When life gets unjiggy, even the most Janet Jackson-like among us can use some help being our most spiritually moisturized and extraordinary selves. Here are a few extraordinary wellness resources to help you (or someone you know) in the battle against spiritual ashiness. More to come.
ALZConnected, powered by the Alzheimer's Association, is an online community for people affected by Alzheimer's or dementia (people with the disease, caregivers, friends, family, those who've lost someone to Alzheimer's) to exchange stories, support, and insights.
BEAM (Black Emotional and Mental Wellness Collective) is “a collective of advocates, yoga teachers, artists, therapists, lawyers, religious leaders, teachers, psychologists and activists committed to the emotional/mental health and healing of Black communities.” Founded by Yolo Akili Robinson, they work “to remove the barriers that Black people experience getting access to or staying connected with emotional health care and healing hrough education, training, advocacy and the creative arts.” Among their dope resources: A healing & accountablity Wheel, resources from trainings on healing intimate partner violence in Black gay communities, emotional management strategies for community based orgs, etc.
Black, Disabled, and Proud provides resources for Black disabled students (college and college-bound) and their families. Their work includes identifying ways to provide culturally responsive disability services and classroom instruction to Black and African American college students with disabilities on all campuses in the U.S. They have info on disability services offices at all HBCUs, a disability 101 video library, a gallery of Black disabled college grads, and a resources page with more useful tools.
Black Mental Wellness is a virtual community dedicated to the mental health and wellness of all Black people to include adults, children, adolescents, and members of Black families. Black Mental Wellness was founded by Black Clinical Psychologists, who through their training and expertise, recognized the need for culturally competent professionals to collaborate and address mental health issues that are prevalent and unique to the experiences of Black people.
They have fact sheets on mental wellness issues, audiovisual resources, plus health, relaxation, behavioral strategies, and ideas for thriving during the holidays.
Black Women’s Health Imperative is the only national organization dedicated solely to improving the health and wellness of our nation’s 21 million Black women and girls – physically, emotionally and financially. They have articles & resources on affordable health care, breast cancer, type 2 diabetes, mental/emotional health, HIV/AIDS, heart disease, reproductive & maternal health, etc.
(Los Angeles) Black Women for Wellness’ Kitchen Divas healthy cooking class series at Kaiser Permanente from January to June 2019 on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays from 12:30pm - 2pm. Get dates, info, and register here.
Their Change Your Lifestyle. Change Your Life. (CYL2) initiative is a partnership with the Black Women's Health Imperative for their National Diabetes Prevention Program (NDPP) that helps people who are pre-diabetic and who are at high risk for developing type 2 diabetes prevent or delay the onset of the disease through healthy eating, increased physical activity and other lifestyle changes. Info here.
BLACK ZEN was specifically created to remove the social and financial barriers that restrict black and brown communities from discovering the benefits of meditation, and allow our community to feel included in wellness-based practices. BlackZen.co offers a beginner’s guide to meditation, articles, and a mindfulness-based podcast.
The Campaign for Black Male Achievement’s Promise of Place report examines socioeconomic factors and building blocks across U.S. cities, indicating how they foster Black male growth. Their BMA City Index scores 50 U.S. cities, out of 100 possible points, using five indicators to determine their level of engagement and committed action on behalf of the cities' Black men and boys.
CenterLink LGBT Community Center Member Directory offers a nationwide listing of centers where LGBTQ folks can access services such as housing, employment & financial assistance, fellowship, case workers, connection to health care and HIV/AIDS treatment. Find a center here.
Girl Trek is a health movement for African-American women and girls grounded in civil rights history and principles through walking campaigns, community leadership, and health advocacy. You can connect with walkers in 54 U.S. cities here. Want to start your own walking group? Get started with their Organizer 101 and Team Leader training.
With the help of wellness professionals who volunteer their time and services, Give an Hour offers free mental health services (in-personal and virtual counseling) to military personnel and veterans and their loved ones and those affected by natural or man-made disasters or tragedies.
Find a free or low-cost health care provider near you through the HSRA Health Center Program. Health Centers are “community-based and patient-directed organizations that deliver comprehensive, culturally competent, high-quality primary health care services regardless of patients’ ability to pay and charge for services on a sliding fee scale. Health centers also often integrate access to pharmacy, mental health, substance use disorder, and oral health services in areas where economic, geographic, or cultural barriers limit access to affordable health care services. Search here. (What’s a Health Center? / Health Center Fact Sheet)
Lupus Chat is an online community created by healthcare consultant Tiffany Peterson.
They host Twitter chats on a variety of topics (in English and Spanish) Sundays at 3PM EST. Follow them here.
Follow the conversation via #LupusChat on Twitter.
Did you know that nearly 20% of the U.S. population serves as a caregiver in some capacity? The National Alliance for Caregiving is a coalition of national organizations focused on improving the lives of family caregivers through resources and support. Among their useful resources are a toolkit for navigating conversations on brain health (signs of memory changes, tips for transitions and maintaining your loved one’s dignity, questions for doctors, etc.), and guides on fall prevention and cultivating your circle of care.
RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) is the nation's largest anti-sexual violence organization. Their directory has connections to resources for sexual assault, child abuse/exploitation, intimate partner violence, incest, stalking, survivors with disabilities, male sexual assault survivors, human trafficking, military members, and much more.
Sisters By Choice is a Georgia-based organization dedicated to breast cancer awareness, education, and support for women diagnosed with breast cancer. In addition to offering a full-service mobile breast cancer clinic, they share information on risk factors, guidance for the newly diagnosed (understanding your pathology and stage, finding support groups, etc.), connection to other nationwide resources, info on disparities in treatment and health outcomes amongst African-American women.
Founded by Extraordinary Negroes’ Alex Hardy and Team GetSomeJoy, Self-Care Check-In™ offers self-care tools and resources to be great(er) at home, work, school, and beyond. The Self-Care Check-In™ asks (1)How would you rate your self-care at the moment on a scale of 1-10?, (2)What are you doing well for you right now?, and (3)What could you be doing better or differently? In addition to a growing Resources Page, SelfCareCheckIn.com features community members discussing their self-care journeys and what they’re doing to getsomejoy.
The Therapy for Black Girls Podcast is a weekly conversation with Dr. Joy Harden Bradford, a Licensed Psychologist in Atlanta, Georgia, about all things mental health, personal development, and all the small decisions we can make to become the best possible version of ourselves.
Dr. Joy’s Therapist Directory is a listing of mental health professionals across the country who provide high quality, culturally competent services to Black women and girls.
ALSO.
Feeling unsafe? Overwhelmed or in danger of harming yourself or someone else? GetSomeJoy teamed up with Crisis Text Line to create a custom keyword so you can text JOY to 741741 for free, 24/7 support from a trained crisis counselor.
ALSO, TOO: This database of affordable therapy options, listed by state, shared by writer and comedian Jaboukie Young-White . There’s also links to virtual therapy options and low-cost/sliding scale-based services. *insert rap hands*
Here are our mental health-centered episodes:
Need more support and inspiration? Check out our Mental Health Monday wellness series and the rest of our mental health content.
Have a resource we need to know about? Send it our way.
