Mental Wellness with Miss Nkosi

12/02/2026

Choosing Mental Wellness as an Act of Resistance

In a world that constantly asks young people to “push through”, choosing mental wellness is a quiet but powerful act of resistance.

It is choosing to rest without guilt.
It is choosing to ask for help.
It is choosing to name when something is too heavy to carry alone.

This year, Mental Wellness with Miss Nkosi is committed to centring conversations that affirm your humanity. We will talk about emotional resilience, access to support, community care, and what it means to build a life that is not only productive, but sustainable.

Mental wellness is not a luxury reserved for those who have “made it”. It is a necessity — especially for those navigating instability, uncertainty, and constant pressure.

As we move forward together, let this page be a reminder that you are not alone in how you feel. Your emotions are valid. Your fatigue is understandable. Your hope, even when fragile, is still powerful.

May this year be one where we choose gentleness.
May it be one where mental health is prioritised, not postponed.
May it be one where survival slowly makes room for healing.

Thank you for being here. The conversation continues. 💛

05/02/2026

When Work Stress Becomes a Mental Health Issue

One of the most unspoken mental health challenges facing young professionals today is not a lack of motivation — it is prolonged uncertainty.

Many graduates and skilled individuals are working tirelessly, selling goods, freelancing informally, or taking on roles far below their qualifications simply to stay afloat. The emotional toll of this reality is rarely acknowledged. Constantly sending out CVs. Repeated rejection or silence. Accepting poor working conditions out of fear of having nothing at all.

Over time, this does something to the mind.

It erodes self-worth.
It fuels anxiety.
It normalises burnout.
It turns survival into a full-time job.

Mental health is not only affected by personal trauma. It is shaped by economic pressure, unstable systems, and the feeling of being invisible in spaces that demand productivity without offering security.

At Mental Wellness with Miss Nkosi, we want to say this clearly:
Struggling in an unfair system is not a personal failure.

Feeling tired does not mean you are lazy. Wanting balance does not mean you lack ambition. Wanting work that respects your mental health does not make you unrealistic.

This year, part of our work will be to have honest conversations about how employment, unemployment, and underemployment affect mental wellbeing. We will speak about rest, boundaries, grief for the lives we imagined, and resilience without romanticising suffering.

Your mental health matters, even when the economy says otherwise.

29/01/2026

A Gentle Welcome Into the New Year

A new year has arrived, and before we rush into goals, pressure, and expectations, I want to pause and say this:
Welcome. You made it.

For many people, the start of a new year is framed as a clean slate — new opportunities, new energy, new beginnings. Yet for so many young people, particularly across Zimbabwe and the region, the reality is far more complex. January arrives carrying the same uncertainties, financial strain, and unanswered emails from the year before.

At Mental Wellness with Miss Nkosi, we recognise that hope and exhaustion can coexist. You can want more for your life while still feeling deeply tired. You can be ambitious and anxious at the same time. You can be grateful to be alive and still overwhelmed by how hard surviving has become.

This page exists to hold space for those contradictions.

As we step into this new year, the intention is not perfection. It is honesty. It is care. It is naming the emotional weight that comes with unemployment, underemployment, instability, and the constant pressure to “figure it out”.

If the year has begun quietly for you, that is okay.
If you are still gathering yourself, that is okay.
If you are surviving rather than thriving, you are not failing.

This is your reminder that mental wellness is not about having it all together. It is about learning how to stay human in systems that often forget our humanity.

Welcome back. We are here.

20/11/2025

✨ Welcome to Mental Wellness with Miss Nkosi ✨

If you’re new here, thank you for stopping by. This space was created with one intention: to make mental wellness accessible, relatable, and safe for every person navigating life in Southern and East Africa and beyond.

Mental Wellness with Miss Nkosi is a platform dedicated to empowering young people, working professionals, parents, students, and anyone who has ever felt unseen or overwhelmed. Through honest conversations, culturally grounded mental health education, and community-driven support, this page exists to remind you that your wellbeing matters — deeply and consistently.

However, this journey didn’t start today.

It began with a little girl who couldn’t walk past injustice without feeling it in her chest.
A girl who organised anti-bullying campaigns in junior school because she believed everyone deserved to feel safe.
A teenager who stood at HIV & AIDS Candlelight Memorials, honouring lives and reminding her peers that compassion is a responsibility.
A young woman who marched in Stop the Silence campaigns in solidarity with survivors of intimate partner violence because silence has never saved anyone.
A university student who built social inclusion programmes and health campaigns because she saw how many young people were struggling quietly.

And now, as a young professional, that same girl — now “Miss Nkosi” — is committed to creating supportive, inclusive, and mentally healthy spaces in our workplaces and communities. The work has simply evolved with each chapter of life.

