Many of us may suppress, hide, or misunderstand our own emotions because they’re inconvenient or unpleasant, or because we don’t know how to deal with them. Maybe we’re afraid that if we start unpacking, we’ll never stop. Emotions are valid signals from our bodies. They’re part of being human and how we empathize and connect with others. In this episode, Dannie, Jay, and Kaelyn are joined by co-host Gisela Ortega to discuss how emotions play a role in our lives and how BIPOC youth can use their emotions to create positive change in their lives.
The Steve Fund
SpeakOnIt Podcast Season 2: Secrets of Well-Being
Episode 2: Emotional Well-Being
Blog Post
Disclaimer: As a gentle reminder, the views, thoughts, and opinions expressed by the hosts, guest panelists, and blog writers are their own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of The Steve Fund.
*** A shoutout to this episode’s guest panelist, Gisela Ortega (she/her)! My top three takeaways from this episode are as follows: 1. Per Gisela, “Anger is valid, but if you can’t communicate your anger in an effective way, in a way that’s not harmful to others…then that’s not necessarily emotional well-being.” 2. Dannie shared thoughts on how we’re often conditioned to suppress or not express our emotions, and as a result “it’s almost like you’re being conditioned to act or perform as less than human.” 3. Finally, about gaslighting yourself, Gisela shares her own experiences by saying: “I…struggle with knowing whether or not my reactions or emotions to something are really valid. Like to the point where like I’m gaslighting myself… It’s uncool because then I kind of get dismissive of my emotions, the way you know, the world around me tends to do. And one way I’ve seen to kind of help myself with it is just reaching out to friends…” What did you all think of this episode? Please leave your questions, comments, and tips below! -Jay For a full list of our Tips N’ Tricks, please click here. *** References and other material discussed in the podcast: Ashley W. (2014). The angry black woman: the impact of pejorative stereotypes on psychotherapy with black women. Social work in public health, 29(1), 27–34. https://doi.org/10.1080/19371918.2011.619449
Our Mission: Promoting the mental health and emotional well-being of young people of color