Envision:You

🌿Self-care is about taking the time to recharge, reflect, and reclaim our well-being in the midst of a society that often leaves no space for rest. It’s a personal and political choice to honor our bodies and minds, to acknowledge that productivity is not the measure of worth, and to create a healthier balance for ourselves. 🌿Self-care is not just bubble baths and face masks (although, those are nice too!) 🌿It’s also about setting boundaries, saying no, and taking time to rest. 🌿It’s about honoring the diverse practices that have been appropriated and commercialized. 🌿It’s about recognizing that wellness is both a personal AND collective journey. 🌿Let’s not forget that self-care has been co-opted by a culture that often promotes a narrow, exclusionary view of what it means to take care of oneself. 🌿To decolonize self-care, we need to break away from these narrow definitions and create a space where everyone – regardless of race, gender, or class – can find their own path to wellness. 🌿Share in the comments below how you take care of yourself and your community! 👇👇👇👇👇 ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️ #LGBTQ #LGBTQCommunity #LGBTQIA #QueerAdvocacy #Trans #Wellness #MentalHealth #Colorado #Nonprofit #EnvisionYou #MentalHealthAwareness #SelfCare #InternationalSelfCareDay #DecolonizeSelfCare #SelfCareIsNotSelfish #SelfCareIsHealthcare #MentalWellness #AskForHelp #CollectiveHealing #Community #Connection [Image 1 description: [On a blue background with foliage images, text reads, “International self-care day”]. End Description]. [Image 2 description: [On a blue background with foliage images, text reads, ““Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.” - Audre Lorde”]. End Description]. [Image 3 description: [On a blue background with foliage images, text reads, “Decolonizing self care: “Popular culture has diluted the essence of self-care with superficial, elitist notions of how self-care is to be experienced, which has led to the correlation of self-care with qualifiers of white, female, and wealthy.”Lauren Harrell”]. End Description]. [Image 4 description: [On a blue background with foliage images, text reads, “Decolonizing self care: “Decolonizing self-care includes returning to the essence of self-care and making it accessible to and diversely represented for marginalized communities.” Lauren Harrell”]. End Description]. [Image 5 description: [On a blue background with foliage images, text reads, “Decolonizing self care: “The path to decolonizing self-care is about more than creating intentional spaces for marginalized communities, but also acknowledging the deep-rooted elements of colonialism that self-care practices often perpetuate.” Lauren Harrell”]. End Description].

Happy International Drag Day! 🌟 Today, we celebrate the incredible artistry, creativity, and authenticity of drag culture worldwide! Let’s embrace diversity, love, and authentic self-expression in all its vibrant forms. Share what drag means to you and what you think it teaches us as a society in the comments below! And read on to learn a little about the history of drag! Drag has been a part of history for centuries, with its roots intertwined with queer culture, particularly queer persons of color. Before drag became a part of the cultural mainstream, it flourished in drag balls held in secret to avoid persecution. The 20th century saw drag becoming increasingly prominent, with clubs and bars hosting drag performances, and individuals embracing their identities, personas, and/or fictional characters through drag. In the 1960s and 70s, drag's role in LGBTQ activism was solidified during the Stonewall Uprising and the Gay Liberation Movement. In short, drag culture helped paved the way for what the LGBTQ Rights Movement is today. Drag has a rich history as a safe haven and lifeline for many, offering a space for the truest form of joy, vulnerability, authentic expression, pushing boundaries, and redefining gender. It's a statement that says we are here, loud and proud. Drag continues to create a meaningful impact on people and our culture despite facing increased backlash in recent years. Drag has always been and will continue to be the drive that has changed lives for centuries. Drag is larger-than-life and undeniably fabulous! 🌈💃 #LGBTQ #LGBTQCommunity #LGBTQIA #QueerAdvocacy #Trans #Wellness #MentalHealth #Colorado #Nonprofit #EnvisionYou #Denver #InternationalDragDay #DragIsMagic #DragQueens #Supermodel #TheArtOfDrag #Queen #RupaulsDragRace #Anetra #SashaColby #JinkxMonsoon #Authenticity #CreativeExpression #QueerLiberation

