Mental wellness – the Conversations 256

26 Apr

Issue 02: Social Change Heroes

Naks0 CommentsLife, Living, Mental wellness, Pockets of Wisdom, Purpose

Explore the second issue of the Conversations 256 Magazine here. In this issue, we are raising awareness for two distinct organizations; Because Of Her and Tell A Story Foundation. Issue (02) is dedicated to increasing the awareness of social change heroes; two purpose-driven young women who are harnessing ideas that are shaping Uganda’s future for good. In intimate conversations, these founders reveal how they struggle, overcome failures and thrive in order to gain success. Noreen Asenkenye, the founder of Tell a Story Foundation understands the transforming power of story telling. That is why she is engaging it to make a positive…

10 Nov

Pieces Of Wisdom To Remember

C256 Member0 CommentsLife, Living, Mental wellness, Pockets of Wisdom

Success makes many people go crazy. Your ego can make or break you. Stay humble as you win. Remember: this can all end overnight. So act as if you’ll fail, or still can, to keep your humility. Rudeness is a sign of ego. It’s also a sign of an a-hole. Stay away from people who disrespect service workers. Cooks, cleaners, waiters, etc., are doing the best they can (and even if they aren’t), shouting at them as if they’re slaves still makes you the lowest form of human on the planet. Assume everyone is imperfect to not be disappointed. Stop…

28 Oct

On Choosing To Be Brave.

Naks6 CommentsLife, Living, Mental wellness, Pockets of Wisdom

“I made a resolve then that I would amount to something if I could. And no hours, nor amount of labor, nor amount of money would deter me from giving the best that there was in me. And I have done that ever since, and I win by it. I know.” — Colonel Sanders Ahhh… that quote hit me hard in the chest when I read it. It perfectly summed up something I am trying to work towards and ends with such a strong statement, ‘I know!’ I want a confident life. Not the kind of confidence that leads to…

08 Oct

Anniversary Celebrations!

Naks4 CommentsLife, Living, Mental wellness, Pockets of Wisdom, Purpose

Last month marked our 5th anniversary. For a while, we were still debating how to celebrate the occasion. We didn’t want to waste space on self-congratulation, but we also didn’t think we should let the moment pass unnoticed. At the last minute, we came up with an idea: we would invite long-time readers, contributors, and current and former members to send us their thoughts, recollections, and anecdotes about The C256. Maybe we would get enough to fill a few pages. What we got was enough to fill an entire book. But here are a few that really stood out for…

15 May

Get Rid Of These Approval Seeking Behaviours!

Naks0 CommentsLife, Living, Mental wellness

Are approval and validation the same thing? Both of these stem out of a lack of self-worth, but the locus of activity is in opposite directions in both cases. Approval Seeking (AS) focuses on modifying your own behavior, while Validation Seeking (VS) puts the obligation of agreeing with you on external agents. For example, with the same reply: A person with AS will modify her/his answer so that people like it. A person with VS will post whatever the f*** they want, and expect the community to like it. And when the community doesn't, they get p!ssed off with the…

13 May

Why We All Need Resilience.

Naks0 CommentsLife, Mental wellness

Some people seem to be born with the ability to overcome setbacks with relative ease. It’s a trait that experts call resilience. Resilience is the ability to cope when things go wrong. Resilience can also be described as: Bouncing back after difficult times Dealing with challenges and still holding your head up Giving things a go or trying your best Being strong on the inside Being able to cope with what life throws at you and shrug it off Standing up for yourself Getting back into shape after you have been bent or stretched To some, resilience is a sort…

12 Mar

Where is your home…what is ‘familiar’ to you?

Naks0 CommentsLife, Mental wellness, Pockets of Wisdom

"I talked to my friend that night. Now I’m talking to the rest of you. To anyone out there that is at home feeling uncomfortable in themselves even though they do not like it but it’s all they know. The one’s that feel at home constantly judging and criticising themselves. The one’s that feel at home with abuse and insults, with rage and jealousy, with being invisible and put down, with frustration and disappointment, with sadness and guilt, with doubt and fear, with discouragement and despair; those are the ones I’m speaking to. Perhaps it’s time you transformed your emotional home."…

17 Sep

Small Realisations: Loss.

Naks0 CommentsLife, Mental wellness

I have realized a couple of things: It's so easy to lean into anger and use that to drown out every other emotion, including pain. But what is the point? Few things in life have the ability to open your eyes to the reality of life as grief does. Loss changes things. It changes you. It changes your friendships; people you thought would hang beside you in anything turn dismissive, unable to hold their gaze on your pain. People you thought would have no capacity for stillness turn out to be consistent witnesses. You never know who will come through…

25 Oct

Why we are so afraid to feel ‘Joy’…

Naks0 CommentsLife, Mental wellness

“Find out where joy resides, and give it a voice far beyond singing. For to miss the joy is to miss all.” ― Robert Louis Stevenson What is Joy? A 92-year-old man, short, very well-presented, who took great care of his appearance, was moving into an old people’s home one day. His wife of 70 years had recently died, and he was obliged to leave his home. After waiting several hours in the retirement home lobby, he gently smiled as Leah, a nurse, told him his room was ready. As he slowly walked to the elevator, using his cane, Leah…

03 Jul

The War Within Part III: Embracing My Own Worth…

Naks0 CommentsLife, Mental wellness

I have always thought that there was a problem with society’s obsession and intense focus on comparisons; how we compare against others, rather than paying attention to our intrinsic value. Our culture tells us we need to be special and above average to feel good about ourselves, but we can’t all be above average all the time. I couldn't be above average all the time. And that was okay. Because ordinary does not equal meaningless. For me, as I know for many of you, establishing and honoring my own self-worth was a difficult task. I thought that taking the steps…

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