During these times, it's easy to sit on your phone all day as you participate in social activism or raise awareness of the current tragedies that are going on. As you sit there, processing horrible news after horrible news, it's easy to forget about your mental health and how the current times are affecting you.

Sitting down on my phone all day as I participated in social media activism took a toll on my mental health as all I was faced with was tragedy after tragedy.

I read more about the countless Black lives taken at the hands of the police and how they were able to get away with it each time, I felt more and more helpless. Although there were many times where I needed to take some time to myself, I didn't listen. I wanted to do more, I wanted to keep fighting for BLM and show my support since I wasn't able to go to protests. I felt guilty for wanting to relax for a little bit — it felt like I wasn't doing enough. I felt as if this was the least I can do since Black people face racism on a daily basis. This negatively affected my mental health and it took a huge toll on me.

I wasn't able to get out of bed for a week, I didn't want to see or talk to anyone and I locked myself away in my room.

I didn't prioritize myself, I felt too guilty to step away from social media for even a second because I felt as if I'd miss something important.

It's ok to take a step back sometimes and take care of yourself first before you try to take care of other people. If you don't prioritize yourself, you're putting yourself and others at a disadvantage. You're not being ignorant or selfish, you're helping yourself so you can help other people. And take it from someone who did decide to take a little break, you'll come back stronger.