It is the last day of the seventh month of the year. At this point I have lost count of how many days since quarantine started and I am losing the concept of time. As chronicled in the past three posts, I have sort of been all over the place. All the excitement and projects I had planned for myself this year have dissipated. I don’t have the energy, and it has been a struggle trying to get the spark back. My life has been going well and I have been meeting my three set goals for the year, but due to the quarantine my internal mood has been…off. As the last day of July, it is also the last day of Minority Mental Health Month. As a Black person who believes in positive mental health, it is only right I talk about it, especially during this time.
The quarantine has impacted countless people’s mental state for a number of reasons, many impacted by 2-3 reasons. It is increasingly important during this time you all take care of yourselves. This month I was heavily reliant on music to help stabilize my mood. I discovered “new” music and played a lot of jams I love. For some people this may be helpful, or reading a good book or watching nostalgic shows (like I am about to do with this Moesha add on Netflix). For others these light methods will not suffice and journaling or therapy is necessary.
I am all for therapy. In our community (Black folks) there is a stigma around seeking outside help. We are expected to only seek out God. Oftentimes, God isn’t enough. I am of the belief these licensed and professional people are here to help us for a reason and we don’t have to work through it alone.
Related post: PTSD and the ‘Hood: How Inner-City Violence Affects the Mental Welfare of its Community
I don’t know if many people have processed what this quarantine has actually done to many of us personally, mentally. Dealing with this quarantine compounded by financial burdens, past trauma, and in many cases bouts of anxiety and loneliness. The quarantine will have you “tripping” off that one thing that happened to you that one time ten years ago because all you have is TIME to sit and be in your head. Just me?
Look, I don’t want to be long. I just want to bring to light and confirm what you are already feeling. If you can, do what can to brighten your mood and/or your situation. This quarantine is not going to be over anytime soon. Occupy your time with positivity and things that bring joy to your life. Practice mindlessness so you are not overthinking about a bunch of crap that DOESN”T matter (taking my own advice). Be kind to yourself (including managing your stress) because you only have one life, one body so take care of it the best way you can.
If you need to just vent, my DM on Twitter (@brittniesnaps) is open. Just preface the quarantine because I confuse easily. We all we got.