Today we’d like to introduce you to Shawnti Refuge.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I am an entrepreneur and work a full-time job, along with being a wife & guardian of a toddler. I was born & raised in Beaumont, TX & now reside in Houston, TX. I began creating guided journals after I was diagnosed with Severe Depression and Anxiety in 2018.
Before I started using guided journals, I was living life, but not the life I wanted. I was busy taking care of family & work, but not myself. I was mentally & physically tired all the time but felt I had to keep pushing because that’s what a wife & mother was supposed to do, right?
In the meantime, while “living life”, my inner child started acting out. She was demanding attention, but at the time I didn’t know that. All the issues that I buried needed to be addressed and I couldn’t hold it in any longer. I became sad, angry, mean, irritable, and crying continuously.
I eventually sought professional help but was provided drugs. I didn’t want to be medicated, I wanted to heal. My therapist encouraged me to start journaling to deal with the issues I had buried and forgotten about that had started to resurface. I tried regular journaling where I would just write in a notebook, but that didn’t work for me.
I needed guidance in my writing to stick to the issues and work through them one at a time. This is where I found guided journaling. Guided journaling helps you commit to mindfulness and can help you improve mental health through structured, reflective writing prompts, guided questions, and affirmations.
Since guided journaling helped me, I had to bring mental health awareness to the forefront and encourage others to begin their healing process through guided journaling.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Absolutely no, it hasn’t been a smooth road.
That’s mainly because when I first started out, I was trying to be Super Woman and do everything from scratch, by myself. Once I came to the realization that I wasn’t able to get the business set up on my own, I reached out for help, but to the wrong people.
I was scammed out of thousands of dollars in the beginning, so I had to literally start all over from the beginning to get my business where it needs to be.
I don’t regret the choices that I made. Through my healing journey, I have learned to see the good in EVERYTHING and everything has worked out for the greater good.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I’m a Mental Health Coach, Advocate, Speaker & Writer. I help women to help themselves heal from emotional & mental health issues & traumas related to stress, anxiety, & depression.
I am here to help women develop greater awareness in themselves and implement effective tools to better manage their lives while holding them accountable.
I have created a series of guided journals that focus on specific topics from self-esteem to manifesting goals that teach people how to use the power of journaling to help themselves heal and improve their lives. Each journal that I created is based on my own personal experiences, so I know it works if the user works!
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
The lesson I learned due to the Covid-19 Crisis is that I was too complacent in my life. This was the “wakeup call” that I needed to get my mental health and my life together so that I could help others to do the same. Many of us were taking life for granted and even more lost their lives which made me light a fire under myself to address my issues so that I can be there for the people who need me.
Contact Info:
- Website: shawntirefugejournals.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/shawntirefugejournals
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/shawntirefugejournals
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/srefugejournals
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCphZdqbNfPI0wwCgFX8IwRQ
