How to #StopAsianHate and Deal with Grief on the Covid Anniversary: An Interview with Sheila Houlahan

The Mental Health and Wealth Show

Since the pandemic began, there have been so many violent attacks and other forms of racism towards Asian-Americans. Unfortunately, this Covid-related violence is not getting talked about as much as it should. So in this episode, I speak with Indian-American actress and singer Sheila Houlahan who is outspoken about what is going on in the Asian-American community. We talked about dealing with grief and trauma on the Covid anniversary and how you can be an ally and help stop the hate toward Asian-Americans in this very important time. Plus, learn how being a creative actually affects your mental health and wealth.

“We are hitting the one-year anniversary mark for going into quarantine. And as they say in trauma therapy, once you hit that one year mark your acute trauma becomes chronic.” - Sheila Houlahan

“I get that people are angry. I get that they’re frustrated, that they're depressed, that they feel impotent but like, there are healthier ways to process those feelings that don’t involve being completely horrifically violent to Asian-American elders.” - Sheila Houlahan

Timestamps 2:42 - Sheila’s mental health journey and how she became an advocate 6:00 - The concentric circle of grief theory, the one-year anniversary of the pandemic, and how people may be experiencing chronic trauma today 12:15 - Why there’s violence against Asian-American (AAPI) community, why they’re not being acknowledged, and how some people are even trying to pit AAPI against BIPOC 19:00 - What we can do to support the AAPI community in our own little way 21:18 - How we can help stop the Asian hate and violence 27:53 - How Sheila manages her mental health being an actress and her advice on how to deal with rejections 35:10 - Sheila’s tip on what to do during a job interview 36:50 - How to manage finances when you have variable income 42:15 - Sheila sang part of her favorite song ‘No Choir’ by Florence and the Machine

Resources

‘Night, Mother: A Play by Marsha Norman Kassandra Dassent Interview

Connect with Sheila Instagram

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