Mental Health: an Open Conversation

In this episode ofUntamed byUntamed Artistry, the discussion centers around raising mental health awareness.

Cheryl Peng, Founder and CEO at Untamed Artistry, suffers from chronic depression. Here, she opens up to share her heart with Lash Artists about what depression looks like, and how it manifests itself. 

Cheryl makes it clear that the information is based purely on her own personal experience, and that she’s not a medical professional, nor does she claim to be one. If you are struggling with a mental health issue, she encourages you to seek help.

However, she has a wealth of insight that may help you understand a lot about things that are rarely spoken about or understood:

• What depression looks like and how both types of depression — depressive episodes and chronic depression called dysthymia — are rarely recognizable at face value.
• How to combat information that is not helpful but sounds wise and motivational. For example, quotes by famous people advising us to “get things done”, or that “there's never a day off. If you want it, you should go get it”, just add on the burden of guilt and shame. What we need to do is take messages like this and evaluate them against our own values, and how we want to feel in life. And then ask yourself, “Do you feel this message is true and that it aligns with your values, or should you reject it?” Do you really believe that we can be a human being and never struggle, never have down days, or experience failures?
• Tips for dealing with depression:
• Have a look back into your childhood, because a lot of how we feel today was imprinted on us by people who had the most impact on us as children. 
• Show the same kind of compassion towards the “negative”’ feelings as you do the “positive” feelings. Your joy is valid, but so is feeling upset.
• Understand that for every success story that you see, there's also a story about failure that you don’t see. 
• Tools and resources to help:
• Build a strong support system that aligns with your own values.
• Understand that self-love and self-acceptance are learnable skills.
• Ask for help if and when necessary.
• Avoid taking a perfectionist view on things.
• Eat healthily and exercise, but exercise in a way that you enjoy.
• Develop some sort of mindfulness practice.
• Remember that you are good and worthy just as you are and start practicing self-love.

Resources Mentioned:

”I'm not your guru” documentary - Tony Robbins

The Body Keeps The Score - audiobook

Art of Accomplishment Podcast

Gary Vee (Gary Vaynerchuk)

Calm app

This episode is brought to you by Untamed Artistry