This week has been particularly ‘meh’ which has got me thinking a lot about how we all, as a collective, are doing. With so much going on globally – it’s just a lot.

I think most people will agree with me that the past two and half years have been an insane rollercoaster with our mental health taking a really huge hit. Most people will cringe at the sound of mental health mainly because there is little understanding on what it is exactly. From personal experience, mental health is just as important as our physical health and well-being.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services describes mental health to include our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. This means that how we think, feel, and act is affected by our mental health. This also determines how we handles stress, relate to others, and make choices.

My personal journey over the past couple of years could easily be one of the hardest I have ever had to navigate next to losing my mother. For me, the restrictions, the uncertainty, being thousands of miles away from family, the covid devastation, market instability, long covid tales, war, natural disasters have been a nightmare and I just wanted to check in.

How are you all doing? Are you taking time to process what has happened?

And what care mechanisms do you have in place? What about self care? Are you getting an opportunity to rest?

Have you given personal boundaries any thought? Are you enforcing yours? Do you respect other people’s boundaries?

Are you letting yourself feel all the emotions – especially the difficult ones? Do you let yourself cry? Are you leaning on trusted ones?

Sending you all warm thoughts and comforting vibes through this tumultuous time. Feel free to reach out if you would like someone to listen.

*MM*

Changing the narrative. Telling my African story