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Posted in Coaching and Therapy, Marie's Garden, Mental Health Advocacy

Marie Abanga on Mental Health and Services she offers

Posted on by Marie Abanga

 

Hello world, after passing my exams in flying colours recently; setting out on a journey to launch a much desired and needed service as a CBT therapist and mental wellbeing coach, so grateful for all the support.

Have a great week everyone

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Posted in Coaching and Therapy, Mental Health Advocacy, Poetry

Hopeless…Hopeful

Posted on by Marie Abanga

Hopeless
Might as well
Hopeful

 

She crawled under her bed

It made no more sense

Such sham & shame

The Weight

Mind & Mass

Needless living on

Who cares what goes on

Sensless, pointless, needless

It is truly

HOPELESS

……….

she publishes a 4th memoir

Kinda movie

The 360°

Transformations

Hardwork

Tough Choices & Sacrifices

Faith, Hope, Love

It is truly

HOPEFUL

……….
(C) 2017 Marie Abanga

The end

Hopeful and Hopeless directions. Opposite traffic sign.

P.s: Officially and in my inspired way, fully embracing my story and engraving it in my heart and on all walls of my home. I actually did crawl and stay for a while under my hospital bed the morning my daughter died, I prayed the ground open up for me. I spiralled for 6 months and survived another 6. Then although pregnant once again, it felt not worth living. I picked up a knife and then I got a kick from within and I dropped it hot. The transformation started dripping in from that moment… Be inspired…

Watch “Mental illness and Sexual Abuse Grace’s story and appeal” on YouTube


#mentalillnessnsexualabuse some mentally ill are vulnerable to being sexual abused like Grace was. She is 23 years and has been ill since 2012. She was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 2013. A man purred her to bed 2 months ago, given her a ring that he was going to marry her. He just needed to know how deep was her own love to him. We can aptly plead insanity here, she doesn’t have all her mental faculties to make informed choices. Now she is pregnant and the man has disappeared. The last time she saw him he gave her 14.000frs to go for an abortion. Why are some people so wicked? Grace is suicidal, her mother is over the edge with worry and sadness. Theirs is a struggling family of 6 kids with she being the third. After 4 years away from school due to the illness, she resumed form 5 last year hoping to write her O’levels. Please, listen to her story and reach out to help out if you can. We need all the help we can get and no amount is too small. Our phone number for any Mobile money donations in Cameroon is +237672576011 Hope for the Abused and Battered. Ref should be Grace, our email address is hope@hope4abusedbattered.com. Website is http://www.hope4abusedbatteted.com. Thank you all, #thereishope.

Watch “Inviting us all to the Solidarity and Sensitization walk against Rape”


#mentalhealthawarness #walkagainstrape #yestosocialjustice #ourfight #letsmakeithappen
When a person is raped, it is not just their body which is abused, but their mental health above all. It could take years or a life time to heal from the pain, shame, guilt and trauma. That’s why, we are organising a Solidarity and Sensitization walk against Rape in Douala, Cameroon on the 9th of November, and in Yaounde on the 16th of November. Are you in any of those cities? Join us. You can also support us in any way you can, we are grateful.

I had a meltdown today after 9 months


Hello tribe,Today was so overwhelming and sensorial, I ended up with a meltdown.Today I signed the grant for my association at the US Embassy in my country, and an event which was to be joyful all the way ended up triggering. I really went through the crying and pain in my head, and hands and legs, and I did live videos to capture all that and use that to raise awareness about mental health challenges and Mental illness.So, feeling better now and ready for bed, I just wrote the following on Facebook – does anyone relate or have anything to add which I could capture for more sensitization please?Some Signs someone is struggling mentally:
1) Their speech gets more rapid or slurred;
2) Their gaze gets more distracted or static;
3) Their coherence gets more all over the place or repetitive;
4) They cry for no reason or every reason they recall;
5) They look so untidy or over more than usual…inshort it is on a case by case basis and I am drawing from my own experiences as a mental health care user and providerSome things you can do to help someone struggling
1) Listen to them without offering advice as they speak;
2) let them cry all they want and just run their hand and offer a tissue as you let them know it is ok to cry it out;
3) Ask them what you can do to make them feel better, and try to do that;
4) Help them look at the positive side of life as is without any judgmental tone;
5) Encourage them to lie down or offer to go for a walk with them depending on how they are and what they prefer.Some things not helpful to do when someone is struggling
1) Do not cut them short with solutions unless you know them so well, you may trigger more sadness and helplessness if you do – online comments are different, they may not even read them while the struggle is ongoing;
2) Do not try to blame them or make them feel ungrateful about their struggles;
3) Do not try to get them bottle it up for whatever reason;
4) Do not try to take any major decisions about them without discussing with them (personally I would feel invalidated, hurt and stigmatized);
5) Do not laugh away their struggle.All the above from my personal experiences. I am sincerely grateful for all Angels on my path, and all who continue to trust me to help them too.Goodnight tribe, I feel much better but need to sleep now and not later o. I will be live on national TV tomorrow for the program below