A young black woman stands in front of the library in the courtyard. She’s standing on top of a concrete planter, holding a placard as the sun beams down on her face. It has a list of names on it. No one is up there with her. There are students bustling to and from classes, in the crowded space, back and forth past her. No one is paying her too much attention, including myself. I’m with my friends, we’re trying to get through the cluster of people. The young black woman is screaming, “Say their names!” as tears trickle down her cheeks. The agony in her voice apparent with every breath she takes. Her voice cracks, the louder she gets, the veins in her neck pop out. “Say their names!” she belts out as more tears shoot like bullets from her eyes. People continue to walk past her…

During that time in Atlanta, there had been so many riots, marches and protests that I had become desensitised. And everything had seemed to become visibly, racially charged and somewhat divided. I didn’t know her name. I’d never seen her before. That was five years ago, but I remember her face.

I didn’t understand then. And I didn’t want to understand. I didn’t want to feel those feelings. As a Jamaican, I’d never really had to feel those feelings before, or at least, not to that extent.

Recently, I’ve been thinking about her a lot. That young black woman. Standing there, alone, crying, in pain. I wonder how she’s doing now, because now I understand. Now I feel all the feels.

With everything going on in the world right now, it is easy to become bogged down and feel downtrodden. I know I have been grappling with the realities of this situation. I know many people are finding it hard to cope as well, so it is important to remember to take a step back and look after your mental health.

There are also a lot of gruesome images that evoke certain emotions whether you realise it or not, whether you’re seeing it right before your eyes or simply on a screen. So take a moment, to decompress – whatever that looks like for you. I love listening to some good music, singing along and losing myself in the bass.

It takes so much energy, emotionally, physically, spiritually to be out there, chanting, fighting. Make sure you’re eating, staying hydrated and protecting yourself, not just physically. When you get home, take a long warm bath. Soak your feet in Epsom salts to reduce soreness, especially if you’ve been walking for a substantial period of time.

If you feel so inclined, pray. Prayer, it can give you a strength and a comfort like nothing else can.

Take breaks from social media. We live in an era where we can actually get reliable news and information from Twitter and Instagram, which is awesome. But at the same time, if you sit and read all the tweets and posts, it can become overwhelming. It might not be the best idea to let Twitter sit open on your browser and check it every 5 minutes. Depending on how you’re feeling, you might have to disconnect completely. I had to. For 24 hours, I didn’t open Instagram, Twitter or Facebook, because the anxiety was starting to take over and I didn’t want it to.

Read.

Read a novel, maybe something fictional. Get lost in a world that is not your own. A world that you’re seeing through the characters’ eyes. Or watch a funny movie or series. My go-to’s are The Fresh-Prince of Bel-air and Friends. Just do something to make yourself laugh and release those endorphins- nature’s ‘happy drug’ and to take your mind off the seriousness of the world.

Also, you don’t have to watch every single outrageous video clip, read every news source and every single story. Protect your sanity. Stick to a couple trusted sources and roll with that.

If you’re feeling helpless, like I was, not too long ago, do some things that can help you to feel more in control. Go to a protest. If for whatever reason, you can’t or don’t feel comfortable doing that, there are so many other things you can do.

Educate yourself and others. When we’re taught about Black History, it’s often in relation to slavery, freedom from slavery, civil rights etc. However, there’s a whole part of Black History that is often not mentioned or left out. For instance, that the richest man to have ever lived was called Mansa Musa, King of the Mali Empire. He was an African man who had enough gold and land equivalent to an estimated 400 billion dollars, today (that’s over 3 times Jeff Bezos – founder of Amazon’s current net worth). Forever grateful to one of my college professors that bestowed this knowledge upon us. And believe me, there’s a lot more where that came from. Knowledge is power, make yourself powerful.

Sign petitions. I’m going to link some petitions you can sign down below to help the cause and families in need. And support black businesses!

Get the thoughts and emotions out of your head. For some reason, things seem scarier and bigger when you keep them bottled up and to yourself. There is some comfort in knowing that even amongst chaos and dismay, you are not alone. Your pain is real, your feelings are valid, feel them, but don’t let them consume you.

Most of all, don’t let anyone tell you how to feel or how to react. When a people are being systematically oppressed causing severe, generational abuse, violence and death, and you are a part of that people, nobody can tell you how to feel about that and what you should and should not do when a life is lost, as long as you’re not taking one.

The world seems scary, cold and surreal to many of us right now. It’s so essential that we don’t allow ourselves to plunge into depression.

For more tips on how to take care of yourself during this time, feel free to check out my post, ,,Self-love ain’t Selfish.

*Look out for my podcast where I’m taking it back to the basics to discuss why we say “Black Lives Matter”, how to get registered to vote and other ways you can help from home. I’ll also be discussing the protestors vs. looters vs. rioters issue and more.

,https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/#petitions

#blacklivesmatter #blm #selfcare #selflove #anxiety #depression #takecare #balance #wellness #healthandwellness