image via instagram @asiyami_gold

2020’s been moving mad all year, and it’s def taken a toll on us mentally. between the endless stream of bad news circulating on everyone’s twitter tls and all your future plans being put on hold until further notice, we figured you might be feeling the same way too. don’t worry, sis! we see you! in order to help you get into a better headspace, we went ahead and listed a few tips for maintaining your mental wellness right here. 

be honest about how you are

 

image via instagram @simply__dv

it’s bad enough that black women already have to deal with other people downplaying our distress. don’t play yourself too, sis! rather than running away from the fact that you’ve been feeling off, give yourself the space to address it. bottling it all up will only make it harder for you to bounce back. recognizing that something’s wrong is always the first step in figuring out how to fix anything. rebuilding your mental wellbeing works the same way. just make sure to give others a heads up when you decide to take some time to heal up.

cut out what kills your mood

routinely waking up to bad news is the easiest way to throw off your whole mood , so it’s best to avoid opening up any apps right as you get up in the morning. being intentional about how you use social media will also help safeguard your sanity. instead of getting sucked into endless scrolling, have an idea of who you’re checking for and take yourself directly to their account. and when you hop on an app, don’t let anyone try your patience. become best friends with the block button if you have to and don’t look back. but when things get to be a bit too much, go ahead and clock out. consider this post permission to go ghost on all your social media accounts. 

map your mind out 

something about having a vent-sesh in your girls’ group chat that’s so soothing. but your crew can only do so much to maintain your mental wellbeing, especially when they’re dealing with their own things. for the moments when you can’t turn to your group chat to unpack everything that’s been bugging you, getting what’s on your mind down on paper will come in clutch. having a journal on you at all times will keep you from bottling up any bad feelings. writing right before you turn in for the night will keep you from carrying all that mental stress you picked up during the day into the next. 

tap into your mind by meditating 

 

image via instagram @fashioncrave

like we mentioned before, figuring out how you’re feeling is an essential part of taking care of yourself. meditation can help clue you into what your mind needs from you to feel better. luckily the app store has many apps for guided meditation for you to follow like sanity + self, calm, and aura. if you’re trying to keep off your phone, youtube has a ton of playlists that you can pull up and follow along with in order to help heal your mind. 

now more than ever, you owe it to yourself to stay on top of your wellbeing, and that means taking time to take care of your mental health no matter what, boo.