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The idea for MIND OVER MATTER was conceived when I was sixteen, lying down on my bed at 2 AM, eyes bloodshot awake, thoughts racing back and forth as I tried to calm myself down over what I didn’t know back then was an anxiety attack. I couldn’t recall what I was anxious about, but I remember not being able to get up, reach my phone and ask the people that are extremely dear to my heart for help or consolation. Not even my friends who I talk to every single day; nor my parents who were next door (mind you, I actually bond with my parents quite well), who were literally a few steps away.

The fear and shame of getting help, when I desperately wanted and needed to, was too overwhelming for my fragile sixteen-year-old self. It’s the stigma that is so deeply ingrained in our communities that shaped the perceptions of many regarding mental health, and how seeking help almost always equates to weakness. My initial state of anxiety boiled to anger and unrest not long after I made that conclusion, and I vowed to myself that one day, I’m going to use my platform to advocate for mental health and build a strong and inclusive community and safe space to start conversations about mental health, dismantling that very harmful stigma, one step at a time. 

A year later, I re-acquainted myself with my love for online zines, and ached to make one with the central topic of mental health. After a year-long battle between feeling under qualified to start such an initiative and wanting to speak up for a change, my heart went with the latter. Impulsively, I shared an Instagram story to my close friends about starting a zine, and naming it MIND OVER MATTER - the use of willpower to overcome adversity.

I hold on to the conviction that despite its mortal imperfection, the human mind is incredibly powerful, and is equally capable of doing harm and good. Utilizing the mind for good is no easy feat, but I believe that through MIND OVER MATTER - despite it being a tiny speck of dust in the large scale of the universe - I can help others unleash their powers to overcome their personal hardships through amplifying the voices and creative works of those who were inflicted by the harmful societal stigma of mental health.

This is just the beginning of our journey.

I hope that you can be a part of it too.

With tender love and care, 

Keshya Valerie