🌈 Register for our upcoming Q is for Questioning workshops!! 🌈 We have amazing programing coming up at the end of July and August which will help trusted adults gain the skills and confidence to support and best affirm their LGBTQ loved ones! ✨ Make sure to check both slides on this post to get all the info! ✨ In Denver this summer, we’re partnering with @alliance4action to create a supportive and open environment for trusted adults to come together– virtually in the first two workshops, & virtually OR in-person for the last one– to learn foundational LGBTQ knowledge skills and strategies to maintain a healthy relationship with your LGBTQ loved one(s)! In Adams County, we’re partnering with @adamscountyhealth on another virtual/hybrid Q is for Questioning workshop which will also be valuable for any trusted adult, which includes parents/care-givers, educators, counselors/therapists, and many more! Please email [email protected] if you require translation services and/or need other accommodations! 🏳️🌈 Anyone in Colorado is welcome to join these workshops! 🌠 Visit the LinkTree in our Instagarm bio to learn more and register, or visit the link here: https://buff.ly/46dmJj3 #LGBTQ #LGBTQCommunity #LGBTQIA #Queer #SafeSpace #Pride #Gay #Lesbian #Bisexual #Transgender #Nonbinary #GenderFluid #Equality #LGBTQRights #IRiseAbove #QueerAdvocacy #MentalHealth #MentalHealthAwareness #MentalHealthMatters #MentalHealthSupport #Recovery #Wellness #MentalHealthQuotes #YouAreNotAlone #SelfLove #LoveIsLove #Denver #Colorado #Nonprofit [Image 1 Description: [On a faded illustration of a mountain, information is written about Q is for Questioning’s Denver County Summer workshops. The text states: “Upcoming Free Workshops! Register Now! Denver Workshops / July 31, Aug 7, 14 / 6:00PM to 8:00PM / Register & Find More Information: https://buff.ly/46dmJj3”]. End Description]. [Image 2 Description: [On a faded illustration of a mountain, information is written about Q is for Questioning’s Adams County Summer workshops. The text states: “Upcoming Free Workshops! Register Now! Adams County Workshops / August 7, 14, 21 / 6:00PM to 8:00PM / Register & Find More Information: https://buff.ly/46dmJj3”]. End Description].

Happy International Non-Binary People’s Day! 🌎🌈🎉 We celebrate all the non-binary people in the world today and throughout history. Non-binary people have always existed and they are here to stay. 📣 Non-binary people enrich our world with their unique perspectives, creativity, and strength. They challenge societal norms, break down barriers, and inspire us to embrace our authentic selves. 🌟 To all the non-binary people out there: you are valid, you are loved, and your identity matters. Your existence is a powerful reminder that gender exists on a spectrum, and there’s beauty in breaking free from societal expectations. 💛🤍💜🖤 #Nonbinary #GenderFluid #Transgender #Pride #Community #LGBTQ #LGBTQCommunity #LGBTQIA #Queer #QueerCommunity #Trans #SafeSpace #Equality #EqualRights #LGBTQRights #QueerAdvocacy #SelfLove #Love #Smile #Denver #Colorado #Nonprofit #Wellness #MentalHealth #MentalHealthMatters #EnvisionYou #SundayFunday #HappySunday #WeekendVibes #SummerVibes [Image description: [A purple background with bright yellow and lilac stars. A large white moon in the center of the image is overlaid with black and white text that reads, “Happy Non-Binary People’s Day!” The text is highlighted in the colors of the non-binary flag, yellow, white, purple, and black. A cute green frog with rosy cheeks and a smile sits on a dark green lily pad and is holding a heart. The heart is striped with the colors of the non-binary flag, yellow, white, purple, and black. The Envision:You Instagram handle is written in white text at the bottom of the image.]. End description.]

In Honor of Non- Binary Awareness Week this week from July 8th to July 14th, let’s talk about some ways to celebrate ourselves and our peers! First, we have taking Envision:You’s Transgender and Gender Diverse population module. This module allows you to learn more about non-binary community and how to be inclusive for gender diverse folks. Next, we can introduce our pronouns when meeting new people. This allows us to build a welcoming space for transgender and gender diverse folks. The trans community has been putting out amazing media in an array of formats. Let's take some time to check them out! Lastly, we have speaking out against discrimination towards non-binary folks such as correcting folks on pronouns or speaking up against transphobia! #LGBTQ #LGBTQCommunity #LGBTQIA #QueerAdvocacy #Trans #Wellness #MentalHealth #Colorado #Nonprofit #EnvisionYou #Pride #NonBinary #Awareness [Image 1 description: [a purple background shows a white background with “ Ways to celebrate Nonbinary Awareness week” on a yellow rectangle at top. Below this is a checklist with four stars to the right saying “ Take Envision:You’s Transgender and Gender Diverse Population Module, Introduce your pronouns when you meet someone new, Engage with Media produced by non- binary folks, and Speak out against discrimination towards Non-Binary folks”.The bottom right says “@envisionyouco”]. End description.]

We wanted to extend a special thank you to @tavernettadenver for their incredible support of our mission to improve LGBTQ mental health. Throughout Pride month they hosted a fundraiser on behalf of Envision:You and raised over $600! Thank you Tavernetta! . . . . #LGBTQ #nonprofit #denver #tavernetta #fundraiser #colorado #queer #mentalhealth . [Image Description 1: [On a tan background there is a rainbow border on the top and bottom of the image. There is black curved text at the top of the image which says, "A special thank you to, Tavernetta!" With the Tavernetta logo below. Below that is text that reads "For their ongoing support of the LGBTQ community during Pride Month!"] End Description.]

