Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Keyana Dixon. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Keyana, sincerely appreciate your selflessness in agreeing to discuss your mental health journey and how you overcame and persisted despite the challenges. Please share with our readers how you overcame. For readers, please note this is not medical advice, we are not doctors, you should always consult professionals for advice and that this is merely one person sharing their story and experience.
First and foremost, I started to educate myself more about the effects of trauma. After having to losing my brother in a very violent way. I had to go through that there was also video with audio. I can never bring myself to it fully watch it I tried but I had to also fight with myself on how much more it would hurt. There is also my brother every other day on the news. Tic Toks, You Tube and finally seeing the officers in real life and breaking out into hives in the court room as if I was having an allergic reaction. I had to deal with panic attacks. I wanted to get better; I realized that mental health was not just going to talk with a therapist. But mental health was finding healthy coping skills which for me is Prayer and meditation, I spent a lot of time in nature. I was/ am more conscious on what I put into my body. What type of music I listen to. What I watch on T.V. I also realized that it’s okay to not be okay and I have giving myself to continue my journey in this life as well as honor my brother’s Legacy.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I have started the Tyre Nicols Foundation. We have the H.A.R.T program which will focus on Health and Nutrition, Art Therapy, Restorative Justice, and Technology. The Tyre Nichols Foundation along with other organizations are working together to do a regional skate park in Memphis. To honor and keep his legacy.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Being brave enough to face the truth of what happened. I was in denial and really angry for a while, my advice while experiencing anything is to allow yourself to feel and understand what happened because how can you heal the wound if you act like you are not hurt. Give yourself grace, but don’t make excuses for poor behavior but acknowledge what contributed to it. Be kind to yourself.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
I would love to collaborate with Hyde Foundation, We Are Memphis, Civil Rights Musuem, NAACP Pure Academy. Parks and recreation. And the diverse skate community there in Memphis. If anyone would like to connect, I can be reached at [email protected]
Contact Info:
- Website: https://thetyrenicholsfoundation.org
- Instagram: thetyrenicholsfoundation
- Facebook: The Tyre Nichols Foundation
- Linkedin: thetyrenicholsfoundation
Image Credits
Quinton Yates
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