Is Summer Walker using social anxiety as a crutch?
She's cancelled! She needs to stop! Ain't nothing wrong with that girl! She might as well stop singing if she's scared to perform! How can she have social anxiety if she's acting crazy on IG? She doesn't look like she has anxiety!
These are just a few of the RIDICULOUS things I've read about Summer Walker on the internet, which caused me to pose the question...
What does Anxiety look like?
Unless you've been living under a rock, you've heard about or read about Summer Walker and her struggle with Social Anxiety. She's been very vocal on social media about her struggle, almost to a fault.
Her honesty has definitely opened the floor for new discussions on the topic of Black Women and anxiety. While some people appreciate her honesty and respect her for speaking out, others feel as though anxiety is just part of her "act".
Society will tell you... Black women are allowed to be everything but anxious & depressed. Black women are "too strong" to have mental health issues. Black women must always have it together. If a Black woman does struggle with anxiety, she better not speak on it. You can't have anxiety because... you're a singer. You cant be depressed because... you went to work today. If you are living a fully functioning life, you must be OKAY.
People believe all those things to be true & it shows through their ignorant IG comments. People feel extremely entitled and BOLD on the internet. The Summer Walker situation gave people something to talk about. It gave them a situation to give their opinion on. Some very ignorant opinions at that.
In all honesty, I'm happy we're having the conversation, but it's time for the conversation to transition. It is time to talk about how to best support those with Anxiety (or any other mental health issues).
Summer Walker showed us (showed me) that it is okay to not only have anxiety, but to speak on it openly and honestly. She has used her platform to bring awareness (even if it was accidental). I am awaiting the time when we can have have real open & honest conversations about mental health, especially within the black community. Memes are cute and funny, but not at the expense of someone suffering.
It's time for people to stop speaking on things they aren't knowledgeable about. We use the internet for EVERYTHING. Use it to research what anxiety really is and how it can affect someone's everyday life. Ignorance (in this case) is the farthest thing from Bliss.
I will never know how she feels (or anyone else feels) on a day to day basis, but I do know anxiety is REAL. & it ain't easy. I know that some days I feel things I cannot explain. I know that I worry about things most people don't even think twice about. I know more days than not I feel afraid of things that have probably a 1 percent chance of happening. But most of all, I know my feelings & HER feelings are valid.
So to answer my initial question.... What does Anxiety look like?
Anxiety looks like me.
What are your feelings on the Summer Walker discussion?
I'd love to hear it!
