Dealing with burnout

Sorry my lovelies for being ghost lately on my own blog. I started a few different posts, but lack of time and motivation has kept me from finishing them. Could it be writer's block? Um, I hope not.

I was beating myself up a little bit just now, thinking about how I'm neglecting this blog and need to write a post. Somehow that reminded me of an online conversation I had with an e-friend a few months back. The conversation started off with a hypothetical question, which led to her sharing some things that were bothering her. Her question, in a nutshell, was "are black women allowed to complain?" She's a single mom, working full-time, going to school part-time, has a dating life, etc. But sometimes she just gets tired of juggling all of the balls she currently has in the air. She began to express this to a family member and she was basically told to suck it up and deal. As a black woman, he said, she didn't have any other options. A few days after this, her sister-in-law complained about being overwhelmed with all her responsibilities, and was met with a sympathetic ear by this same family member. Sister-in-law is white.

The funny thing is that family member was right. What recourse do we have, as black women, to seek support? We're carrying the bulk of the responsibility for the black community on our backs. When we get tired, who can we call on to help us lift the load? Who can we tag team to take over for a while? As I look to my left and to my right, I don't see anyone lined up to assist us. That's not to say that other races do... its moreso that the image of the strong black woman has made us seem invincible, super-human, constructed from steel. We have no room to be soft and pink in the minds of others. But we can't do it all. We can't be reasonably expected to be stellar career women, exemplary mothers, supportive wives, encouraging friends, sistahs and family all at the same time, forever and ever. There comes a time when each of us needs a break and needs to be recognized for all that we do. Just because our culture has evolved to this place where women are doing the majority of the work, does not mean that this evolution is a positive or healthy one.

So I'm attempting to give myself a break, and hope you recognize in your own life when you need some time and space for yourself. Between work, maintaining family and friend relationships, endeavoring to have an active love life, working out and eating right, and building my own business pursuits, I'm tired y'all! The internet and social media sites have taken a backburner. Ok, sort of... I still check Facebook religiously from my iPhone. Twitter is becoming too much to deal with. But we'll see how things go. I just didn't want you guys to disappear on me, as I've (unfortunately) disappeared on y'all.