A recent study found that patients with chronic disease and depression found a sort of release upon trying a mindful-based stress reduction course. The study proved that there was a considerable improvement in the participants’ mood, functional capacity, and perceptions of pain upon participating in the activity. According to the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association, it was found that 89% of the study’s respondents claimed that the program helped them in various ways. Despite having 11% of the participants remaining neutral, most of them agreed that the activity allowed them to better cope with the pain. Chronic pain may be common, but this ailment is considered one of the most severe medical conditions out there. The medical condition is believed to have affected over 100 million people in the United States and correlates to an annual cost of $635 billion.

The Effects of Chronic Pain

A small-scale study was conducted in a semi-rural population in Oregon, wherein issues about affordability, addiction, and access to care are abundant. During eight weeks, the participants were instructed to try a mindfulness meditation followed by a mindful hatha yoga exercise. According to Cynthia Marske, an osteopathic physician, and director of graduate medical education at the Community Health Clinics of Benton and Linn Counties, she claims that numerous people have lost hope because of the possibility of chronic not being fully resolved. However, she believes that mindful yoga and meditation can help the body’s structure and function and cater to the healing process. 

The Difference Between Healing and Curing

According to Dr. Marske, he claims that healing is becoming whole again, while curing is the point of eliminating the disease. He believes that yoga and meditation can help make things manageable during the chronic pain healing process. A study conducted found that mindful meditation and yoga led to notable improvements in a person’s perspective on pain, disability, and depression. In the Patient Health Questionnaire, also known as PHQ-9, it was found that the scores of the standard measure of depression dropped by 3.7 points on a 27-point scale. Dr. Marske concluded that some patients often experience a similar drop from the use of anti-depressants. 

Depression and Chronic Pain

Dr. Marske claims that depression and chronic pain go hand in hand. However, he believes that mindfulness-based meditation and yoga can, indeed, restore a patient’s physical and mental health. He believes that both of these combined are effective alone or infused with other medication and therapy treatments. Participants also received instructions from MBSR, a systematic educational program that trains people to raise awareness of the self in the present time and a nonjudgmental manner. The results support other claims on how MBSR can help treat chronic pain while healing from perceived depression. Dr. Marske says that the bottom line is that patients are looking for new ways to endure chronic pain and effective non-pharmaceutical remedies available. However, he firmly believes that yoga and meditation are the go-to plans for patients searching for relief from chronic pain.

As the signs could be seen everywhere, the multi-billion dollar industry of secondhand trading clothes has indeed lessened the risk of having fashion garments stockpile over landfills. However, because of the pandemic, merchants have been struggling with their thrift shops and clothing banks as mountain loads of clothes are being stocked outside their shops and in their warehouses. Aside from that, resellers and exporters have been forced to cut down their prices due to the massive lockdown measures, leading to slow business flow. According to Antonio de Carvalho, boss of a textile recycling company in Stourbridge, central England said that his regular expense of 570 pounds ($726) a tonne dropped down to 400 pounds, making it somewhat difficult to collect and store items. Aside from that, his customers also demanded to increase the credit period wherein they would use to pay in 15 days to a staggering 45-60 days, which gave cash flow problems for De Carvalho’s business. 

The Shutdown of Businesses

Antonio de Carvalho’s story is one of many traders worldwide who are experiencing this so-called downfall. Many other recyclers have had to remove clothes banks from their areas and lessen the times they were cleared out weekly. Some owners even had to lay off workers to reduce their expenses and save more money. After interviewing 16 market players, irony seemed to be peaking through the already damaged hole. Problems quickly arose for many such as exporters, traders, and customers for numerous low-end countries solely relying on used clothes. Britain has struggled too, as their exports’ regular weight was half of what they got the previous year. America wasn’t safe either, as a third of their clothes ended up in the markets of developing countries despite their reputation as “the world’s biggest exporter of used clothing.”

The Cries of Kenya

On the other side of the globe, various countries such as Kenya have also felt the wrath set upon by COVID-19. Aside from its fall as a country, things got even worse when their government banned the production and distribution of textiles in March due to its risk of spreading the virus. Despite the ban being lifted in August, traders still couldn’t do anything after the damage COVID 19 has caused. Mutisya and Anthony Kang’ethe are drivers of a secondhand clothes selling shop who expressed their thoughts on the whole matter. According to them, before the pandemic, there used to be five of them. But after everything that has happened, they were the only ones left.

The Devil Does Wear Prada.

Although the second-hand clothing market boomed way back in the 90s, things haven’t gotten better since. According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, production for clothing has doubled over the past 15 years because of the public’s demand. It was proven that the fashion industry also produces over 10% of global carbon emissions and is the second-biggest consumer of water. As numerous countries worldwide have been in demand for more clothing such as the United States and Britain, a report made by the Environmental Audit Committee claimed that over 300,000 tons of apparel go straight to the landfills or incineration yearly. According to Anna Smith, a doctoral researcher at King’s College London, she claims that our environment’s sad truth is that the whole problem is getting bigger and people are consuming more.

Happiness is an essential aspect of survival. For many Black influencers, promoting positivity among fans and followers, mainly during crises, is a must—that so-called reminder that there is still light at the end of the darkest tunnel.

Amid the ill effects of the present COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing debates regarding equality and racism, numerous Black celebrities and creators are offering the community a chance to laugh, reconnect, and heal. Tabitha Brown delights her audience with cooking expertise; Kerry Washington showcases yoga as a calming and reflective activity, and Rickey Thompson entrances followers with his dancing moves.

Brown and Her Cooking

The vegan actress provides both her Instagram and TikTok fans with motivational clips. She combines her southern cooking with inspirational narratives. She guides her millions of followers as she demonstrates how to cook a variety of dishes as she simultaneously calms her audience with her trademark expressions, including “’cause that’s our business” and “like so, like that.”

After her 2-year battle with chronic fatigue and pain, the actress turned to the web, posting motivational videos for fans. “I want to help people,” Brown shares in a recent interview. “I think my content has a responsibility to bring light every day, whether it’s in laughter, whether it’s in inspiration, whether it’s through food,” she adds.

Thompson and His Dancing Moves

Like Brown, Thompson has millions of followers on social media. He dazzles his fans with various dance clips coupled with relatable rants regarding relevant issues. His videos are bursts of color and gaiety, encouraging everyone to believe that things will soon be okay.

He shares that, after the terrible losses that he and his family encountered, he realized that he could use his voice to influence others. Nowadays, he provides his fans with comic relief through dancing, walking, and self-expression. “As a Black person, our whole journey is trying to keep all our emotions within because we’re supposed to be strong, we’re supposed to be these tough people,” Thompson explains. “But we’re also human… What’s important is letting other people know you’re not in this alone,” he continues.

Staying Positive amid Problems

Despite the current difficulties encountered by various Black and colored communities in the country, it is highly important to remain calm and steady. Laughter helps relieve the accumulated stress and pain brought on by the pandemic and increased racism, while motivational talks provide positive guidance on how to make the best of the situation.

Numerous Black influencers and personalities offer various stress relief options online, encouraging others in the community to hold on to each other, although virtually, as we all await the eventual cure to this present pandemic. “So that even if it’s for one minute, it’s an escape for whatever they have going on in life. They can laugh a little bit or cry if they need to, but they just feel like they have somebody at that moment,” Brown asserts.

Indeed, we may all be grappling with various issues at the moment, but hope must spring eternal as survival can only be possible for those who remain steadfast, strong, and happy.