. At one point we had a female student who was raped while on work integrated learning. Although the culprit was arrested and the girl received counseling and medical treatment, the traumatizing incident left an undetectable mark on her well-being.

There is also the sad case of a colleague’s son who committed suicide after completing his Advanced Level. Unknown to his parents, he had been struggling with drug and substance abuse. The heart wrecking incident of a fellow congregant who returned home from church to find his son who had been struggling with drug addiction), having set fire to the entire homestead, struck and murdered his pregnant wife with a matchet and then burnt the body. The mother had to flee for dear life together with her three grandchildren (children of the man who had killed his wife). Mental health issues are not merely an individual problem, they also affect families and the society at large.

They say prevention is better than cure. Healthy lifestyle approaches are necessary. It is therefore imperative to exercise self-care strategies such as mindfulness and meditation. This helps to reduce stress and increase self-awareness. Exercising boosts mood and it is essential for one to have adequate sleeping time. One also needs to have healthy eating habits and avoid loneliness by building and maintaining healthy relationships and community ties.

Early intervention is important. There is need to be one’s brother’s keeper. Recognizing symptoms of health challenges and seeking professional help early is important. Expanding affordable therapy, counseling and community-based support is very important. It is also important to reduce stigma through open conversations in order to normalize mental health struggles. I remember one of our students who had just returned from receiving therapy for drug addiction, coming to my office with a notebook saying, “Mam, I want to learn to write books like you do. Here is what I got from the library.” He read to me what appeared to be lacking coherence but I praised him so as to boost his confidence and then gave him the advice he needed. He left a contended young man and I felt that I had assisted him well without showing any stigmatization.

Mental health issues are therefore not just personal struggles, they are societal challenges that require collective action. By providing the awareness, accessibility and compassion, communities can foster resilience and ensure that mental health is treated with the same urgency and respect as physical health. Mental health is a prerequisite for everyone.

By Perpetua Gonese

Social Handles

The post Mental Health- A Pre-Requisity For Everyone~ By Perpetua Gonese appeared first on Sheevolves.world.

POEM:

Arise and claim your throne

You, a queen that has fallen

The one with the buried kingdom and forgotten the throne

You, who surrendered her strength to the struggle

The pain cut off your wings

You could not fly

You stayed on the ground

Let go of the passion you possessed

Buried the dreams and wishes.

Arise and chase dreams

You, the dreamer who gave in

To the pressure of planet earth

Spiraling you to a life of no hope

The heat convinced you that you didn’t belong

That you were nothing but basic

So you curved in

Just to fit in.

Arise and love again

You, whose heart has been shattered

Mishandled by those you gave yourself to

The one’s who could not love your heart

The soul you poured out

Into a bottomless cup

So you took back your care

Stone cold

You locked away your heart.

POEM By : Nonsikelelo Moyo

Social media: Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/share/16MCSLsBnm/?mibextid=wwXIfr

(20+) https //www facebook com/share/16mcslsbnm/ mibextid wwxifr – Search Results | Facebook

The post Arise ~ By Nonsikelelo Moyo appeared first on Sheevolves.world.

POEM:

Do you remember?

When we laughed without fear,

The days of milk and honey

Back when we lived for today

Never afraid of tomorrow

Smiles decorated our child like faces

As we twirled and danced our fears away

Offsprings of love and peace

Naive to the world and its rage

We held on to hope

Never letting the sun set on our dreams

Yes, we did fall

Only to get up and glide ourselves with our armor of faith and resilience

Yes, we did break,

Only to rebuild ourselves into towers unbreakable

Do you remember?

When we walked hand in hand

We were a force, an army unshakable

You stood for me

I fought for you.

Long gone are our days of unity

Old are the tales of our victories

Do you remember?

It has all passed.

POEM BY: Nonsikelelo Moyo

Social media: Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/share/16MCSLsBnm/?mibextid=wwXIfr

(20+) https //www facebook com/share/16mcslsbnm/ mibextid wwxifr – Search Results | Facebook

The post Do you remember~ By Nonsikelelo Moyo appeared first on Sheevolves.world.

