Dominique Fields: How Each Of Us Can Leverage The Power Of Gratitude To Improve Our Overall Mental Wellness

Express- Communicate/talk. Venting can cause a release of stress. Express creatively if that’s what you choose. Writing got me out of my dark place. Cry if necessary. Feel absolutely everything you need to. I’m a big believer of this. Whatever you do, make sure to get it out of your system and release it into the universe.

As we all know, times are tough right now. In addition to the acute medical crisis caused by the Pandemic, in our post COVID world, we are also experiencing what some have called a “mental health pandemic”.

What can each of us do to get out of this “Pandemic Induced Mental and Emotional Funk”?

One tool that each of us has access to is the simple power of daily gratitude. As a part of our series about the “How Each Of Us Can Leverage The Power Of Gratitude To Improve Our Overall Mental Wellness” I had the pleasure of interviewing Dominique Fields.

Dominique is an author and creative writer. Having already self-published a mental health book, currently she is working on her second novel. Dominique has been published in literary journals for both her poetry and flash fiction. You can connect with Dominique on her instagram at @_readwithfields.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dive into our discussion, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share with us the backstory about you and about what brought you to your specific career path?

Hi! Absolutely! I am from Tennessee and I went to school for communications and marketing. I have both my bachelor’s and master’s degree. I minored in sociology and it helped to deepen my passion and empathy for others and the things we collectively experience as a society. Coming out of graduate school, I was going through a rough patch mentally. I was a fresh graduate with tons of debt and a crap load of internships and volunteer experiences in my field, yet I couldn’t get a job. I found that was a common experience amongst my peers (college graduates), so I wrote my way out of that dark space. That’s how my mental health ebook, Words Have Power, came to be.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?

I work in entertainment, so I experience pretty interesting things often but getting to work a BET Award weekend once and seeing so many of my favorite music artists in person at one time was really cool for me. I am a huge music buff and that was a memory that will stay with me for the rest of my lifetime.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Why do you think that resonates with you? Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life?

“Don’t take life too seriously. No one makes it out alive.” I love that quote so much because of how true and point blank it is. I struggle with anxiety and everything in life is a huge deal to me and it has affected my physical health at times. So I remember that quote to remind myself to chill out. So what if I embarrass myself in front of a bunch of people? I barely leave the house, so they will probably never see me again. So what if I’m not where I thought I’d be at this point in my life? I’m still young and have so much time. It’s not a race. Perspective and grace are super important to keep in your pocket.

Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story about why that resonated with you?

Yes, my book Words Have Power :). It literally is a product of self-care. It goes back to the whole perspective thing. I rewired my thought process, started manifesting, started meditating, and started being honest about what I was confronting mentally. I am a huge advocate of mental health and removing the stigma from it. I believe that if you feel holistic ways are the best ways to treat your condition, then do that. If medicine is the best way, that is completely fine too. What’s not okay is that you not getting better because of the taboo surrounding the topic of mental health.

Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?

Yes! I am working on my second novel! I just completed my first one. It’s something that’s always been on my bucket list as I have always been an avid reader. So, I am taking the time to celebrate that milestone in itself before I start stressing over the publishing process. However, I do hope to become a published author in the near future and bring entertainment to others. Reading is an escape for me. It helps to calm my mind and re-fuel myself, but it also serves as a good way to learn new things and travel to new places. I want to be able to provide that for others.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

I 100% agree with this. Although in this case, this was a pretty solitary journey for me. I didn’t feel comfortable nor did I know how to express what I was going through. I very much suffered in silence which is why I work hard to let my peers around me know that I am always available to help and support in any way that helps. With that being said, I am grateful for my friends and family who, at the time, made sure I knew I was cared for and offered help in the ways that they knew how. I will always be appreciative of that.

Ok, thank you for all that. Now that we are on the topic of gratitude, let’s move to the main focus of our interview. As you know, the collective mental health of our country is facing extreme pressure. We would like to explore together how every one of us can use gratitude to improve our mental wellness. Let’s start with a basic definition of terms. How do you define the concept of Gratitude? Can you explain what you mean?

