Cape Town - Miss South Africa Shudufhadzo Musida, launched her mental health initiative aimed at providing South African citizens with the necessary support when it comes to dealing with mental matters.
Musida, who announced that her focus would be raising awareness around mental health at her crowning in October last year will be launching her initiative #MindfulMondays, in partnership with the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (Sadag), at 7pm on her social media platforms.
Musida’s initiative will facilitate weekly mental health sessions, featuring mental health experts, who will speak on various topics related to the subject, live on her Instagram page.
“For me, personally, mental health is something that is not really spoken about. Unfortunately, it is considered a taboo subject that is often engaged with, not to rehabilitate but to shame, so I want to bring that conversation into the open. It’s time our society stands together to confront this,” she said.
#MindfulMondays’ first guest will be clinical psychologist and Sadag board member Zamo Mbele, whose conversation focuses on mental health.
Their planned discussion will include the difference between mental health and mental illness, how it impacts people and what some of the different types of mental health issues, as well as resources that are available for people to access, and how the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted mental health.
Sadag said that it was proud and honoured to be sharing a platform with Musida to air and host important conversations around mental health, and to help break the stigma around mental illness in the country.
“By using her powerful platform and her compassion towards mental health, we hope to debunk myths, encourage people to seek help, and share practical self-help tips for people to use as part of their mental wellness.”
Cape Argus