It hurts to hear, it hurts to know
Women and children all over the world,
Having their lives cut short, don’t you know?
Murdered, abused, their voices silenced each day
A pain that echoes, in every way

Girls, each day, lost to violence and pain
Their futures stolen, their dreams in vain
It hurts, it aches, it cuts deep inside
To hear of sisters, lost, and futures denied

But still we rise, we stand, we speak
For justice, for rights, for a life to seek
So let’s stand together, united as one
On November 21st, let our voices be heard

Every girl, every woman,
every life matters, let’s make it clear
No more violence, no more fear, we stand for change, we stand for peace, we stand for justice,
and we stand for life, equality, and humanity.

Your voice matters, and together we can make a difference.

By: Grace Banda

The post Your Voice Matters~ Grace Banda appeared first on Sheevolves.world.

My dearest Bophelo,

Born on women’s day You arrived on this earth on a day that celebrates the strength, resilience, and beauty of women. I’m so grateful to be your mom, and I’m honored to watch you grow and thrive.

Bophelo, you are life itself to me. You bring joy, love, and purpose to my world. As you grow and discover this world, I promise to be here for you, to support you, to guide you, and to love you unconditionally.

You are a precious gift, and I’m so proud to be your mom. I promise to do my best to raise you to be a strong, confident, and compassionate woman, who makes a positive impact in the world.

I loved the name Bophelo, which means life, because it reminds me of the gift of life that you are. You are my life, my everything.

As you grow, I’ll tell you stories about the women who came before us, who fought for our rights, who paved the way for us to live our lives with dignity and purpose. I’ll teach you about the power of women, about sisterhood, and about the importance of standing up for what is right.

But most of all, Bophelo, I’ll love you with all my heart, and I’ll be here to support you every step of the way.

My little one. I love you more than words can say.

With all my love,
Mom Sophie wa magents

The post A letter to my 3months old beautiful baby girl,BOPHELO~ By Sophie Ntsubulane appeared first on Sheevolves.world.

Letters to Stony

Title: It’s not what I did, it’s how you felt

I was happy, even when sometimes life got hard. I won and lost sometimes, but I was grateful for one thing: LIFE. I would randomly bump into you at my favourite store, at the taxi rank or sit next to you in a taxi. I didn’t know you, but I would smile and greet you, maybe even engage in a conversation. I wasn’t suspicious of anything.

I didn’t think I was your next victim. You took your time learning my routine, you allowed hate and jealousy to rent your heart, and evil thoughts resided in your mind. To you, I was not worthy of living; my existence threatened yours in ways I could never comprehend. One day, you decided my time was up, you didn’t want to see my face anymore, my innocent smile and infectious laughter irked you, so you waited until my friends left, and made your way into my home.

I got startled when I saw you in my living room. You said I should not scream and that it would just take a few minutes. I tried running, but you were too fast, you hit me with a hammer, and I fell, blood gushing out of my head. You turned me around and started throwing punch after punch, kicked me like a dog, even though I couldn’t defend myself. I begged you, pleaded with you, but you didn’t care; you had already decided my fate.

When I was losing consciousness, you unbuckled your pants and had your way with me. My tears didn’t move you. In fact, they filled your heart with satisfaction. When you were done, you dragged me to the kitchen and stabbed me multiple times until I took my last breath. You left, leaving me in a pool of my own blood, violated in my own home, and robbed me of my life. My heartbroken soul watched you leave my house, leaving me bloody and cold.

I wanted to ask why? What did I do to deserve such cruelty? Unfortunately, I am now just a spirit, another statistic that will never get justice.

By: Thapelo Bridget

The post It’s not what I did, it’s how you felt ~ By: Thapelo Bridget appeared first on Sheevolves.world.

I became my mother’s caregiver when I was just four years old.

My mother was from Opuwo, in the Kunene region of Namibia. When I was four, she became very ill. In our area, people strongly believed in witchcraft. They thought her sickness was caused by something supernatural, something that hospitals and doctors could not fix. She was stuck in bed for weeks, and she grew weaker every day.

One day, one of my mother’s nephews came to our village for a funeral. He saw how sick she was and knew she needed more than just medicine from a doctor. He suggested to my grandfather that he take my mother to live with him so she could get traditional treatment. My grandfather agreed, and the nephew said he would come back for her later.

Even after starting the traditional treatments, my mother’s health did not get better. On her good days, when she felt a little stronger, she would wash her clothes or give me a bath—things no one else would do for me. But those good days were rare.

