WHAT'S REAL WITH JAMIE NGUYEN
@LAPETITEJAMIE
What’s your favourite color?
I love a timeless neutral like cream!
What self-care habits do you intertwine into your daily routine?
I take a really hot shower with my favourite playlist blasting so I’m not all alone with my thoughts haha.
What's your favourite book?
I’d love to read but at the same time my ADHD’s like no.
Who can you go to when you need to get something off your chest?
Myself. Not being able to afford a therapist doesn’t give me the right to unload on my friends or my partner. I do vent on them to some extent, but my deepest thoughts will forever stay in my Notes app.
What’s your safe place?
Sounds weird to other people but the bathroom.
Have you ever dealt with anxiety? If so, how do you calm your mind?
I deal with anxiety on a daily basis. I do breathing exercises when I feel my heart rate increasing, or use grounding techniques during panic attacks. I dig my nails in my hands, try to name things I can see around me, or eat something funny if I can.
Have you ever gotten yourself out of a dark place? Or have you ever needed to help someone else out? If so, how?
I have done both actually! I let myself wallow for a few days and then when I feel ready I take small baby steps like cleaning my room, putting on my makeup to feel human, getting out of my apartment. As for my friends I try to check up on them 70 times a day and make sure that they don’t isolate themselves and constantly remind them how much they mean to me.
Do you think social media affects your mental health or has any other negative impacts on you? If so, how do you best deal with it?
It does when I get negative messages. Being vocal about mental health and social issues sometimes invites criticism and hate. But most of the time it doesn’t really affect me. When it does get to me I take a break, other times I take constructive criticism to heart when I know that it’s valid criticism. But nothing really turns me off when it comes to social media really, I stay for the memes.
What’s your biggest fear?
Dying before accomplishing anything meaningful.
What’s the biggest change you can identify within yourself in the past year?
I discovered that I suffer from a mental disorder (that I’m not comfortable saying its name sometimes because of stigmas) around this time last year, which made me so relieved because everything suddenly made sense. I reflected a lot, tried to work on regaining my memories, tried to make sense of why I am the way I am and what I can do to be better for me and my loved ones.
What’s one of the hardest things you’ve had to go through in life? How did you get through it?
I’ve been through some difficult things in life and I’d say my childhood trauma was the hardest. I developed many coping mechanisms that helped me get through it that unfortunately stayed with me and still interfere with my life. I still find it hard to function like a normal person, but I’m trying my best.
What advice would you give to your 16-year-old self?
Don’t wear that!! And also cut all the unhealthy relationships out of your life!
If you could change one thing within society, what would that be?
It would be for everyone to be more mindful of their actions and words. Every little thing we put out to the universe creates a ripple effect that goes far beyond our immediate lives, like plastic bags, or intergenerational traumas.