This page is a continuation of that lifelong mission:
✔️ to make information understandable
✔️ to break stigma gently but firmly
✔️ to hold space for real stories
✔️ to centre joy, healing, and resilience
✔️ to build a community where people feel safe in their identities and experiences

Whether you’re here to learn, to heal, to unlearn, or simply to feel less alone — welcome.
This is your space too.

Let’s grow, rest, and thrive together. 💛

— Miss Nkosi

06/11/2025

Hey everyone, I’m Cheryl Nkosi!

If you’re new here, welcome to this space! I’m so glad you’re joining the conversation. I wear a few different hats, these include: mental health advocate, gender equality champion, storyteller, and the founder of Mental Wellness with Miss Nkosi, a platform that connects young people across Southern and East Africa to mental health resources and open, stigma-free dialogue.

My journey in advocacy began back in 2014 through a UNFPA Multimedia Workshop while I was still in school. Since then, I’ve had the privilege of working with communities, organisations, and policy spaces to push for more inclusive health systems — especially for women and youth.

I also serve as a voice in the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), and recently received a Founder of the Year Awards (FOYA) nomination for the work I am doing to make mental wellness accessible.

Through my podcast Careful As Chronic and community projects, I aim to spark honest conversations about chronic illness, womanhood, and purpose — reminding us that healing and impact can coexist.

This page is where I share reflections on advocacy, faith, mental health, and personal growth — the real, unfiltered moments behind the journey.

💛 I’d love to hear from you too. Tell me — what drew you to this page, and what kind of conversations would you like us to explore together?

10/10/2025

🌍 Happy World Mental Health Day 💚

Today is a reminder that sustainability isn’t only about the planet — it’s also about people.

A truly sustainable world is one where mental wellbeing is prioritised, where women’s rights are protected, and where care is recognised as the foundation of every thriving community.

Too often, we talk about development goals, innovation, and progress without acknowledging that none of it is sustainable if people — especially women — are burning out, silencing their pain, or navigating systems that overlook their emotional and physical wellbeing.

As someone who advocates for gender equality and mental health across Southern and East Africa, I’ve seen how deeply interconnected these issues are. When women and girls have access to mental healthcare, reproductive health rights, and safe spaces to heal, communities flourish. Economies grow stronger. The future becomes more inclusive.

This World Mental Health Day, I’m reminded that mental wellness is not a luxury — it’s a human right. Let’s build workplaces, policies, and communities that honour that truth.

💚 For every woman balancing purpose with pain — may you never forget that rest is resistance, and healing is sustainability.

Let’s keep the conversation going. How are you investing in mental sustainability in your community or organisation?

12/09/2025

Indigenous mental health - grandmothers healing community with Zimbabwe-based psychiatrist Dr. Dixon Chibanda - Friendship Bench

12/09/2025

September is Su***de Awareness Month: Are our workplaces truly safe for mental health?

For the past eleven years I have been a mental health advocate. This work has taken me into conversations about wellbeing, social inclusion and community development, and it remains deeply personal to me. Su***de Awareness Month is not just a campaign on the calendar. It is a reminder that we all have a part to play, especially in the places where we spend most of our time: our workplaces.

Why this matters!

Work shapes lives. A safe workplace is more than policies on paper. It is a space where people can speak honestly, reach out for help and feel supported. When that happens, teams are stronger and people are healthier.

Understanding the terms.

Su***de is the act of ending one’s own life.
Suicidal ideation is when someone thinks about or plans su***de, even if they never act on those thoughts. It is an important warning sign that should never be ignored.
A mental health care facility can be a clinic, a counselling centre or even a workplace programme that connects staff to trained professionals.

What we know:

Globally, 75% of su***de deaths are among men while 25% are among women. Research suggests women may have some biological advantages in handling stress, yet this does not make women’s mental health any less important. Substance misuse and violent behaviour often make things worse and can push people from distress into suicidal ideation or even su***de itself.

The bigger picture:

In some countries, su***de attempts are still treated as crimes. These laws add stigma and keep people from getting the support they need. Encouragingly, countries such as India, Singapore, Pakistan, Malaysia and Ghana have started to decriminalise su***de attempts, recognising that this is a public health issue, not a criminal one.

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, especially Goal 3 on good health and wellbeing, call on us to reduce premature mortality and promote mental health for all.

What organisations can do
• Provide confidential counselling and Employee Assistance Programmes.
• Train leaders to recognise when someone might be struggling.
• Offer workshops, check-ins and open conversations.
• Make it clear that mental health is part of overall health.

My call to action:

September is a chance to pause and reflect. Lives can change when compassion is matched with action. My own journey has shown me that healing happens when people are included, supported and given access to care. I invite organisations, leaders and advocates to step up as allies and create workplaces where people can connect, heal and thrive.

Also follow me here on Facebook for access to affordable mental healthcare services in East and Southern Africa

07/08/2025

WOTD

25/07/2025

Quote of the day

24/07/2025