Mental health encompasses three aspects of our wellbeing: emotional, psychological, and social. How we relate to others, how we handle stress, the choices we make—these are all determined by our mental health.
By understanding why we think, feel, and act the way we do, we can make meaningful change on the path to recovery. Surviving takes intention and determination—a clear sense of purpose and direction. Ask any survivor—recovering from trauma can feel like an impossible journey. And while there’s no one map or blueprint for getting through, these 5 values can serve as a guide.
Self-Awareness
- Stigma has no place here. Surviving takes courage, patience, forgiveness and resilience, all of which can be learned in time. We own our strengths as well as our shortcomings. We admit when we fail and we strive to improve.
- We are not our past, we are not what we experience. Trauma is not what happens to us but what happens inside of us. Leaning into our pain is a critical step in the healing process.
- Our mental and physical health are connected. Our minds and bodies rely on each other, and our actions with one hold consequences for the other.
Curiosity
- Our uniqueness defines, enhances, and empowers us. Solitude and self-reflection provide a pathway to explore, examine, and embrace our evolving sense of self.
- The mind is a powerful thing and a terrible thing to waste. Monolithic thinking keeps us trapped in our trauma and blind to other points of view.
- Diversity of experience and thought makes us strong and society resilient. We reject identity politics as a tool of divisiveness, discrimination, or retribution.
Intentionality
- Being mindful of our actions and selective with our social interactions keeps us grounded in reality, enables clarity of purpose, and improves our state of mind.
- Attention is an asset and we use it wisely. The passive use of tech undermines our autonomy and subjects us to propaganda and mental and physical harm.
- Being intentional with how we use technology provides focus and clarity, leaving more space in our lives for healthy habits and rewarding rituals.
Autonomy
- We are not a product of our past. We strive to learn and grow from our experiences. We choose courage, forgiveness, and humility over intolerance, vengefulness, and victimhood.
- We are in control of our lives and our livelihoods. Surviving trauma is about facing the past, living in the present, and believing in the future.
- We are valuable and have more power than we might think. We are worthy and resourceful, and we advocate for ourselves with humility and conviction.
Belonging
- Humans are social by nature and we need to belong. Finding community paves the way for self-development, mutual support, and personal fulfillment.
- Belonging serves to strengthen our mental health and emotional wellbeing by reminding us that we are part of something larger than ourselves.
- No matter how strong we are, we should never have to face our trauma alone.