The holiday season has rolled around on us once again, the hustle and bustle of who’s house we’re going to get our grub on for Thanksgiving, the mapping out of which stores the family is going to hit for Black Friday, wrapping up all the gifts for Christmas, and of course the excitement and anticipation of ringing in the New Year.
Not only do the holidays have a tendency to sweep us away, we are still facing a lot of uncertainty with the new president and the chaos that is taking place all over the world. With everything going on around us, emotions are at an all time high, especially with social media saturating us and in more instances making things worse as we are constantly bombarded with tragic stories. This can inevitably have an adverse effect on our mental health. While it is important to take care of your physical and emotional health, it’s equally important to look after yourself mentally. It can be so easy to overlook it and think that we are “fine” when anyone at any moment can have a mental breakdown.
Back in October, Kid Cudi wrote on Facebook a very vulnerable and transparent post about his battle with depression and suicidal urges. He made a bold move by being open to his fans and discussing how he’s been dealing with internal turmoil and how his anxiety and depression have practically taken over his life and affected so many areas of his life. What stood out was his confession that while he constantly gives of himself, it was made clear to him that he neglected to take care of himself. He neglected to ensure he found his inner peace and ensure that his frame of mind was taken care of, in short, Kid Cudi was still trying to pour out of an empty cup and not taking the time to fill it back up. He realized that enough was enough and decided to take the first step in recovery and seeking the help that he needed in order to come back stronger and better.
It was respectable for Cudi to be so brave and truthful about the struggles he’s been dealing with over the years. There’s a lot that can be taken away from this especially when mental illness is no stranger to those in the Hip-Hop game. There are a lot of rappers who’ve not only addressed the reality of mental health but many of them who silently suffer the pain. Cudi created an opportunity to openly talk about mental issues and dealing with them properly. Cudi sparked others to come out about their own struggles and work towards healing. Other rappers such as DMX, Joe Budden, and Kendrick Lamar have written songs about their struggle with anxiety and depression as well as how they dealt with them.
What we can learn from Cudi is that it’s ok to be honest with your struggles and that you’re not alone. With the holidays fast approaching and the craziness of the world around you, it’s important to take care of your mental health. The important thing is that you seek help, whether through family members, friends or professional help. There are various methods to caring for your mental health, like carrying a journal and writing down how you feel, creating a window of time that’s set aside for yourself or scheduling a getaway trip, getting enough sleep, coloring, etc. These methods are for everyone, not just those who suffer some type of mental illness or health issue.
Let’s make this an open conversation, especially with everything that’s going on in our world, so reach out to someone because you never know what the person next to you could be dealing with and take care of your own mental health. We can all get through this together.
NOTE: If you feel that you are suffering from depression, anxiety or any other mental illness, help is available for you. Please reach out to a friend, family member that you trust or check out these links for professional help.
For the Love of Music 