2016 feels unreal.
I’m not sure I can take much more and we have another month and a half to go. For me, election night turned into probably one of the worst nights of my life. I was already tired of my daily dose of white privilege and blatant racism, then Tuesday came.
When Donald Trump was declared the election winner, I realized racism now had a signed permission slip. It would no longer slip through the cracks, instead, racism was now a VIP guest back on Capitol Hill. Making America “great” again does not come with permission to take my peace. Self-care, from this day forth, is a top priority for me and should be for you too.
Sisters, how you feeling? Brothers, ya’ll doing alright? We didn’t have a good 24 hours to digest what happened election night before the foolishness began.
Exhibit A.
Whoever did this I'm throwin' hands pic.twitter.com/9Xn1YaCFmK
— Chris Weatherd ™ (@Chris_Weatherd) November 9, 2016
It wasn’t just the grown folks that had to deal with the racist attacks but also our children.
@ShaunKing @CyborgN8VMari pic.twitter.com/sG3Nmt5C1p
— Lucky (@mosaicgraffiti) November 10, 2016
We had to deal with the win and immediately go back on defense to defend our lives. Maintaining peace in today’s society is draining. There is no break in between to take in what happened and what will happen. There is no opportunity to deal with our internal issues regarding the next White House occupant. Tending to our wounds while acquring new ones is a tedious task. If you’re like me, you haven’t had the time to continue the path to healing from past trauma and pain you’re already trying to overcome.
In a social media driven world it isn’t hard to get front row seats to the hatred running amuck in society. If you become consumed with the pain of others you eventually ignore your own. I can’t risk ignoring my own pain. I can’t risk ignoring the need to preserve my own peace. I can’t risk keeping me sane in order to see the sanity of others threatened. So I have to unplug. I have to talk it out with someone.
Seeking professional help doesn’t make me or the millions of others who do so crazy. Sometimes trauma and pain are too much to process alone. I’m not talking about the trauma of a man becoming President because someone had to win. I am talking about the trauma of having to feel nervous about your future because you’re black in America. Don’t even get me started on being a black woman in America. When you hear stories and see pictures of black people being spit on and beaten, you probably think of 1963. Yet this is our reality in 2016.
It’s a harsh reality to cope with. For some, it’s a hopeless one. You’re not alone. You don’t have to be. You don’t have to fight for your peace alone. If you or someone you know is finding it hard to move past trauma or protecting their peace, please seek support and help.
,br>
Mental health comes with stigma in the black community. Consulting a therapist doesn’t mean that you are crazy or any less of a great human being. It just means that you have reached a place where taking care of yourself is a priority that requires additional help. You don’t have go to a physical location to always find help. Here are a few resources that provide you with a safe place to seek help and support, no matter where you are mentally or physically.
- Domestic Violence Hotline
1-800-799-7233 - Gay & Lesbian National Hotline
1-888-THE-GLNH (1-888-843-4564) - Gay & Lesbian Trevor HelpLine Suicide Prevention
1-800-850-8078 - Healing Woman Foundation (Abuse)
1-800-477-4111
- National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
1-800-950-NAMI (6264) - Rape, Abuse, Incest, National Network (RAINN)
1-800-656-HOPE (1-800-656-4673) - Suicide & Crisis Hotline
1-800-999-9999
There’s even an online crisis network:www.imalive.org.
Don’t try to find an excuse to get help. Don’t seek permission from others to get help. #StopAskingPermission and take care of you. If you don’t no one will.
If you know of any additional numbers or resources, leave them in the comments below. We are all in this together.
