Challenging the stigma around mental health
SANDTON – Miss South Africa Shudufhadzo Musida vowed to play an active role in raising awareness around mental health when she first took the reins in October last year.
Miss South Africa Shudufhadzo Musida aims to shine a light on open mental health discussions.
The Sandton resident recently launched her online mental health initiative #MindfulMondays in conjunction with the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (Sadag) on her Instagram page.
Musida, who vowed to play an active role in raising awareness around mental health when she first took the reins in October last year, is joined by a number of experts who open up and kick-start conversations on a diverse range of mental health topics and issues.
These issues include, but are not limited to, bullying, grief, and loss, men and depression, social media and mental health, substance abuse and the impact on families, the power of support groups, understanding the highs and lows of bipolar disorder and sleep and mental health.
Musida herself was bullied in school at a young age which is why encouraging open discussions around mental health is so important to her. “The bullying happened when I moved to a new school,” she said.
“Before the age of nine I was a bubbly little girl but then people found it okay to bring me down at a time when I was only trying to discover myself. The ramifications were enormous.”
She noted that the bullying got to a point where she thought that maybe it would stop if she covered it up and didn’t draw attention to herself. “I developed low self-esteem and it took me a long time to realise that it was actually never about me but about the people who were doing the bullying.”
Through #MindfulMondays, Musida hoped that more people would realise that they did not have to go through their mental struggles alone.
“For me personally, mental health is something that is not really spoken about. Unfortunately, it is considered a taboo subject that is often engaged with, not to rehabilitate but to shame, so I want to bring that conversation into the open. It’s time our society stands together to confront this.”
Tune into Shudufhadzo Musida’s Instagram on @shudufhadzomusida every Monday at 7pm for #MindfulMondays.
Related articles:
https://www.citizen.co.za/sandton-chronicle/246445/sasha-lee-olivier-is-the-new-miss-south-africa/
https://www.citizen.co.za/sandton-chronicle/286366/sadag-reflects-on-an-unprecedented-year/
