How To Maintain Your Mental Health & Sustain Healthy Friendships At The Same Time
It would be a complete lie if I told you that I was fine; even as I write this, I'm not fine. As a Black woman with pre-existing mental health issues on top of financial burdens, constant fear for my life and being afraid of being in a room with more than 10 people at a time, I can confidently say that life has been pretty stressful. One of the most stressful parts about all of this is that my relationships have suffered, and I don't necessarily mean my romantic relationship.
Throughout the past few months, my best friend and I have been going through a rough patch. Granted, all friends do at some point or another, but we were just mentally and emotionally no longer in sync. I began to retract from her, not vocalize what was going on inside of my own head and bury myself in my work. Not because I had any ill will towards her, but because I felt as though she was doing the same - not talking to me.
In my head, if I'm not your person anymore, you don't have the privilege of being mine. Selfish, but unfortunately true.
Little did I know, she was lowkey feeling the same way about me. Small misunderstandings translated into escalated arguments; we would go for days without speaking and our friendship had only functioned simultaneously for the first time in months when we put together a digital conference. All of the RSVPs and YouTube replays could not compensate for our true underlying issues in our friendship. Even with our first successful business partnership, it was a very surface-level friendship and we never spoke with one another about our personal lives.
While trying to keep my mental health afloat, I feel this innate obligation to always check on everyone around me and constantly be in go-mode. Truth be told, I needed someone to check in on me and I needed to be a better mental health accountability partner. Pulled from my own personal experience, check out my advice on maintaining your mental health and healthy friendships when everyone is going through it:
Ask Each Other How You’re Doing And Mean It:
It's easy to send a "Wyd" or "What's up?" text when starting off a conversation, but when you're asking, be genuine. If you're not ready to actually have your friend possibly unload and you're just asking how they are for a meaningless segue into the heart of the conversation, I suggest not asking. Mental health check-ins are extremely important in functional healthy relationships, especially during heightened times of racial injustice and social distancing, so make time for one another to truthfully spill the tea on how you're actually doing.
Give Each Other Grace:
Everyone is going through it right now - especially as a Black woman. My best friend works a full-time 9-5 and I'm a full-time freelancer so, needless to say, we've both got our hands full. Give yourself and your friend time to feel everything that you're feeling and know that everything you're feeling is completely valid. If they don't answer your text messages or FaceTime calls when you expect them to, that doesn't mean that they no longer f*ck with you. If it's been a couple of days, sure it's normal to be concerned, but extend the olive branch and allow them to reach out when they're ready. It's OK to want to be there for your friend, but don't be too pushy or overbearing.
Open And Honest Communication Is Key:
If you're anything like me, you don't like to talk about your problems in your friendship or face them because then the problems don't exist; they are merely a figment of your imagination. However, failing to communicate doesn't solve problems, it creates them. Don't be afraid to bring your concerns about the friendship to one another, even if it means a few awkward pauses in between monologues. This person is your friend for a reason, so you should be able to come to them about anything - especially if this is your best friend and your main confidant. It's always tough to be honest about some snags in your friendship - I mean, look at Issa and Molly. Once you tap into that open communication and honesty, the hard part of actually addressing the problem head-on is over.
This Is Your Friend, Not Your Enemy:
Admittedly, my best friend and I have both been extremely moody, but it's not because of one another. Life is happening and it's happening to the both of us individually, which translates and trickles into our friendship with each other. Just because you may feel as though everything is slowly crumbling at the tips of your fingers, that doesn't mean that your friendship has to. I don't know who needs to hear this, but your friend is your friend for a reason. They're there to help and support you through whatever you're going through and they're not the bad guy here.
You're battling your own demons and it takes a lot of inner strength. Sometimes battling internally can alter your reality, including who is against you and who's for you. One thing I can assure you of is, projection is real, but don't create problems with your friend and push them away just because you're going through something. That's not fair to them.
Put Yourself Before The Friendship:
This sounds backwards, I know, but hear me out. You can't pour from an empty cup and you can't drive a car with an empty tank. Take time to assess where you are in life, where you want to be, and what kind of friend you can afford to be to everyone without stressing yourself out. Be honest about your ability to be a friend to others if you're not truly taking care of yourself. Once all of your ducks are in a row, you can swim on down through any body of water. Until then, you can expect to drown before you get to the deep end.
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ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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You've Never Seen Luke James In A Role Quite Like This
Over the years, we've watched Luke James play countless characters we'd deem sex symbols, movie stars, and even his complicated character in Lena Waithe's The Chi. For the first time in his career, the New Orleans-born actor has taken on a role where his signature good looks take a backseat as he transforms into Edmund in Them: The Scare—a mentally deranged character in the second installment of the horror anthology series that you won't be able to take your eyes off.
Trust us, Edmund will literally make you do a double take.
xoNecole sat down with Luke James to talk about his latest series and all the complexity surrounding it—from the challenges taking on this out-of-the-box role to the show's depiction of the perplexing history of the relationship between Black Americans and police. When describing the opportunity to bring Edmund's character to life, Luke was overjoyed to show the audience yet another level of his masterful acting talents.
"It was like bathing in the sun," he said. "I was like, thank you! Another opportunity for me to be great—for me to expand my territory. I'm just elated to be a part of it and to see myself in a different light, something I didn't think I could do." He continued, "There are parts of you that says, 'Go for it because this is what you do.' But then also that's why it's a challenge because you're like, 'um, I don't know if I'm as free as I need to be to be able to do this.' Little Marvin just created such a safe space for me to be able to do this, and I'm grateful for everything I've been able to do to lead to this."
Courtesy
Them: The Scare, like the first season, shines a light on the plight of Black Americans in the United States. This time, the story is taking place in the 1990s, at the height of the Rodney King riots in Los Angeles. While the series presents many underlying themes, one that stands out is Black people and the complicated relationship with the police. "For the audience, I think it sets the tone for the era that we're in and the amount of chaos that's in the air in Los Angeles and around the country from this heinous incident. And I say it just sets the tone of the anxiety and anxiousness that everybody is feeling in their own households."
James has been a longtime advocate against police brutality himself. He has even featured Elijah McClain, the 23-year-old Colorado man who died after being forcibly detained by officers, as his Instagram avatar for the past five years. So, as you can imagine, this script was close to his heart. "Elijah was a soft-loving oddball. Different than anyone but loving and a musical genius. He was just open and wanted to be loved and seen."
Getty Images
Luke continued, "His life was taken from him. I resonate with his spirit and his words...through all the struggle and the pain he still found it in him to say, 'I love you and I forgive you.' And that's who we are as people—to our own detriment sometimes. He's someone I don't want people to forget. I have yet to remove his face from my world because I have yet to let go of his voice, let go of that being [because] there's so many people we have lost in our history that so often get forgotten."
He concluded, "I think that's the importance of such artwork that moves us to think and talk about it. Yes, it's entertaining. We get to come together and be spooked together. But then we come together and we think, 'Damn, Edmund needed someone to talk to. Edmund needed help... a lot [of] things could have been different. Edmund could have been saved.'
Check out the full interview below.
Luke James Talks Ditching Sex Symbol Status For "Them: The Scare", Elijah McClain, & Morewww.youtube.com
Featured image by Getty Images