The Journey to Find Help

One day, my mother decided we had to leave. She was very weak, but she took me with her to hitchhike to another village. This was where her own mother was from, and it was closer to the main road to Outjo, which made it easier to find a ride. We had no money, so we relied on the kindness of people we did not know.

We stayed in that village for a few days, waiting for a free ride. I remember one very hard day when my mother was so dizzy she could not stand. She asked me to cook porridge, a huge task for a four-year-old. As I struggled with the pot over the fire, an ostrich suddenly appeared and tried to eat our food. I was so scared that I ran into the house. When I looked back, the pot had tipped over, spilling our only meal. I cried from hunger and frustration.

Our luck changed when we were waiting near some stores. A woman who knew my mother came over and gave her N$10, which was a lot of money for us at the time. While they were talking, a car stopped.
The woman knew the driver and asked if he could give us a ride, explaining that we had no money. To
our surprise, he said yes.

Midnight in a Strange Town

The driver took us past Outjo all the way to Okakarara, the town nearest to where my mother’s nephew lived. We arrived at one in the morning with no place to sleep. The kind driver let us sleep in an old canopy outside his house. It was not much, but it kept us safe.

Early the next morning, we waited for the man to wake up. When he did, he asked my mother what we planned to do. She told him she was looking for her nephew who worked in the town. The man helped us find him, and soon my mother’s nephew came to take us to his home. At his house, we met another woman from my mother’s village. She was also there for traditional treatment for an illness. When she saw that my mother was much sicker than she was, this kind woman

washed our clothes and blankets and gave me a bath. I had not had one in days. She also cooked food for us. Our last meal had been breakfast the day before. Hunger was a constant part of our lives. Whenever I told my mother I was hungry, she would tell me, “Drink water” We accepted this without complaining.

The price of help

After three days, my mother’s nephew called the relative we were supposed to stay with, and that man came to get us. That was when our real struggle began. I now see it as a kind of modern slavery.

Even though my mother was sick, she was expected to do all the housework: laundry, cleaning, and cooking for her nephew and his family. The nephew did take her to a doctor and paid for her treatment, but in return, my mother had to work for him for free, with no end in sight.

The doctor found that my mother could not eat maize meal, the main food in our region. She could only have pasta, rice, meat, or milk. But the nephew said he would not regularly buy these more expensive foods. If there was no milk, she just did not eat. When there was milk, she would pour all of it into my porridge, leaving nothing for herself.

As my mother grew sicker from the hard work and lack of good food, I had to do even more. By the time I was six, I was washing her clothes and cooking for both of us.

School and Separation

When I turned seven, it was time for me to start school. My mother and I were sent to Okakarara to stay with her nephew’s son, who was the principal of the primary school I would attend.

Because my mother could not read or write, the only work she could find was as a domestic worker. She needed money for my school fees, so she took a job cleaning houses and looking after the children for one of my teachers. Her first full paycheck all went toward my education.

To earn more money and pay for the small outside room we lived in – which had only a toilet and no bathroom – my mother took on extra jobs. I helped by raking yards, and she washed clothes on weekends while working her main job during the week. We did all this just to have one meal a day and a roof over our heads. I slept on the floor of our little room and often got sick with the flu during the cold winters.

A Friend’s Kindness

I had a friend whose mother was also a teacher at my school. One day after school, she came home with me. When she saw how we lived, she told her mother. Her mother came to talk to me and asked if I would like to stay with their family on school days and come back to my mother on weekends. My mother agreed, hoping I would have a proper bed and regular meals. This only lasted for a month before the owner of our room became unhappy with the arrangement, and I had to go back to sleeping on the floor.

There were other small hurts, too. The principal, my mother’s nephew’s son, drove to school every morning with his wife and their two children. But he always left me behind. I had to take the bus to the very school where he was in charge. Even as a child, I wondered why he would not give me a ride, but I knew not to ask an adult such a question. This was our routine until the school year ended.

The Final Separation

During the December holidays, my mother’s nephew bought a farm and planned to move there in January. When the time came, they moved to the farm, and my mother went with them to continue her unpaid work. But there was no place for me there.

That is how I ended up being sent to boarding school, separated from the mother I had cared for since I was four years old.

