You Are Made of Medicine
A Mental Health Peer Support Manual for Indigiqueer, Two-Spirit, LGBTQ+, and Gender Non-Conforming Indigenous youth
Accessible to Our Communities
This manual is written by and for Indigiqueer, Two-Spirit, and LGBTQ+ Indigenous youth. In this manual, we will be giving some tips, strategies, and resources to manage mental health and wellness! These tips will help you support yourself and others who are facing similar challenges. Whether you are supporting yourself, a friend, a family or community member, we have tried to include as many easily accessible, cheap and/or free resources as possible in this manual.
Mental Health & Wellness
When we say mental health and wellness, we are talking about emotional, psychological and social well-being. Mental health not just mental illnesses (like depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder and others), but also includes our thoughts, feelings, relationships (with others and with ourselves), how we respond to stress and overcome challenges, and our general outlook on life. There are lots of ways to take care of our mental health, and we are going to touch on several of them throughout this manual.
Why Peer Support?
Oftentimes, there are lots of barriers to seeking supports for our mental health like the fact that it can be hard to reach out for support, or long waiting lists for care providers. Peer support is easier to access than many options, which is why we made a manual all about it! Because our peers share similar experiences, we don't have to worry about having to explain what it's like to grow up in your community, or what it's like being Indigiqueer, two-spirit or LGBTQ+.