Mikaela Brewer: One mental health related truth that I have been struggling to work with is duality — I can be struggling and making progress at the same time. Often, I find myself creating a binary — I believe that if I am struggling, it is somehow wrong to feel snippets of motivation, growth, or momentum. It’s a complicated dynamic because it is inherently difficult for us to see our own progress. Alongside depression, it is also difficult to believe this type of insight when it does surface.
Continue reading “Roundtables #24 – This week was National Tell the Truth Day! What truth about mental health are you telling yourself this week?”Tag Archives: storytelling
Neuro-poetry #10 – Trauma & the Brain
The malleability of our minds is a blessing and a curse — we can be changed by something we’ve learned, just as easily as we can be changed by trauma. Today, instead of a poem, I’d like to use a story. I’ve included the brain processes, relevant tissues, and hormones in bold.
Continue reading “Neuro-poetry #10 – Trauma & the Brain”Spotlight: Abigayle Peterson & The Stories Within Magnify’s Code
Magnify Wellness was coded using a JavaScript library called React, but there is another language embedded into the story that Magnify Wellness’s code portrays. It is a familiar language, which conveys the challenging story of learning how to best use our gifts through the experiences we gain. Abigayle’s story is one that reminds us that we share the language of pain, ache and loneliness, though we may experience it differently. Her story reminds us that we can grow, learn and make profound leaps in a plentiful direction while keeping our experiences in our back pocket.
Continue reading “Spotlight: Abigayle Peterson & The Stories Within Magnify’s Code”Meet Mikaela!
TW: Suicide
Hello, and welcome! My name is Mikaela Brewer, and I’m the Director of Writing here at Magnify! I’m so glad you’re here. I’m going to start with a little introduction about who I am, where I’m coming from, and where I’d love for us to go.
On February 8th, 2017, I sat in the psychiatric ward of the Stanford Hospital on a 51/50 hold for suicide. I was cold, exhausted, only allowed to eat with a spoon, and forced to sleep and go to the washroom in the presence of a police officer. Here’s the real kicker though: I was 19, a member of the Canadian Women’s National Basketball Team, and on a full scholarship for basketball at Stanford University, as the first Canadian member of the team to ever play there. Why I struggled so profoundly with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is something many people, including myself, found difficult to understand. On the outside, I had it all.
Continue reading “Meet Mikaela!”