Mental Health Check | Renaissance Woman

We are back again, with another post. This time we are going to delve into mental health and explain why it is important to unplug and make time for self-care.

Photo Credit: @vscogoldenpolaroids

The past couple of months have been an emotional roller coaster, to say the least. I know I can speak for most of us when I say we ushered into 2020 with so many expectations for the new decade. Six months into the year, we have seen many events occur and because we live in such a fast-paced society, we are constantly intaking events at a higher rate than normal, in our communities and our personal lives. Following up on our last post about using your voice read here, we need to also remember to take a step back and recharge. While we use our voices to stand up against the injustices toward Black/Brown people, we need to remember our minds are processing these traumatic events which play a role in mental health.

According to Help Guide Mental Health and Wellness. Any traumatic event—from a personal tragedy to a global crisis like a pandemic and the injustices from systemic racism can take an emotional toll and cause traumatic stress. It is normal to feel shocked, confused and even overwhelmed from the repeated exposure of everything happening around the world. Some of the emotional signs of traumatic stress are shock and disbelief, you have a hard time accepting the reality of the events that happened, or you feel numb and disconnected from your feelings. Fear, you find that you often worry that the same thing will happen again, or you even feel that you'll lose control or break down. Sadness or grief, especially if people you know have passed or suffered life-altering consequences and Guilt that you survived when others lost their life or feeling that you could have done more to help. Some of the physical signs are racing thoughts, always feeling unsettled. You may also have difficulty concentrating, memory problems, or confusion. Loss or increase in appetite, or excessive consumption of alcohol or drugs, and Feeling dizzy or faint, unsettled stomach, or excessive sweating.

A couple of weeks ago when I learned of the killing of Oluwatoyin Salau it made me feel overwhelmed with grief. My spirit is very sensitive so I often take the misfortunes of others as if they were my own ( some may say I am an empath). I also felt upset, I felt this way because she was fighting for #BlackLivesMatter on the front lines protesting while looking for shelter to lay her head. In the midst of her going through stresses in her personal life, she still dedicated time to advocate for her people and make her voice known. How many of us know people like this or, are even like this ourselves? At that moment, I felt the need to unplug and just take a break from social media because it was just a lot, killing after killing death after death but I couldn't. I felt guilty. Men and women who looked like me were being killed and I felt a moral and social duty to stay online and plugged so that I could be knowledgeable to spread awareness.

"As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others." - Maya Angelou

I quickly realized that I am human and I cannot give from a place of lack. So it was my duty to myself and others to practice self-care. Often times we are so compassionate to everyone around us and forget about ourselves. If you are feeling overwhelmed with anything in your life, set time out to gauge how you feel before engaging. Take time out to participate in something you love that raises your vibrations. It is also best to limit your exposure to other stressors. Now more than ever, actively make an effort to filter what and who has access to you especially while you self care.

"If your compassion does not include yourself it is incomplete "- Jack Kornfield

Be Inspired

My aim in this post is to bring awareness of the social traumatic stresses that may be affecting some of us in addition to the personal stresses of life. Everyone is fighting a battle. I want you to know that your feelings are valid and you are not being dramatic, it is okay to take a break to recharge. Let me know how you been feeling during these pivotal times? Do you find yourself overwhelmed or are you holding up well? Have you taken time out to gauge your emotions? Let us talk and discuss more below.

Resources

Click the links below to find more information on mental health and how you can receive help.

United States

Canada

United Kingdom