Black Lives Matter. I did not feel right starting this article without saying that. Black Lives Matter. That does not mean other lives do not matter. It means that Black people feel that others do not see the importance of our lives, so we have to reinforce it. This past week has been draining to say the VERY least. I am exhausted. I am sad. I am angry. Some moments I feel hopeless. Other times I believe that there can be a positive change. I am not here to rant or talk about my views . . . I am here to check up on you all and make sure that y’all are okay. Whatever “okay” is anymore. 

There is so much horror to see on social media on a day-to-day basis. We see videos of police brutality and how people are being beaten, pushed, shot with rubber bullets and sprayed with tear gas. These videos are gruesome but have become so normalized that people do not question whether or not to post them. These videos are actually traumatizing. We see our people constantly being abused and we feel the need to stay informed so we can act. Staying informed can be exhausting. It means constantly hearing of the terrible things that are going on. That takes a toll on our mental health. You may think that you are able to just absorb this information and be fine, but no. I have a friend who opened up to me and told me that they are not eating or sleeping. I am sure this is the reality for most people. Seeing my social media inundated with abuse of Black people and seeing police brutality so evident put my head in a very bad place. I have never felt that down and out in my life. I have not been sleeping well this past week. Another friend expressed to me how all this is affecting her, and I proposed that she should take some time to unplug and step away from her phone. Her response was that there is something new happening every two hours and did not want to miss anything.

I became so sad when I heard this from her, but she was right. There is a new abuse, a new name, a new hashtag etc. coming at us so fast. It never seems to stop . . . it never does stop. I know this may be hard to hear but sometimes, for your sake, you need to focus on something else. Yes, we have privilege to even be able to do this, because the family members of the people we are protesting for do not have that luxury. Use your privilege in this situation to help, but not to your detriment. You cannot and will not be able to help at the capacity you want if you are not okay. 

Protect your peace. If you don’t know what that means, here are some tips. Set a daily goal about how active you want to be. Whether that means attending a protest for three hours, signing forty petitions a day, emailing 5 congressmen – whatever it is, set a goal. Also, set aside time to not focus on what is going on. That can be watching a mindless television show, meditating, or going outside and doing physical activity. Whatever it is, you need to do it. Filling your mind with the horrors is going to take a mental and physical toll on you. It is okay to take a step back to protect yourself. This is a challenging time. I’m scared. I’m sad. I’m angry. You are not alone.