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Resilience: Chelsea Elliott Shares Her Story

Resilience: Chelsea Elliott Shares Her Story

An important part of the conversation around racial trauma is that there is a path to resilience, and many BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) not only heal but thrive beyond their trauma.

Chelsea Elliott, a Central Ohio mom of two, a program coordinator in the Grants Office at Columbus State Community College, and the owner of Bedtime Memories Publishing Co., has shared her beautiful story of resilience and thriving with us; read it in her own words below:

Q. What has your history with your mental health been like?
A. I knew I had mental health issues since I was a little girl and people always thought I was just attention-seeking. I now know that I had very bad depression and anxiety as a child. It probably stemmed from us moving from California to Ohio when I was nine. My parents didn’t talk to me about it, we never processed it, it was just something that happened to us. When I got to college, I was diagnosed with ADD, anxiety, and depression and was able to take medication. I was on medication for seven years and suddenly went off of it when I found out I was pregnant with my first child. But, I didn’t realize how intense postpartum could be.

Q. What was your postpartum experience like?
A. It’s hard to express the intensity if it’s not something that you have been through before. I had these thoughts all day every day for eight months straight that something bad was going to happen to my daughter, and I didn’t want to tell anybody because I thought if I did that someone was going to take her away from me. So, I kept it all to myself and suffered in silence.

Q. How did you find help?
A. I got into a Black breastfeeding group and I told another mom there about how I was feeling at the end of one of our meetings. She talked to me about her experience and after we spoke, all of my anxiety went away. I just needed to let it out. She also pointed me to MHAOhio’s POEM program, and that’s what really saved me.

Q. How did POEM help?
A. It was such a dark time. I didn’t really think about it too much – I was just going with whatever they told me to do. Now that I’m a volunteer and see what goes on behind the scenes, I know that they did so much work on my behalf. They connected me with a therapist and a mentor, and it was exactly what I needed. So, with my next pregnancy, I had a plan in place that I had created with my therapist. I had great support from my husband, some close friends, my family, and the POEM support groups. I call them my mental health team.

Q. Was your second pregnancy easier to navigate?
A. Yes. It was so much easier, especially because I really started to go to the weekly meetings through Rise. In Rise, we’re just able to talk and be authentic. Race isn’t always brought up because it’s something we all have in common in our experiences. We don’t have to explain the things we say, or justify it, or hold ourselves back so we don’t look or sound a certain way to somebody. If you’re upset about something, you have a right to be upset about it, but as Black women, we get judged. We’re seen like we’re just complaining or like we’re just angry Black women. That narrative keeps me from expressing myself fully in certain spaces, but I don’t have to deal with that in Rise.

Q. How did that kind of support help?
A. Without POEM and Rise, I probably wouldn’t be here. Suicide was such a normal thought for me, even as I was growing up. Then I realized most people don’t think like that all the time, that it wasn’t healthy. But, it’s not like that anymore. I never thought that my mind could be okay, and now it is. I know when I’m down, I’m going to come back up. And if I need extra support, I know exactly where to turn.

Q. What advice would you give to other Black moms or Black individuals experiencing mental illness?
A. My advice would be to build a support system of trust, and understand what you’re going through mentally. I always recommend therapy. I have had a lot of therapists, and I feel more comfortable having a Black therapist because she just gets me. All of me. I don’t have to overexplain the things that are most impactful in my life nor do I have to feel awkward talking about racial incidents. So, make sure you find a therapist you are comfortable with.

Chelsea’s story shows that healing and thriving are possible even in the darkest times. We’d like to thank her for sharing her story, which takes immense bravery. If you are interested in learning more about POEM and our Rise services for Black moms, visit www.mhaohio.org/get-help/maternal-mental-health/.

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