Mental Health Kits

In 2022, TFD had a dream of creating healthy coping skills for Proviso youth. After experiencing many young souls lost to suicide, TFD wanted to become a space where mental health is normalized and honored. We exercised this through various types of mental health workshops like yoga, breathwork, group therapy, and art therapy. Yet, we wanted something that could provide our youth with healthy coping skills to deal with hard emotions It took many trials to dream up what our kit could look like, and at the end of 2022, we were ready to launch.

Our Big Bag of Feelings, was inspired by listening to our youth to see what they might want in the bag. We asked ourselves when we were younger, what may have aided us in our mental health journies. When you open the bag, you will first see a welcome card that includes everything included plus our creative partners, who happen to almost all be past mentees. Next, you will see a journal with journal prompts and pens. There is a feelings wheel, which helps identify what you are feeling with a matching keychain that allows you to write out said feeling. There are also many different fidget tools like a pop-it, stress ball, slug, flex rings, and more! As we launch more kits and hear more feedback, we will continue to update what comes in the bag.

TFD’s goal is to give away over a thousand kits to our local youth. This December, we were given the opportunity to hand out 150 kits to local high school students. We heard feedback like, “I needed this” or “I love what this says”. This January, we were also given the opportunity to visit two schools and hand out more kits.

None of this work would be possible without our friends and donors. We thank you for believing in us and the importance of our work. If you are interested in buying a bag, we have the option to buy a single kit or a Buy One Give One to sponsor a kit given away to our youth. Additionally, with a code, anyone from 15-22 who lives in the Proviso area can be given one for free. Reach out to our executive assistant, Maya (maya@thefirehousedream.org) for more details.

Breathwork With Kathy Khang

Video Credit: Kevyn Tapia

Another awesome workshop from our Mental Health Intensive this past month was Breathwork with Kathy Khang! Follow along in this video as Kathy demonstrates various techniques for breathwork. You will learn exercises like Box Breath, Box Breath for sleep, breath awareness, awareness meditation, body scanning, and Lion’s Breath. Each exercise has its own purpose and they are easy to follow for beginners, so feel free to save this video to incorporate into your day!

A big thank you to Kathy for partnering with TFD to make this awesome resource video! Be sure to follow her on Instagram @mskathykhang.

Panel Discussion | Mental Health

Video Credit: Kevyn Tapia

This past month, we hosted a series of mental health workshops in honor of Mental Health Awareness May. The first of the 5 workshops was our Panel Discussion! This panel discussion was led by our Executive Assistant, Maya, and included community members, Jasmine and Marquan, and Spring ‘22 Alum, Tracy. Maya led this discussion with a series of questions about each storyteller’s journey through mental health and the importance of incorporating that into their lives. Follow along in this captivating conversation with the video above and enjoy!

Mental Health Stories

May is Mental Health Awareness Month!

To normalize the topic of mental health, we gathered a few inspirational stories from local young adults who wanted to share their mental health journey! Each person has their own beautiful and unique story. Simply sharing what we have been through and how we process it can impact those around us more than we know. It is important that mental health is talked about and that people know they are never alone!

We hope you enjoy and find comfort in the stories shared!

1. Jamia Perteet

Jamia was a Spring ‘22 Mentee. Click above to read her story about accepting herself and learning about self-importance!

Photo Credit: Mariah | Spring ‘21 Mentee

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2. Tracy Wilson

Tracy was a Spring ‘22 mentee. Click above to view his story about overcoming his struggles and never giving up!

Photo Credit: Mya Rose | Summer ‘21 Mentee

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3. Kevyn Tapia

Kevyn was a Summer ‘21 Mentee. Click above to read about his story of self-discovery!

Photo Credit: Mya Rose | Summer ‘21 Mentee

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4. Mya Rose

Mya was a Summer ‘21 Mentee. Click above to view her story about discovering the importance of the small moments in life!

Photo Credit: Suha | Summer 21’ Mentee

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5. Saffron Hurt

Saffron was a Summer ‘21 Mentee. Click above to view her story about embracing herself!

Photo Credit: Jasmyn | Summer ‘21 Mentee

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6. Amie Isfan

Amie was a Fall ‘21 Mentee. Click above to read more about her impactful story of working hard and learning to let go!

Photo Credit: Dulce | Fall 21’ Mentee

Mental Health Stories | Amie Isfan

Video Credit: Kevyn Tapia

What is your story?

My story starts with control. The lack of and the need for it. I was always a very independent kid. I felt like I needed to be where everyone else was and that tainted my own perception of success. I never liked to ask for help. It made me feel weak. Life was just me, working way to hard to live up to unattainable standards. There are days I wish I had a more childlike childhood. Less stress, more time outside. But I am where I am now and I am proud of myself for making it this far. I still have days that I can't sit still because my mind feels like it's going to explode, but one day at a time right? Healing isn't linear and I constantly remind myself to take a break. Reflect a bit. It'll get better, I just need to be patient.

How has your story impacted who you are today?

I have been negatively and positively impacted by my story. Positively, I am very self aware. I am independent and mature. I am compassionate and am good at taking care of others. Generally, I would say I am a pretty great person (not to toot my own horn). Negatively, I am almost constantly anxious. I overthink and am way too hard on myself. I have a tendency to push myself until I am no longer functioning, physically or emotionally, and when I finally break down I blame myself for not handling things better. It's an ugly cycle, but hey at least I am aware of it. I think that's the first step.

What has your mental health journey looked like?

My mental health journey has consisted of on and off therapy. I tried tai chi for a bit. Dabbled in journaling. Nothing ever stuck though. I think therapy has been most beneficial for me, but currently, I am looking for a new therapist. I hope to have one again by the summer time. I tend to fall into these seasons where I feel better for a little, so I stop taking care of myself until I fall into a bad place again. I'm not very good at consistency. I'm working on it though. Each spiral follows a better debrief and an even better plan about how to avoid another spiral. I would say compared to myself a year ago, I am doing better. More aware per-say. Hopefully by next year I can say the same.

What encouragement would you give to someone who shares a similar story?

Find things that give you comfort. People, places, experiences. Make sure not to over indulge, but definitely allow yourself to enjoy things. If that means going to the spa, inviting some friends over, or making a pb&j, do that. You deserve to experience joy. So take a minute and figure out what brings you that. You might have to start small. On my hard days, I resorted to driving with Moses Sumney in the background. On easier days, I would go shopping for clothes. My point is that we all start somewhere. You're not alone.

Photo Credit: Dulce & Jasmine