title taken from “Mental Day” by Kes the Band

New Year, More Naps

Hello and Happy 2023! I know I’m late, but I’m back!

I can’t believe how much happened in 2022. We came out of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mia Mottley secured a second 5-year term as Prime Minister of Barbados, Russia started a war with Ukraine, and Herschel Walker lost the Georgia election - but so did Stacey Abrams. You know, yin… yan.  The same was true for DysChick. Despite personal tragedies, I was able to be outside like garb – nope.  I refuse to make that a phrase.

I was finally able to fly like I used to and get some much needed travel therapy. I don’t just mean that entry requirements were relaxed, but that hospitality, tourism, and nightlife resumed in many countries. I got to enjoy Portugal, Aruba, Sweden, and I rang in the new year in Copenhagen!

So what’s my plan for 2023? Rest.

I know, we just came out of a global pandemic where many people were unable to do anything at all, but that’s not what I mean. During the pandemic, our brains were taxed by uncertainty, fear, grief, and loneliness. A study revealed that GenZ brains literally aged faster during the pandemic and they self-reported greater mental health difficulties, including more severe symptoms of anxiety, depression and internalizing problems. Despite not being physically active, there was still a lot happening internally.

That reads like a plan to me. Take naps and recharge so that I am not always in this cycle of completing tasks or feeling disappointed when I don’t get everything done. Some days my job will not get my Black Excellence, they’ll get my Black mediocrity (which is still pretty good). I want to slow down and enjoy quiet moments. For instance, right now, I’m sitting in my quiet Brooklyn apartment near the window sipping black coffee as I type. I’m not anxious, I’m calm. That’s my resolution for 2023 – calm down.

It’s not just me and Quinta adopting this resolution. It seems to be the new mantra of women around the world. 

In the UK, Stylist is hosting the Strong Women Wellbeing Summit to encourage women to kick off the year focused on their mental health. In Canada, the International Conference on Women´s Mental Health will be held in Montreal this May to highlight “recent innovations, trends, and concerns as well as practical challenges encountered and solutions adopted in the fields of Women´s Mental Health.” The World Economic Forum suggested an increase in mental health expenditure in Africa.

“Africa has the lowest mental health expenditure globally, with depression impacting women 1.5 times more than men, yet mental health conditions impose a high cost to the economy.

The benefits of treating conditions affecting women, such as depression, can filter down to households and improve children’s educational outcomes.” 

In other words, women with healthy minds can literally impact the global economy.

As a New Yorker, I know we value the hustle lifestyle with addages like “I stay on my grind” or “while you sleep, I’m grinding.” Nah. Let’s all get some sleep. It’s been a rough couple of years and the toll on our minds will have lasting effects. In 2023, I’m giving back my hustle card and taking more naps.

 How will you tend to your mental health in 2023?