Has your own reaction to an incident surprised you? Have you been surprised at your capacity for anger in a situation that shouldn't really warrant that much anger? Or do you convince yourself that your reaction was completely justified? Or do you slink away in shame and pretend it did not happen?

Anger is one of those emotions that we feel needs to be expressed in a particular way too many times though we suppress our anger and then it explodes at the most inopportune time. So how do we handle anger? What makes some of us lean towards explosive outbursts and others calm problem-solving? Can anger be managed in a healthy way? 

How do we manage our pre-anger states like anxiety and exhaustion? It's a lot of questions but listen in to my own experience unravelling anger I didn't realize I was carrying.

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We are 9 episodes in and I would love to hear your feedback and stories on healing. Next week I would like to read them out on the podcast so do send them to our email which is [email protected] on Instagram we are Healing.Growth and on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/traumahealingandgrowth

Bitterness comes from intense emotional pain and injury that makes a person freeze in the place of hurt and not be able to move on from it. Bitterness can feel worse than anger because we are left feeling helpless. Referred to as ’embitterment’ in psychology circles, bitterness happens when you feel there is no action left to take because everything is out of your control.

We have stereotypes of bitterness which unfairly focus on older women told in cultures because of the regrets they may have.  These stories are told as a cautionary tales so that we do not end up in the same way but I feel like the stories are not honest or as relevant as they could be because of how much African society has changed.

Emotional Pain and thus bitterness are human experiences. I find however because men have such few places to process their sadness, betrayal and pain they have become vulnerable to an industry that has commodified their bitterness and further imprisons them with the fear of more pain and operating in a destructive way to themselves, those that care for them or who could potentially care for them. 

Listen on to find out about healing bitterness and moving past the injustices life has dealt.

Last week’s podcast was on Pregnancy and Mental Health. We continue on the topic today as we talk about Birth Trauma and Postnatal Mental Health. This is something I am extremely passionate about because when you talk to many Kenyan women chances are they have had either birth trauma, pregnancy-related complications, a child in NICU or in prolonged sickness, lost a child or suffered mental health issues triggered by pregnancy-related things. When you also talk to older women you find that they too struggled with these things and many have still not processed or recovered.

The thing though is there is not enough awareness and detail on what it is that happens or could happen. I talk about some of the things that could happen like postpartum depression and postpartum anxiety and psychosis as well as options for care and recovery for Mum, her partner and community care. I also touch on attachment between baby and mother and nutrition as a missing piece of recovery.

Send it to every mother, partner and loved one in your circle. Have these conversations, find safe people to let go of the guilt and shame that you shouldn't be carrying anyway. Learn that you're not alone. that we're many of us trying to figure things out.  I hope this makes it easier for you and I hope you find a supportive tribe to walk through healing with.

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Hi everyone,

Welcome back to this week's Healing Growth episode. Thank you for listening to and sharing the podcast across your networks and for all the comments.  

When we talk about pregnancy and mental health most people are familiar with post-partum mental health conditions. The research shows that it can occur in up to one in five women during pregnancy. I talk about the many situations that cause it and the ways to support the pregnant women in our midst. I truly believe that if we create a policy that allows pregnant women to thrive and get the help they need we are well on the way to ensuring that we cater to a wider majority of our population that needs mental health care. I also detail ideas and solutions for us to walk this journey of mental health with pregnant women.

Hi everyone!

Welcome back to the Healing Growth Podcast

This is the podcast where we talk about healing trauma in an African context. Today’s episode is The One about Christmas where we talk about navigating loneliness, family dynamics and scheduling joy. African Christmases are about family and congregating together, whether in the village or city or a holiday town. What does this mean when you are on a healing journey? How do you navigate this time? Saiton shares a few ideas you can utilize and talks about what this looks like practically.