WHILE in Florida recently I decided to visit Dania Beach with my friend Bibi. The sunshine was beautiful and it seemed like a perfect beach to enjoy. About 15 minutes after leaving home the weather began to change and by the time we got the beach, it was raining. We had a few options if we still wanted to enjoy a day at the beach and one was to feel a bit depressed or two to create our own sunshine. I said to Bibi “We all have sunshine within so we can create our own sunshine.” We sure did and have a blast. It shows you how powerful the mind is. We are in control of our mind even though sometimes it can be extremely difficult because some major battles are constantly fought. I am no expert in the field but I know sometimes very simple things can push you over the edge.

I was invited by the Sylvia Ward, President of the Association of International Women to be the guest speaker at the gathering in Pembroke Pines. I also got the opportunity to show off the gorgeous designs from my new collection. Sylvia is one of the phenomenal women I met along this journey and I am honoured to have her as one of the Co-Authors from the Women Across Borders Anthologies. Brio Restaurant always provides a sophisticated atmosphere for an interactive and empowering evening. We had a nice mixture of age, ethnicity and nationality which is always interesting because of the different viewpoints.
What was clear at the end of the evening is depression or mental illness has affected us more than we probably want to discuss or admit. Most people don’t like to discuss the top openly of fear that people will judge them. Sometimes many people don’t even realise what is happening which can potentially get the situation worse. Some of the ladies shared experiences and I was happy about that because it created that safe healing space.
I shared with the group my bout with depression. I was depressed for a major part of my first pregnancy and the main reasons were because I was separated from my daughter’s father after four months of conception and it hit me I did not imagine at age 20 my future that once looked so promising would be looking so bleak. Living at my mom’s and pregnant without a job? My family who believed in me and the little faith at that time pulled me through but that was not the only time.

There are many people I know who are suffering from depression and my friend Hilda Bournes is one. Hilda who is the bestselling author of the book ‘Nell’s Nightmare’ has been battling depression most of her life and she shared a part in Women Across Borders-Rising from the Ashes. “In the latter part of 2018 and the beginning of 2019, I fell into a deep depression. My son had a terrible accident and I hadn’t worked on myself for three months. Therefore, my body, my mind and my spirit were all exhausted. When his accident took place, my mind and emotions broke. I had to recognise, first that I had fallen into a depression and made the choice of self-care. Many don’t know they are in a state of depression or have a mental illness.”

I know that my positive mindset and more than a little faith contributes to me dealing with situations differently. Think about someone you can support through a season of depression as we continue to celebrate this beautiful journey called life BEYOND THE RUNWAY