Dear First name / friend,
Over the past few months, I've noticed that some of my go to tools just don't feel as supportive to me. This year has been intense for all of us in terms of the global health pandemic, & especially so for Black people as we move through life with complex racial trauma in a world where anti-blackness is so violent & insidious.
Pre-pandemic, I enjoyed a near daily meditation practice. Post is another story..! Which is so okay & I have since been guided into more movement based meditation. But I couldn't help but notice this shift (one of many!) in my well being. It turns out, I'm not alone and I'm sharing because I know some of y'all can relate.
“Have you noticed that since George Floyd, all of the practices that used to give you relief, no longer do? That’s because we’re trying to do individual things to deal with communal grief.” - Resmaa Menaken, trauma specialist, healer, & author. If you want to dive deeper into this, check out the Truth Be Told podcast episode, It's Not In Your Head.
It's helpful to remember that self-care is ultimately an act of communal care. When we individualize it, we are doing ourselves a huge disservice! A few ways of communally caring for ourselves & others include: sharing dinner with a small group of friends/ fam/ housemates (Covid-safe ofc!), making herbal medicine & distributing the overflow to loved ones, investing in small owned businesses, having weekly check ins with the people close to you, & budgeting monthly donations to organizers & marginalized people.
We don't heal in isolation my friends. I know social distancing (& capitalism) has shattered our ideas of what coming together looks like. But we can still support each other & build together. Our well being & abilites to process grief & manage stress depends on it!
Some mutual aids & fundraisers you can contribute to this week are: Jaci Support Fund, Feed Black Futures, Invest in Vanessa Warri, & Nola BIQTPOC Mutual Aid. Remember Mutual Aid is not charity, it is solidarity.
As always, Jam Haw is committed to giving back 5% of sales via a monthly give back program called Circulate. Big thank you to each of you who support the Jam Haw shop with your orders.
