LET’S END THE STIGMA AROUND MENTAL HEALTH #WOMENSSHARE

Often times, mental health is not talked about enough. We as a society are so quick to run to a hospital if we have a physical ailment, but have created a stigma around mental health.

This stigma is what stops people from discussing mental illnesses and their own personal health – society continues to scare people off from these conversations. This is why it is so important to have a platform for people to openly talk about it, and that is exactly what Zahira Miah is attempting to do through social media.

Miah is a 19 year old British-Bangladeshi who has started an Instagram account named Shareurz, where people, more specifically people of color, can submit posts regarding mental health. These posts can come in the form of a piece of art, poetry, stories, etc., and if the sender chooses to, they can be anonymous.

“My family doesn’t really understand or see mental illnesses as a real thing, and I realized how much of a taboo subject it is in the community of color and how stigmatized it is,” said Miah. “Many people are feeling the same as me and not have anyone to talk to about their feelings and what they going through or even scared to go doctors for it.”

As a result of this, Miah decided to start this platform to help out other POC who need a place to be able to speak out.

“Some families and friends don’t see mental illness as a serious issue. I decided to start it so they have a safe place to talk about how they feel and just share their story to get a weight of their shoulder, and keep their identities anonymous if they didn’t want to say it publicly” -Zahira Miah

Women’s Republic has decided to team up with Shareurz to help promote discussion about mental health and eliminate the stigma around it. Using the hashtag #WomensShare on Twitter and Facebook, we encourage POC women to post about mental health – whether it be about themselves, about mental illnesses as a whole or anything else related.

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