What's on your mind these days?
Since Wednesday, a bunch of my friends and I have been talking about Senator Kamala Harris' intellect, poise, and strength she exhibited during the vice presidential debate.
We've talked about how much energy it must've taken to stay composed, appear strong, and exhibit authenticity - while carefully navigating the few permissible emotions women are allowed to showcase while on the job.
And that list of permissible emotions is even narrower for Black women.
While we were chatting, I asked my friends,
"What do you think she's doing to refuel after expending that level of energy on the world stage? I know I'd need at least 2 week off after that!"
We giggled, agreed, and then got really quiet.
We started to remember, share, and discuss the mental bruises we'd all endured when WWB (working while Black).
We talked about the code switching, constantly double checking everything we do, being talked over during meetings, and feeling enraged - but stuffing it down - when someone stole our ideas or received praise when we had just expressed the very thing a colleague had shared.
And when it came down to it, we talked about the exhaustion.
That bone deep exhaustion that makes you weary, has you questioning everything, and wears down your mental resolve.
We were on our call for at least 3 hours - because all of this is a lot. And it continues to be a lot - even while many of us are working remotely.
The thing we all reminded ourselves of as we wrapped up the discussion was - we should always prioritize our mental health so we can find our center of control within ourselves.
Boosting our inner wellness is a key way to manage our mental health - especially right now.
How are you taking care of your mental health these days?
What tweaks or upgrades do you want (need) to make?
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