To read Jasana’s emotional and inspiring story about her experiences at boarding school, click on the following link:

Growing Up In A Boarding School By Jasana Uandia

By: Jasana

Instagram: Jasana Ijemue Uandia

Facebook: Jasana Ijemue Uandia

The post My Mother’s Caregiver ~By Jasana Uandia appeared first on Sheevolves.world.

Life lately
We are on a mission
We are in a square
We are living with a lot, yet we have to press on
We are the wanderers of this life
Life lately is a lot
We are in a time tick.

It is who you know
It is who you are with
It is what you have,
The connections you have,
Life lately is a mission

I cannot help but feel the heaviness of this life
We are more of the commandments
The Bible really is re-living through us
Life lately is a lot
Our freedom is trashed out all in the name of laws
We are in a time tick
But what is next?

It is a lot,
Yet, we press on
We are feeling it
Yet, we still have hope
Life lately
We are on a mission
We are in a square
We are living with a lot, yet we have to press on
We are the wanderers of this life
Life lately is a lot
We are in a time tick.

Poem by: Nonny

The post Between life~By Nonny appeared first on Sheevolves.world.

My life changed forever when I discovered that I am HIV positive. The news came during my pregnancy with my youngest child. At first, I was filled with confusion and denial, and I felt betrayed by my partner. It turned out that the virus was transmitted by my baby’s father, whom I was dating at the time. I already have two kids who are now young teenagers, and I never thought something like this could happen to me or my loved ones.

My biggest concern was that my baby would be born with the virus. However, I didn’t know much about HIV, as I come from a rural area where the stigma is louder than literacy. So, I had to seek help from the nurses at the clinic. Unfortunately, those nurses didn’t treat me with respect either. They looked at me and said that I was reckless for getting pregnant knowing that I am HIV positive. Their words were hurtful and made me feel like I was worthless, unwelcome and unseen.

I haven’t told anyone else except my mom and sister about my condition because of the humiliation I experienced from the allocated health  professionals and the fear of being judged. Their attitudes made me realize that nobody else cares, especially those who’ve never been in my situation. In this world, I have realised that being poor means that your life isn’t valuable. People make assumptions and judge you based on their beliefs, and nothing you say or do can change their minds.

The only mistake I made was trusting my partner without taking the necessary precautions, and unfortunately, my life has been changed forever. However, my baby was born HIV-negative, and I can’t explain how that happened. It was a miracle and we give thanks to God for the divine protection over my daughter. God has been with me all along. Even when things get hard, and it feels like there’s no way out, God gives me strength and guides me towards the right path.

Living with HIV is a challenge that I have to face every day. I started taking ARVs, and my viral load has been suppressed since then. However, it’s not easy to live with the stigma that comes with the virus. People often judge me and treat me differently once they find out about my condition. It’s hard to explain to them that being HIV positive does not define who I am as a person.

My advice to everyone is not to trust others too much, especially when it comes to sexual relationships. Protect yourself. Encourage your partner to get tested for HIV with you before engaging in sexual intercourse. Always use protection, especially condoms, to reduce the chance of getting infected with sexually transmitted diseases. It’s crucial to get educated about HIV and AIDS, as it helps to prevent the spread of the virus.

Living with HIV is not easy, but it’s possible to live a healthy and fulfilling life despite the challenges. I hope my story can inspire and encourage others who may be going through similar situations. Remember, you are not alone, and there is always hope.

By: Anonymous

The post Living with HIV ~ By Anonymous appeared first on Sheevolves.world.

We all made mistakes
We are human
We are of flash
People made of soil
God, the Almighty, is the creator
But to what do we owe this world
To what should we give to show gratitude?
To what depth can the remembrance prove how proud we are to be his own.
We all made mistakes because we are human
The prayer would be to refrain from digging too deeply into the wrongs.

A human of love,
A human of care,
A human of honesty,
A human of patience,
We all make mistakes; however, we are of soil.

God is love
God is kind,
God is forgiving
God, the Almighty, is the creator
We all made mistakes
We are human
We are of flash
People made of soil
But to what do we owe this world
Amidst all questions, he still is God and forgives
We are humans.

By:Lerato

The post Being a human being~ Lerato appeared first on Sheevolves.world.