(Provided by Markel Collins)
What does it feel like when you’re constantly trapped inside that box that is better known as your thoughts? You’re constantly fighting the demons of past relationships and traumatic situations that you can’t believe you made it out. Some of these things you feel like you can talk about and others you can’t.
You sit in silence and eat those experiences because you don’t have time to sit back and breathe and it’s always on to the next thing. Until you reach a brick wall and suffer a mental breakdown, the demons in your thoughts can quickly turn into physical weight and mental barriers that slowly destroy you.
I know that these are things that I have had to constantly deal with as a Black man.
Some of these challenges I’ve mastered, while others remain a challenge. Because I’ve been in many of these situations, I’ve come to understand how easy it is for the shadows to take over. You must accept the fact that no one will feel sorry for you or come to your aid.
At the same time, you can’t allow yourself to slowly die from the inside. I know that Black men are going to unfortunately face more mentally damaging and draining situations in the future. Many times I have asked myself, “Am I the only one going through this?” More times than not, the answer to that question is no. Regardless of how far we go as Black men, the demons will always find a way in, but it is up to us to keep them at bay.