Queer and Trans People of Color (QTPOC) are full of power and light, but it can be hard to maintain that power and light while wading through all the news articles and videos, status updates, and problematic words and worldviews that are thrown at us every day. Often, we are forced to engage in spaces, both online and off, that drain our energies and leave us feeling unmotivated and irritable.
It’s important to make sure that we take the time to renew our energies often. To help our communities to continue shining bright and strong here are 4 things we can do to help us re-energize during difficult times.
Photo by Rory MacLeod
1) Stop
Sometimes we just need to stop the influx of information and allow ourselves to take the time to re-center. Whether this is turning off the radio for a few minutes and being in silence, or the complete opposite and raising the volume all the way and letting the music carry you up, or you can read or create something (which we’ll talk about later) it’s up to you. Don’t overload yourself though, it can be easy to turn the time you have set aside for self-care, into another slot to add to-do items. The key here is allowing some time away from the constant influx of information while you allow your mind and soul to heal.
2) Communicate
Just as important as taking the time to practice self-care is being able to communicate about your needs to the people around you. As QTPOC, we are often expected to neither be seen nor heard. We’re taught, by constantly being silenced and looked over, to keep silent and to stay out of the way. Over time we stop talking about the things we are feeling, experiencing, and going though, which leads to each of us carrying around a large ball of weight alone. But when we are able to communicate openly and honestly with each other, we are able to grow stronger as individuals and as a community. Tell people about what you are feeling, and know that what you are saying is important.
Photo by Cindy Elizabeth
3) Be in Community
Surround yourself with people who care about you and support you. It’s easy to start internalizing the stories that media are putting out and to feel like everything’s falling apart. Whether community to you is a single person or a large group of people, being in a place where you can experience the brightness and joy of community can help you to remember the light that you carry within yourself.
4) Create
Whether this is poetry, pottery, jewelry, painting, cooking, sculpture or any other way of creating, it’s completely up to you. Don’t worry about whether or not what you’re making is “good enough,” just take the time to create something. QTPOC communities are full of amazingly talented people, who don’t often get the recognition they deserve, and the act of creating something can help you to re-center. For those of you who are in an ongoing state of creation, such as artists and writers, this might seem redundant, but when you’ve been working really hard on a project for a while it can be a good idea to take the time to change it up, to create in a different way or with a different medium.
How do you re-energize? Do you have any other favorites not already on this list? Let us know in the comments below.
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