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Hey friends, 

I know you are hurting, at least most of us Nigerians, Ghanaians, African Americans and persons of African descent around the world are, since it been incredibly difficult past few weeks. 

From mysterious death sweeping across Kano states in Northern Nigeria while livelihoods of millions of Nigerians and black people in America being adversely affected by the COVID 19; at the same time while Africans stood in solidarity to racial discrimination and police brutality that has led to the recent death of  Breonna Taylor. Ahmaud Arbery. Chris Cooper. George Floyd. Tear-gassing the protesters who had the gall to be upset about a racist murder

Nigeria was hit by its own demise! In Lagos, 16-year-old Tina Ezekwe was shot and killed by a policeman at a bus stop near her home and while we were still moaning that tragic incident, the following day news broke that 22-year-old UNIBEN student, Uwa, was raped and murdered whilst studying in a church in Edo State, and in Jigawa, 12-year-old Jennifer was raped by 11 men. 

It is exhausting! And now more than ever before is the time to care for yourself as it is essential to self-preservation like Audre Lorde said. So if you are feeling angry, sad and overwhelmed right now,: just know that’s ok, acknowledging the hurt is the first step to healing, when you do here are some resources and tips to help you gain some relief and start your healing journey even though the fight is far from over: 

  1. Don’t forget to take care of yourself by practising these 7 self-care tips for black people as written by Rachel Miller of Vice.

She highlights the need to let yourself feel, connect with love ones, be conscious of your media consumption and set boundaries among other practical tips. Read the full articles here

  1. Seek help from any of these 7 Virtual mental health support groups specifically designed for and by black folks to help you on overcome overwhelm & anxiety. Click here to access the list by healthy-ish

  1. Learn about healing justice and direct action in this Healing In Action toolkit by BLM

If you are of African descendent living in the United States or anywhere close to the constant brutality and oppression, feeling anxious and traumatized, please access this toolkit  on healing justice here and perhaps seek help from any of these 7 Virtual mental health resources  here 

  1. Sign up here, for a free group therapy session offered by Tropical in partnership with Therapy for Black girls

  1. Sign up here for a free therapy session or book an organisational mental health workshop training with The Sunshine Series – Well Wellness in Nigeria  

  1. Contact She Writes Woman on Instagram, if you have rape-related issues, complains or trauma you are dealing with in Nigeria. 

  1. Are you Struggling to Find a black therapist online? Read this step by step article on essence written by Imade Nibokon Borha, the founder of Depressed while black 

  1. Check out these black founded mental health apps that connect you with therapist, counsellors and support groups : 

  1. Download the Safe place app  for free

Created by suicide attempt survivor and mental health advocate, Jasmin Pierre the Safe Place app is designed to support Black people’s mental health. It includes info about mental illnesses, how police brutality and racism impact mental health and self-care tips.

  1. Get the Black Therapy Love app 

Tomina Ward created the Black Therapy Love app after her own difficulty finding a Black therapist as a client. The app enables you to not only search its’ directory to find therapists but also allows users to interact with those practitioners prior to booking an appointment to get comfortable talking about mental health.

  1. Join this thriving global community of black people moving with inner peace by downloading the Liberate Meditation app 

     9.  Seek for Affirmative Mental Health support and information from these two mental health orgs are geared specifically for people of colour

  1. Ourselves Black

  2. The Siwe Project 

Hope this helps you or someone you know. Do well to share this article if you found it useful. 

XOXO


Africans Living Fully

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