July is Disability Pride Month! Disability Pride Month honors individuals who embrace their disabilities as essential components of their identities, reclaiming visibility and engaging openly with their disabilities. It's a time to reject shame and internalized ableism, fostering unity within the disability community and empowering each other's voices to be heard. 🏳️🌈 Disability pride has been described as “accepting and honoring each person’s uniqueness and seeing it as a natural and beautiful part of human diversity.” Ever heard of Spoon Theory? 🥄 It's a metaphor that helps explain the limited energy many with chronic illnesses or disabilities face each day. Spoon Theory was coined by Christine Miserandino, who used it to explain her experience of living with lupus to a friend. During a conversation at a diner, she gathered spoons to represent units of energy and demonstrated how everyday tasks depleted her limited energy reserves. This simple metaphor has since become a widely recognized way to illustrate the challenges faced by individuals with chronic illnesses or disabilities in managing their energy levels. #LGBTQ #LGBTQCommunity #LGBTQIA #QueerAdvocacy #Trans #Wellness #MentalHealth #Colorado #Nonprofit #EnvisionYou #MentalHealthAwareness #LGBTQ #DisabilityAwareness #Intersectionality [Image 1 description: On a faded colorful background with green in the bottom left corner fading to yellow then red in the top right corner, Black paint splatters are in the top left and bottom right corner. Text in middle of post in black text reads, “LGBTQ DISABILITY PRIDE” Behind “LGBTQ ” is a red rectangle, Behind “DISABILITY” is a yellow rectangle, Behind “PRIDE” is a light green rectangle. Small black text in the bottom center reads, “@envisionyouco”. End Description]. [Image 2 description: [On a faded colorful background with green in the bottom left corner fading to yellow then red in the top right corner, Black paint splatters are in the top left and bottom right corner. A clip art image of three spoons on a ring is in the bottom left corner. In the top right, black text reads, “What is Spoon Theory?” Below this in smaller black text reads hypothetical quotes “"I only have a few spoons left today, so I need to conserve my energy.", / "Going to that event will cost me too many spoons, so I have to prioritize resting instead." / "I used up all my spoons doing chores this morning, so I'm feeling exhausted now." / "I'm trying to budget my spoons wisely so I can make it through the week without overdoing it." / "Some days, I wake up with fewer spoons than others, and I have to adjust my plans accordingly. Small black text in the bottom center reads, “@envisionyouco”. End Description].

Want to discover some great DIY tools for releasing stress and anxiety? Join Envision:You’s Brad Barfield and host Marlys Woods, along with other experts and influencers for a free online summit called Finding Freedom Within: Experts Share DIY Tools for Releasing Stress & Anxiety! Be sure to reserve your FREE spot for the Summit so you don’t miss Brad’s powerful interview: Belonging and Community for Well-Being. Click the link to register! https://buff.ly/3WiYdtu . . . . #selfhealers #nomorestress #anxietyhelp #stressmanagementtips #mentalwellness #mentalhealthjourney #lgbtqcommunity #LGBTQ

Supporting individuals through the distinctive hurdles inherent in transgender/gender diverse experiences, including the process of transitioning, is of utmost importance. Within Envision:You’s LGBTQ Behavioral Health Provider Training Program, we delve into techniques for facilitating a secure environment where clients can explore their gender identity, drawing upon best practices recommended by WPATH. Let’s talk about how to best support the LGBTQ folks in your care! To learn more, visit: https://buff.ly/3zAGwfY #LGBTQ #LGBTQCommunity #LGBTQIA #QueerAdvocacy #Trans #Wellness #MentalHealth #Colorado #Nonprofit #EnvisionYou #Pride #BehavioralHealth #Provider #Therapist #Counselor #SocialWorker #Training [Image 1 description: [The image shows a joyful youth in a black shirt with their hands above their head. The text over the image reads, “Let’s talk about.. gender affirming care for LGBTQ youth.” The Envision:You LGBTQ Behavioral Health Provider Training Program logo is underneath, with an, “Enroll Now” button.]. End description.]

Envision:You attended Movement Gym's Queer Climb Mini Movie Festival where we got to see incredible short films from legendary climbers Jamie Logan and Madeleine Sorkin! We are also extremely grateful for Movement's incredible support throughout Pride month as they raised nearly $700 on behalf of Envision:You at a Pride yoga event! Thank you so much @movementgymscolorado . . . . #denver #movementgyms #climbing #queerclimbers #colorado #lgbtq #nonprofit