Anytime someone brings up the conversation topic of mental health the issues of the stigma surrounding it is bound to arise. That stigma is extremely detrimental to our society as a whole but is deeply hazardous to different groups of Canada creating its own problems. You can talk to anyone to Canada and hear the stigma yourself or hear stories of how that stigma has affected that person or someone they love. Talking about mental health may be a “taboo” topic but Stacy-Ann Buchanan turned that shared silence into a cinematic roar.
It took a year’s battle with anxiety and suicidal depression for me to realize that the life I’ve been given is a gift and that the key to my success was within ME.” – Stacy-Ann Buchanan
In this moment Stacy-Ann Buchanan created a true cinematic roar. After navigating her own experience with a mental health crisis she overcame with a new perspective and a hinting passion. Stacy gathered five people including herself to share their trials and triumphs of their experience with their mental health. They also got to speak with Black Canadians that were open to being vulnerable. She created a documentary The Blind Stigma: Mental Health Within the Black Community.
Stacy and her team included a pastor and a psychologist to share their professional expertise, thoughts, and experiences on mental health. They wanted to address the cultural reflex of “just pray on it” while acknowledging that if we see a doctor when we are not feeling physically well then it should be an automatic response to see a professional when your mental health is not well.
Watch the documentary here:
The Blind Stigma: Mental Health Within the Black Community premiered February 7, 2015 to a packed venue of 400 people! It is now an award winning documentary making Canadian history. It is the first documentary produced in Canada about the mental health of Black Canadians. The audiences that it has reached is striking from showings in schools, workplaces, and seen on major television stations. The ripples from this documentary are far reaching as it is still opening dialogues on mental health in Black communities in Canada.
This is Stacy-Ann Buchanan’s Love in Action! Using her talent to heal others!
It can be an overreaching belief to a lot of Canadians that we can achieve our wellness as a reward for the hard work of daily practice. Although there is a sentiment that hard is needed that wellness is not a reward it is a birthright; something that Stacy-Ann believes entirely. Everyone deserves to achieve their version of wellness and be the best possible version of themselves.
Stacy-Ann wrote a book Good For You: 114 Mindful Practices Every Woman Can Adopt For A More Harmonious Life which is her own tool-kit for the community. It is not just a tool-kit for her community of Black Canadians but rather for every woman. Despite whatever your culture is women are plagued with this idea of balancing life which is completely unsustainable (and any stressed out woman or mom can attest to) that it is an entirely impossible target to achieve.
Mental wellness is not unattainable for women or anyone else. It might be hard work – harder on some days than others – but it is completely priceless, creating ripples that affect every aspect of your life. Stacy-Ann Buchanan is here to remind everyone that making mental health a priority is a powerful act of love not just yourself but for your community, your family, and the Canada. (And let’s face it… the world!)
If wellness is your birthright, what is one of the “hiding places” your soul can crawl out from today? What is one small step you can take today?
This week , watch out for our two complimentary mini-blogs for this topic of Self Love:
Why words matter!
The “Glow-Up” Curation