Unfortunately, people have an opinion about everything. But for some reason our skin, hair, nails, bodies, height, etc constantly become the topic of conversation. We are constantly fed these unnecessary comments and have been guilty of making these comments ourselves in the past. In this episode I discuss my own experiences with appearance shaming in my Afghan communities. I talk about various types of body and appearance shaming and how we can promote self love more because we are all beautiful! Remember, if we can all live life differently then we can sure as heck all look different doing it!!  Big thank you to my dear friend, Lois Lawton Virtual Services for all of the help in the production of this episode. Hire her for all virtual assistance needs! Instagram: @loislawtonvirtualPositivity promoting people I follow:Insta: @anisa.diab (Muslim mental health counselor)@farajmentalhealth (supporting mental health in the Muslim communities) @islamicmindfulness (daily self affirmations) https://www.hillarycounseling.com/2019/05/02/101-positive-body-affirmations/ 1-800-273-8255 (Suicide prevention hotline) Just need someone who will listen?https://www.7cups.com/ 

Jigars and Jaans! As some of you know, I needed to unplug which caused a delay in uploading this episode.  Remember, it's completely okay to unplug and take a step back from whatever your mental health state can't handle at that moment.  The questions I've chosen to answer in this episode are: Why weren’t you allowed to get rid of facial hair? How did your family handle you being bullied/ did you even tell them? You said it took a conversation when the lady was rude about your condition? But that worked for you. A “conversation” doesn’t fix everything in our community these older gens are hella stubborn.  Why did you feel the need to have a party to hang out with the afghan girls your age? Can you talk more about what you mean by “gateway into that afghan group”? You said your best friend passed away? How did you deal with that loss in afghan family at a young age?Websites I've mentioned in this episode are below:https://www.stopbullying.gov/resources/get-help-nowWant to talk to someone? Call 1-800-273-8255 https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/talk-to-someone-now/Mayim Bialik's Breakdown Podcast:https://open.spotify.com/show/6TgOe2poCdpZtQwKetQmU1https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mayim-bialiks-breakdown/id1546456269

This episode is about “Getting to know your host.” I dive deep into my childhood, school experiences, and some personal self esteem triggers. This one definitely shows a more vulnerable side of me and how certain negative experiences impacted my mental health. I also talk about a major event in my life that defied some cultural odds.  As always, please reach out with any feedback, questions or comments at [email protected]!

A lot of people reached out and wanted more details on what this podcast will be about so here it is! In this episode, I talk about my support system and the people in my everyday life who keep me going. A support system is key in maintaining a positive mental health. There are people out there who don’t have firm support systems and I hope this podcast can become one for them.  I also talk about the immense support I’ve received and how it motivated me even more to pursue this show.  You will also hear why I chose a podcast as a platform to talk about the issues we face in Afghan societies as first generation afghan Americans and what inspired me to do this. This episode is a brief introduction but the future episodes will contain more detailed content along with the series of events in my life that caused me to be so vocal when discussing my mental health. Don’t forget to email me at [email protected]!!

Welcome Jigars and jaans! This trailer briefly explains what to look forward to in this podcast.  Special guests, Q&A sessions, and vulnerable conversations are just a snippet of what will be included! Feel free to email me topic ideas or send me questions you’d like me to answer at [email protected]! Disclaimer: I am not a therapist or licensed mental health counselor; just a girl who shares her experiences.