And just like that, another week is in the books. The month of January is history, and February is underway. When I last checked, Baltimore City saw thirty-six murders in the month of January. Already this week, in the month of February, additional lives have been lost to senseless violence. We are losing loved ones daily due to greed, hate, and petty misunderstandings. Unfortunately, unless we come together and take mental health seriously, the crime rate that we see now will pale in comparison to what the increase will be.
In addition to the alarming crime rate, throughout this pandemic, the increase in the number of individuals battling mental illness has substantially increased. Many of us have developed health issues ranging from physical to mental, including, but not limited to Covid. Still, our failure to take mental health seriously continues to impact our lives and the lives of those we love on a daily basis. Even as we have watched our loved ones die suddenly, without the ability to make peace with them, some refuse to change their way of thinking; therefore, continuing to go about life as usual. Since March 2020 when this pandemic began, many have found new loves, lost loves, gone through financial losses, been deathly ill, renewed their faith, lost their faith, learned many lessons, and some have made many mistakes. More importantly, many have gone through most of the aforementioned and continue to move about life as if unaffected. They refuse to realize that with all of the evil going on around us, we have to all take part in the change that has to happen. Can we stop the murders if we are not committing them? NO! We can, however, take our mental health and mental health overall seriously. When we see the now thirty-seven murders that have taken place already, we must make it our responsibility to collectively assist in repairing what is broken.
Being physically ill for over a week, I know that in order to keep from succumbing to my frustrations and disappointments that the world brings, I continue to push through while encouraging others to do the same. I firmly believe that a positive mind breeds positive results. Witnessing several friends lose loved ones to illnesses, violence, Covid, etc. push through their pain while being emotionally distraught and devastated, confirms that it is possible to move forward and remain positive. With all of the negativity surrounding us, it is imperative for us to find something to be positive about and be a source of encouragement to each other.
To awaken daily…well or not…is a blessing that I have to share with others; I can only do so if I am mentally well. WE MUST ALL BE MENTALLY WELL. We owe it to ourselves and those around us, to take care of our minds! The brain is the driving force of all that we do. What is the point in taking care of the outside and not the inside? It is like dressing up a timebomb. It is packaged nicely, however, if it isn’t rewired, it will still explode. In comparison, our bodies are our packages. We dress them up to look pretty on the outside; the entire time, all that we’re going through is boiling over throughout time…all…of the stresses of loss, finances etc. Instead of seeking the proper help, we dress it up. Eventually we explode, resulting in heart attacks, stroke, murder, etc. Due to death, jail or a hospital we are involuntarily removed from the life of our loved ones. We have to wake up and get our minds right. Being mentally well is key. Seek help. Remember, is ok to Not be ok,
MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS!
Dying to be Perfect 