The Queen’s Advocacy

Beyonce! Just the mention of her name invokes a plethora of emotions.

To say she is iconic is a grave understatement. From her music to her movies to her fashion, I don't think it’s possible to verbalize how far her reach and brand goes. The 29 Grammys, the tours and shows, the visual projects, they all speak for themselves.

However, we cannot acknowledge all of her immense success without also acknowledging the pressure of being “on point” all the time.

While mental health is still emerging as an extremely vital part of health overall, we cannot ignore or assume that every person has to do their own check-ins. We must go the extra mile to find what works for us and what we can do for those around us. Beyonce highlights some of her favorite remedies in an interview saying, “I discovered CBD on my last tour, and I’ve experienced its benefits for soreness and inflammation.”

Queen Bey speaks of how her art helped her to heal some of the challenges she was experiencing.

In a 2021, interview she says, “I worked to heal generational trauma and turned my broken heart into art that would help move culture forward and hopefully live far beyond me”.

A statement such as this is to be admired. How much more amazing would the world be if we all made this our practice? To turn our hurt and pain into art that can live beyond us for years to come and also help us to heal.

Most of us have heard, “what happens in this house, stays in this house”, and have lived by that code for many years. However, keeping things in and to yourself is not a healthy way to deal with challenges and situations that cause us pain and grief. In fact, time has shown that talking about and through your feelings can be extremely beneficial to your mental health.

Having these conversations are not easy and often take more time than expected. It can be difficult to tell someone that something they did or said caused trauma. It can be even more difficult to say that to a loved one such as a parent, grandparent or cousin. Trauma is tough. It is like carrying a sofa on your back, alone, up seventeen flights of stairs, but the sofa is completely invisible to everyone else. Trauma comes in many shapes and forms, and often cultural practices.

The first step is the awareness or acknowledgement of an issue, and I for one am glad that she;s speaking on this. Generational trauma is something that we as BIPOC are learning about and grasping the concept of, daily. Seeing how things are passed down, taught, and perpetuated is an enormous triumph for the mental health battle.

While we cannot say we understand Beyonce’s challenges of day to day life, we can sympathize with her need and desire for privacy and possibly some sense of normalcy.

Beyonce says, “I’ve fought to protect my sanity and my privacy because the quality of my life depended on it”.I think we can all agree. Of course not on the same scale, but in our own everyday lives. Being protective of whom and what we let into our physical and mental space can make or break us at times. In more recent years, the culture has shifted to calling out people’s energy, vibe, spirit, etc. No matter how you refer to it, it’s important to take inventory of those around you and how they affect you. We cannot imagine the measures the Knowles- Carter family takes to stay sane in the entertainment industry, but we can take note of the act itself. Being grounded and having safe spaces are important steps we must take. We’re not singing on stages around the world, but we are working, we are trying our best to survive and thrive in this world.

If Beyonce can take the time to advocate for and take care of her mental health, we all can at least take the steps to make sure we’re good too.