Black Wellness Matters
I’m tired of seeing the countless videos and images of black people being harassed and abused by the police. The tragic murder of George Floyd and so many others since has not only demanded change concerning police brutality and systematic racism but it has really opened my eyes to how wide the divide is between black people and the rest of the world. Whether it’s seeing white people gather in central London with the sole mission of ‘protecting’ a statue or realising that people that I regarded as friends either ignore the issues or try to humanise racists, I am mentally exhausted. Even though I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the outpour of support from allies, I’ve definitely become more acquainted with the block button on both Twitter and Instagram with the constant slew of all lives matter content and people derailing necessary conversations, it’s all starting to take its toll. Keeping myself updated with these tragedies as they happen and dealing with those whose sole mission is to gaslight is exhausting but trying to switch off or distract myself during this time felt insensitive and I could feel myself burning out.
It’s something that is still relatively new to me, there’s a temptation to believe that you’re just over dramatic and lazy instead of actually looking into what may be causing the symptoms. Burnout is a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. Burnout doesn’t just exhaust you, it takes away your motivation to do the simplest tasks and can affect all areas of your life. Symptoms include: fatigue, loss of appetite, being more susceptible to illnesses, aches, isolating yourself from friends or family, procrastinating on tasks that you usually find enjoyable and having a sustained sense of defeat. I felt hopeless even though people would reach out to me and it was only after doing some research and following the Three Rs that I finally started to feel like myself again:
Recognise - Watch for the symptoms
Being in lockdown, isolating yourself is something that is entirely too easy to do right now. You may not have your usual support network around you and the lines between work and personal life become a bit blurred. Sometimes it’s easier to wait for others to notice when things seem different about you but during a time like this, it’s so important to be able to recognise when things are changing for the worse within yourself. Are you getting good quality sleep or is it too little or too much? Are your eating habits relatively the same? When was the last time you spoke to someone about how you’re feeling and are you able to concentrate on the smallest of tasks? These are questions you need to ask yourself in order to combat the symptoms and bring balance back into your life.
Reverse - Undo the damage
You can’t undo the effects of burnout without opening up. Talk to someone you can trust or if that’s not an option, seek support with online therapy like Talkspace, Betterhelp etc. We don’t always need to be strong, we’re human beings who also need space to be vulnerable and have our feelings known. Opening up doesn’t make you a burden, and is the key to relieving some stress, especially when you know you’re not on your own. Set aside some time every day to really focus on yourself and any activity that gives you a sense of relaxation and comfort. Also, make sure to take care of your physical health, exercise is such a great stress reliever. it gives you so much energy and can help to give your days some structure.
Resilience - Take care of yourself
Setting boundaries in order to protect your physical or mental health is so important and shouldn’t make you feel guilty, so please be kinder to yourself. Black people shouldn’t have to suffer 24/7 just to be heard. Make choices that put your mental health first. Learn to say no and mean it, it’s extremely difficult when you’ve been taught to constantly put others first but it allows you to prioritise things that truly matter and stop you from overextending yourself. Non-black allies have an abundance of literature to educate themselves and you don’t need to see violent images every day to make a change. Limit your contact with anything that may cause you to spiral, for example, Twitter has settings which can stop videos from playing automatically. The majority of people who post videos of black people being harassed or worse have good intentions and are trying to spread awareness so being able to decide whether or not you want to view this can make all the difference.
We’re currently living in a time where change seems so close, it isn’t without some challenges but we owe it to ourselves to make sure we’re taking care of our mental health. Staying informed and up to date is important but not at the cost of your sanity. Please continue to spend time with your loved ones, laugh at and create stupid memes, create your content and spread joy without guilt.
Petitions to sign:
