Live in Peace, Rest in Power
Photos by Johannes Krupinsk, Josue Escoto, and Matthew Ball on Unsplash
Treat your body
like a well-rounded planet
built for all seasons, or pretend you are
an adaptable star: Float in the black
and stay there if you need to,
save some light
for yourself.
-Give Yourself Some Flowers, Marcus Amaker
2023 marks the two hundred and forty seventh year since the Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4th, 1776. Such a bold declaration, for its time, was seemingly both foolish and brave. There had been thousands of rebellions against colonialism in times past, but none so frankly announced and fashionably signed.
Seriously, look at the signatures. Who does that?
Though the United States began with noble intentions, The Declaration hardly meant freedom and equality for everyone. To this day, the legacy begotten and perpetuated by rebels, generals, patriots – but also slave owners, colonizers, and hypocrites - has negative effects on the descendants of those who the declaration did not include.
Unbeknownst to many, July is also National Minority Mental Health Month. Just as we celebrate the good intentions which are the foundation of the United States, we must also acknowledge the terrible actions our country has committed since.
According to the American Psychiatric Association, ethnic and racial minorities have a higher chance of developing more persisting depression symptoms, heft a disproportionately larger financial and emotional burden resulting from mental disorders, and suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder and intergenerational trauma.
Add to that the intersections of police brutality, incarceration, homelessness, discrimination, and gender-based violence, and that is a toxic environment to try and relieve one’s mental health. So if you ever feel as if you have an anchor attached to your ankle while drowning, just know that it isn’t because you are weak or whiny. It’s a combination of societal and historical factors that can leech strength from any human being.
On the bright side, BIPOC in America have always persevered. Two hundred years and still going! Some of our greatest heroes also faced mental health and physical disabilities. Did you know that Harriet Tubman suffered from intense epileptic seizures and hypersomnia most of her life? That Lionel Aldridge suffered from schizophrenia? That Sylvia Rivera fought depression?
They not only lived with their illnesses but changed the world despite them. That same strength and power exists inside you! Read on for some tips on how to access or improve it.
Protect your Peace
“You need so much more than mental health or ‘well-being’ in this era of discrimination, invisibility, and psychological warfare. You need an impermeable web of protection for your mind.”
- Rheeda Walker, psychologist and author of The Unapologetic Guide to Black Mental Health: Navigate an Unequal System, Learn Tools for Emotional Wellness, and Get the Help you Deserve.
Mental health is just as personal and varied as physical health. Someone with OCD has different needs than someone with Depression, though the two illnesses can be related the same way an infected ear can affect one’s balance.
The word self-care has become more popular since the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet everyone seems to have a different definition. According to psychologist Dr. Matthew Sacco: “Self-care is something we deliberately do — or, in some instances, refrain from doing — with our own well-being in mind. That includes anything that promotes physical, emotional, psychological, or even spiritual well-being.”
Perhaps establishing a rhythm that enhances your well-being seems obvious, dramatic or time-consuming, but it is crucial to maintain one’s health, especially for people of the global majority, who unfortunately still face higher levels of discrimination that has a direct impact on life-expectancy.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention, (the CDC) report that: “The data show that racial and ethnic minority groups, throughout the United States, experience higher rates of illness and death across a wide range of health conditions, including diabetes, hypertension, obesity, asthma, and heart disease, when compared to their White counterparts. Additionally, the life expectancy of non-Hispanic/Black Americans is four years lower than that of White Americans.”
Fighting inequality doesn’t only mean disrupting it in the classroom or Congress, but also reversing those affects within oneself. For every minute that systematic oppression costs your peace, you must also take that same amount of time to restore it.
Establish a rhythm
“Love yourself through it. Realize that you’re doing the best you can right now. Be open to improvising here and there, as necessary. Release any unhealthy relationship with being in total control. We’re being reminded that at the end of the day, we’re not in control.”
- Lalah Delia, author and founder of Vibrate Higher Daily.
If you try to model your self-care after the advice of social media influencers or Google, you’re not alone. Social media has become a hub of knowledge for topics that are taboo or underdiscussed, and sometimes it helps to have the testimony of a person like you, right? In many cases, that is reasonable and can be helpful.
In fact, in a recent 2022 study by The National Library of Medicine (NCBI), it was found that “There is a growing number of mental health professionals who use social media to share mental health related content and information that would usually be shared in a therapeutic setting with the broader public. They are known as mental health influencers.”
Isn’t that a little cool?
Information regarding mental health and how to preserve it is readily accessible, which is certainly more than Harriet Tubman had!
However, be careful not to take the advice of someone without understanding their credibility. Not everyone posts mental health research that is medically corroborated. Even worse, many social media posts suggest treatments or habits that can be actively harmful. Use good judgement when taking into perspective someone speaking at you from an anonymous place on a bright screen.
Also, don’t be afraid to do your own research!
The more one embarks on a personal self-care journey, the more you may discover that what works for your favorite TikTok therapist does not necessarily work for you. Are you a Yoga person, or do the slow movements just make you sleepy or tense? Does peppermint tea help you sleep better than melatonin?
Using the wisdom of others to find your body’s rhythm is wise, but remember it is yours.
Much of that journey includes trial and error, so don’t feel discouraged if an influencer’s morning smoothie doesn’t lower your anxiety. Your body and mind are unique, and with a little perseverance, you’ll soon discover that you are your own best inspiration.
Seek Help
“We would never tell someone with a broken leg that they should stop wallowing and get it together. We don’t consider taking medication for an ear infection something to be ashamed of. We shouldn’t treat mental health conditions any differently.”
- Michelle Obama
For those with clinical diagnoses, a physician or psychologist can help you tailor coping mechanisms to your specific experience. There are as many ways to live with mental illnesses as there are illnesses in the first place.
Stigma, shame, toxic masculinity, and unsafe environments are all reasons that people do not seek professional help. While those reasons certainly carry validity; and are often rooted in cultural and societal survival methods, they could also be the difference between a happy life and an exhausting life.
You matter. You deserve peace. You deserve contentment.
Mental health may be treated as lesser than physical health, but that is not true. Nor is it true that those living with mental health disorders or illnesses are not capable of thriving, succeeding, and changing the world around them. Everyone is capable of walking in their power, but healing does not have to be a lonely road. It can also be one walked with others and in community.
We have compiled an extensive list of mental health resources for you. We hope they are helpful. We hope you show yourself as much grace and empathy as you show others. We hope you tread through the waters of the world with passion and peace.
We hope you save a little light for yourself.