My definition of gratitude is being thankful for the things you do have. That includes the small things like your heart that is pumping inside of you or the fact that you made it through another hard day even if it consisted of only laying in bed. You should reward yourself for every small win because life is hard. It’s a continuous struggle. We can’t wait for the big wins to be happy.

Why do you think so many people do not feel gratitude? How would you articulate why a simple emotion can be so elusive?

I think everyone does feel gratitude. Maybe it’s just short-lived for some. Maybe some aren’t as loud as we want them to be about theirs. It’s their prerogative. When the conversation around the topic that can help increase visible gratitude — I am talking about mental health here — is so taboo or watered down, can you blame people? I am so happy to see more people speaking up about anxiety, depression, and ADHD, but those aren’t the only mental disorders out there. It seems like they are the most accepted ones, though. Schizophrenia, OCD, Bipolar Disorder, PTSD, eating disorders, Body Dysmorphia, phobias, etc. are all in the same conversation and need to be discussed more without shame. We have to start addressing the root cause before discussing the surface level issue.

This might be intuitive to you but I think it will be constructive to help spell it out. Can you share with us a few ways that increased gratitude can benefit and enhance our life?

I’m no doctor and do not want to give out false information, but I can imagine it would be good for physical health components like blood pressure, cholesterol levels, etc. I am sure it could help with one’s mental health (in addition to other treatment). It can definitely color our life experiences better. I would bet it helps in a much general sense.

Let’s talk about mental wellness in particular. Can you share with us a few examples of how gratitude can help improve mental wellness?

I wrote a book about manifestation and affirmation. That is the epitome of gratitude. It trains you to think more positive and to speak positive things into existence. That can possibly help counteract depressive thoughts. It helped me, at least. I can only speak for myself.

Ok wonderful. Now here is the main question of our discussion. From your experience or research, what are “Five Ways That Each Of Us Can Leverage The Power Of Gratitude To Improve Our Overall Mental Wellness”. Can you please share a story or example for each?

Affirm- Affirm everything that surrounds you–Nature, people, health, institutions, love. Acknowledge what you do have.

Manifest- Speak better days/times coming. Even if you don’t believe in manifestation, just speaking the same thing over and over to yourself will alter your reality regardless.

Rewire- One of the most important things I’ve learned is that you have to speak to yourself like you speak to the ones you love most. You can’t even jokingly speak down on yourself. I have a dark sense of humor so I had to unlearn that.

Express- Communicate/talk. Venting can cause a release of stress. Express creatively if that’s what you choose. Writing got me out of my dark place. Cry if necessary. Feel absolutely everything you need to. I’m a big believer of this. Whatever you do, make sure to get it out of your system and release it into the universe.

Nurture- After you’re done feeling what you need to feel, take care of yourself. Treat yourself to a shopping spree, dessert, a vacation, whatever. Just take care of yourself and enjoy doing it.

Is there a particular practice that can be used during a time when one is feeling really down, really vulnerable, or really sensitive?

My advice would be to deep breathe for a bit and do something you enjoy. Also, this may be the last thing you feel like doing, I know, but go be around people. I say hang with someone you always have a good time with. Always!

Do you have any favorite books, podcasts, or resources that you would recommend to our readers to help them to live with gratitude?

Music. I understand everyone is not big on music, but if you find some that resonates with you, it can be very effective. Tori Kelly, Demi Lovato, and old school jams that I grew up listening to with my parents are my go to. The Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation by Taraji Henson is great. The National Institute of Mental Health is a great reference for chat lines. I am not aware of them all but the internet is easily accessible for most people so that’s a great resource in itself to find more.

You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

Universal Therapy. That means it being included in health insurance policies at workplaces but also accessible to every citizen in the country at no additional cost to them. It would essentially work how universal healthcare works in other countries.

What is the best way our readers can further follow your work online?

They can follow me on Instagram at @_readwithfields or check out more of my work at https://linktr.ee/dfields09_

Thank you for the time you spent sharing these fantastic insights. We wish you only continued success in your great work!

Thank you! I had a great time answering these questions :)