How to Unplug, Set Boundaries, and Practice Self-Care During Tumultuous Times

Here’s how to unplug, unwind, set boundaries, and stay healthy as we fight systemic racism and police brutality.
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As hundreds of thousands gather to protest police brutality and the death of George Floyd around the world, you may feel obligated to participate in demonstrations or physical actions — especially if you’re a Black person dedicated to social justice. But it’s important to remember that as people living within intersectional identities, putting your body on the line is not an obligation. What’s non-negotiable is that you value your wellness. We have to remember that caring for ourselves is equivalent to taking care of your community.

2020 has proven to be a traumatic year, especially for folks within the Black community. The steadily shocking death toll due to COVID-19, which affects African American communities in higher numbers than any other demographic, can be partly attributed to structural and institutional inequalities such as barriers to healthcare access and food deserts. This Spring brought back-to-back losses of Black community members like Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and Tony McDade, who were all murdered at the hands of the police. Uprisings after these deaths have emerged throughout the country and have spread overseas, and police, state, and federal powers have responded with force.

Uprisings are a sign of revolution, and this global pushback is 400 years in the making. Black communities are tired. With all the talk and energy around fighting back that’s circulated over the past couple months, it’s easy to forget to care for yourself first. Yet “self-care” has become a trend, often triggering images of bubble baths and maxed out credit cards. While there is no right or wrong way to take care of yourself, here are ways to focus on both your mental health and general wellness as we rise up against systemic racism and seek justice for those we’ve lost at the hands of police this year.

Unplug and Follow the News With Intentionality

The news cycle never stops, and taking in a constant barrage of images of Black death and grief can be overwhelming. Don’t feel guilty about taking intentional time away from your phone or turning away from the deluge of information. You might find it helpful to schedule regular, structured times to tune in, like catching the news during your morning coffee or your lunch break but committing to turning off the TV during dinner. Setting other limits that promote your wellbeing — like not watching news before bed or flicking the channel to something more serene that might help you get to sleep — can help set boundaries to promote a healthier relationship to news consumption, especially at a time when fresh headlines are nonstop.

Can’t commit to turning your phone off? Tune in to wellness-focused social media accounts and follow sources that affirm your needs as a whole being. Here are some examples of accounts that promote the necessity of rest, mindful movement, and social justice-based education:

  • The Nap Ministry is “an organization that examines the liberating power of naps,” challenging the idea of hustle culture and promoting rest as a central tenet of both wellness and liberation. Founded in 2016 by the artist and activist Tricia Hersey, their accounts on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter promote content that will encourage you to see making space for sleep as a powerful act of resistance.
  • Try following healers like Seyi Adeyinka (@solar_flux) or Seeing With Lee, who offer virtual classes that can help you connect with the mind and body during this turbulent time.
  • The writer, illustrator, and facilitator Laura Chow Reeve runs Radical Roadmaps; on Instagram, she offers graphics that can educate you and your followers about current events, social justice concepts like transformative justice, and other powerful means of liberation.

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Go For That Run (Or Don’t)

Exercise and movement are great ways to increase your body’s natural production of endorphins, which will keep you feeling good and staying healthy as you combat injustice. Most gyms are still closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but virtual body positive workouts or mindful movement spaces have been created to help get you moving during these turbulent times.

For some, the intensity of the world right now may mean you feel like you have less energy and drive to be active. If you need a HIIT hiatus, take it — don’t feel pressured to “work out” if you can’t or don’t want to. But connecting with your body, however you choose to do it, can be a great aid for your overall health and wellbeing during times like these.

Say No

For those of us who are working from home, Zoom fatigue is real. The mental and emotional drain of living during a pandemic means we were already operating at a lower capacity before our jobs moved into our homes. The Black community especially has often been expected to perform at work at the same level or higher than before the pandemic. In the ways that you can, set boundaries for yourself and stick to them. For example: Commit to ending work after a set time. Eat breakfast before you head in to work. Do not respond to any emails once you have closed your computer for the day. And if you don’t have the capacity to take on more work, feel empowered to say no.

Shift Your Perspective on Activism

Activism is not one-size-fits-all practice, and we all have a place in the movement. adrienne maree brown, a sex-positive author and organizer, wrote the book Pleasure Activism to discuss the ways that doing things that bring us pleasure can actively battle oppression. brown challenges the idea that we only inhabit our bodies to work and be productive, and discusses the concept of pleasure as a method of liberation. For more about brown’s approach to activism, check out an interview she did on the Call Your Girlfriend podcast last year, in which she details topics including like harm reduction, how pleasure extends beyond sex, and collective liberation.

Adrienne Maree Brown
The author’s work reorients our relationship to activism and pleasure, one orgasm, hug, and poem at a time.

Don’t Skip Therapy

We’re all struggling in different ways. Whether you are used to seeing a therapist regularly or looking to foster a new relationship, an additional arm of support is always beneficial, especially during this time. Therapy can help you process traumatic situations and past events, and can provide you with tools and positive coping mechanisms for whatever you’re dealing with in life.

Seeking out therapists who share your identity can aid in the creation of a safe space, which is especially needed at a time when the value of our lives is constantly under scrutiny. Black therapists and collectives exist across the country: Minnesota residents can seek out Black Mental Health Resources as a resource to find Black therapists in the area. The Chicago-based Sista Afaya Community Mental Wellness provides individual therapy through a sliding scale, low-cost group therapy, and free community-wide events for Black women seeking community and healing. BEAM (the Black Emotional And Mental health collective) in New York focuses on the collective well-being and healing of Black and other marginalized communities. The Unplug Collective, a digital wellness resource and platform for and by Black womxn and nonbinary folks, is hosting free online weekly therapy sessions for Black and Brown womxn and gender expansive people. Many more can be found elsewhere.

Other kinds of therapists and therapy groups may be able to help with issues related to your particular identity. If you’re looking for LGBTQ+ focused therapists who are trauma-informed or focus on the HIV-positive population, there are great options like Just Us Behavioral Health in Minnesota, Health Brigade in Virginia, IntraSpectrum in Chicago, The Los Angeles LGBTQ Center, and EVERYBODY Los Angeles.

Tap Into Nationwide Therapist Directories and Online Communities

Online directories have simplified the process for finding a therapist. These intuitive platforms allow you to enter details such as your insurance information and your zip code to easily find someone that matches all of your needs.

Resources like Therapy for Black Girls, Therapy for Queer People of Color, and The National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color Network can help you search for a licensed provider based on your location and insurance coverage; some can connect you with virtual providers if that’s an easier way for you to see a practitioner. Open Path Collective is also an online resource, with a focus on folks who need low-cost options. 

For those who may not be in the market for a new therapist but would like positive reinforcement or passive information and encouragement related to mental health, you can check out the Therapy for Black Girls podcast or the Queering Mental Health Blog. The Yellow Couch is the community building arm of Therapy for Black Girls, and includes access to other Black women and therapists, giving the option of more holistic support.

These are scary and uncertain times, but taking care of ourselves is one radical thing we can all do to help the greater movement. A gentle reminder from Audre Lorde for those of us who may feel guilty for not participating in physical actions or who feel overwhelmed: “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.”


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