Hannah Barron | Mia Love Live shares what it means to be a black woman with anxiety

WINGATE — I attended a truly wonderful multimedia production at Wingate University’s Batte Center last week. Charlotte-native Mia Love Live performed her show “This is My Brain on Anxiety: The Detailed Experience of an Anxious Black Woman” to tackle the mental health stigma and discuss anxiety through a comfortable, familiar format in art. Anxiety is a common experience for many, including myself, but rarely talked about, and even less so through the black lens. “This is My Brain on Anxiety” is described as a “five-part creatively curated original production that unravels and reveals the personal and cultural journey of a black woman dealing with anxiety.” This show was particularly poignant because it fell on the borderline between both Suicide Prevention Awareness Month (September) and Depression Awareness Month (October).

Live talked about struggling with feeling the need to put up a front of being strong and perfect, the healing power of cooking and sisterhood, handling grief and change, dealing with racism, and hyperventilating into a paper bag when things get bad. Her presentation included cherished family memories, hand puppets, meditation practices, and her brain talking and grappling with issues throughout the five-part show. She also incorporated beautiful gospel music from her creative team, which played guitar and drums alongside her speaking.

I thought it was an amazing, raw show and very relatable. As she spoke about her experiences from a black woman’s perspective, I connected with her struggles of not talking about mental illness and trying to stay strong all time. I could feel my anxiety within her stories. I just graduated from college, and college students are particularly vulnerable to anxiety and the often painful experiences that come with that. Society teaches us that we need to be bulletproof, that we have to keep on going and rushing no matter what, that we don’t have time to breathe or ease up. If we have a mental illness, society says, it means we are crazy or abnormal, that we can’t do life. Our brains become our worst enemies. The stereotypes and myths outweigh the truths of mental illness making it hard for people to accept and love us as we are. Live’s show aims to combat that and help people understand more about the stigma, so we can defeat it. The show provided the space to feel okay with not being okay and the space to grow. Talking about mental illness shouldn’t be something to shy away from.

“A lot of times, the discussion around mental health is very tipped-toed around or not discussed at all,” Live said to JSW Media Group. “The purpose of this show is to stop or to lessen the tip-toeing around the subject of mental health and address it, but also doing it in a way where you feel like you’re relatable and you can talk about it. Also, if I’m not afraid to put it all on the line, I’m trying to help you. I’m not going to judge you… It’s okay. Let’s just get help and talk about it. Let’s see how we can get better.”

Mia Love Live is also the creator and producer of the “So Anxious” series — a platform to talk about mental health. She has previously worked as on-air talent at local radio stations. She gave special recognition to the creative team as well: qwnmds, Les Bless, Modest Jon, Whitney McGee, Free Vision Films, and Promyse. “This is My Brain on Anxiety” is currently on tour, with the next shows at Appalachian State University (October 15) and Brooklyn Grace (December 3-4). Follow the show on Instagram @mybrainonanxiety and @mialovelive. Watch the “So Anxious” series on YouTube and at https://www.soanxiousaf.com/ (her website interface is amazing by the way).

Thank you, Mia Love Live, for your platform and helping me see that I’m not less than or abnormal because of my anxiety. Mental health stigma can cause more damage than the mental illness itself, so a safe, accepting space where that can be discussed means the world.