 Good evening. I'd like to invite you all to take a look at this slide and think about what these numbers might have in common. I promise not to quiz you nor is this a mathematical question. More so reflect on what you believe to be the theme or statistic behind the numbers. I give you about five seconds to reflect. These numbers happen to reflect some key figures and statistics about the current state of black college student mental health. Let me break it down for you. 70%. 70% of black college students said that access to mental health services have been harder to visit an experience as a result of the pandemic. With 51% of black students saying that they felt overwhelmed their first semester of college. With 40% of college students saying that in this past year alone, they've oftentimes felt too anxious to function or even get out of bed. 15. 15 minutes is the amount of time asked of college students to either sit in silence or receive an electric shock. College students chose electrocution. And second. A 2018 suicide was the second leading cause of death for people between the ages of 10 and 24. Before I move on, I do want to hold space to share a resource that's free if you or someone you know has had thoughts of self harm. Please seek help. When we're at them as graduate students interested in participating in the King talks to reflect on the theme. This is America. I immediately thought of the mental emotional and physical health crisis myself and other black college students are experiencing. However, even in the midst of this crisis. I did want to share some images that speak to my own joy within my journey on black excellence, which black excellence I also define as being the acknowledgement of centuries of exploitation, oppression and abuse to have the audacity and the ability to rise and and it looks like my slides won't be able to show you everything, but these pictures behind me are actually a gift from my grandma. She definitely is a true definition of black excellence. And this picture that I have right here on my laptop is of my son Isaiah, lifting him up and raising him to be proud and know of his heritage is the definition and embodiment of black excellence. And even in the midst of the joy that initial crisis that I was speaking of that the statistics showed, it's exhausting to think that students are in the midst of a nationwide racial reckoning and social justice movement, and to also be navigating the academic pressures of deadlines exams, micro Russians racism, familial responsibilities work study or other jobs. Black students are still achieving and accomplishing beyond their ancestors wildest dreams under this beacon of black excellence. However, with the hashtag and social media highlight reels don't often show shout out to relive the bar is that physical mental and emotional exhaustion that goes hand in hand with said excellence. And by all means people within the black community should continue and will continue to strive for excellence. But in the state of our nation, especially when you are high achieving minority student at a predominantly white institution, exhaustion is all too common. So I want to use this platform today to equip you with the tools to achieve and maintain that excellence, while curbing the feelings of exhaustion. Tip number one, every student needs mentors and a therapist. I encourage you to seek out and network with your peers professors, folks doing work in spaces that you enjoy or want to be in. I had a light bulb moment in one of my classes this semester, when my professor Dr Wilson Wilson introduced us to the concept of having multiple mentors. But there will be people in your life for your professional accountability things like internship and resume help, as well as personal mentors who can ground you spiritually and in your values. I significantly remember one conversation with an adjunct lecturer, who I just sat there and sobbed in her office, but it was the most empowering conversation about purpose and passion and values. Only was I there for her, but she was there for me. And as far as a therapist, I would encourage you to be proactive and preventative in your mental health. Personally, I was exhausted when I went through some of my darkest days in the middle of my first master's degree, working sometimes 12 or 16 hour midnight shift at the hospital, while also navigating through her divorce and trying to raise my son. So when I found myself in therapy after going through that divorce that dropped me at rock bottom were really hard. It felt like I had failed. But I learned through therapy this work, this rebuild of my life meant that I was worth working on. And central student government here on campus has funding available platforms online to help students find identity based providers. Like nourish for self identified women of color, a committee that I have been a part of for the past four years that hold an uplift space for these women students staff and faculty to come together and build this community. And my brothers is a community for self identified men of color. So please seek out that network for tip number two. I would be remiss as a yoga teacher. If I didn't encourage you to incorporate five minutes of movement, mindfulness or meditation into your day every day. I'm sure we all know we live in this toxic productivity culture. I mean we are always on the go, going from class to work to the library to a student or meeting to the gym back to class her work, not to mention finding time to eat sleep. I mean what's a hobby see friends. We aren't present. We're rushing an experience and an opportunity to enjoy these years of growth and development mindfully. One of my favorite podcasts because anyone who knows me knows that I listen to podcasts all the time. And she said something one day that just shook me to my core. She said we can choose to work at a pace that doesn't pull us apart. We, not our parents, not our partner, not our kids, not our coworkers. You have the power to choose that pace. So the idea is to start with five minutes of any of these in your day and eventually be doing all three for five 1015 minutes and I guarantee you will feel different. So advice isn't meant to treat or diagnose clinical depression or anxiety. More so the brain is a muscle, just like any other part of your body. So when you train it with meditation, slow breathing, where you focus on your inhales and your exhales. Matter of fact, let's practice right now. At home, I invite you to place one hand on your chest and the other palm in the center of your belly. Now close your eyes and turn inward. And as you inhale, noticing how the air is cool. Pause at the top and slowly exhale, noticing how your body heats that air. If you haven't done some already, you can open your eyes. I encourage you to pause like that at any time. Other ways to incorporate tip two is by using mindfulness to complete tasks or being present. For example, when the last time you actually ate a meal and you weren't scrolling through social media on your phone. I'm also talking to myself. And I was actually on my SoulCycle bike at home when an instructor shouted at me that mindfulness isn't about controlling your thoughts. It's about not letting your thoughts control you. And when I say incorporate five minutes of movement into your day. This doesn't mean midnight shopping for your own SoulCycle bike. So five minutes of movement could be stretching in the morning before you get out of bed. Or for those of you who are watching in our real beginners, you know, no shade to that. We all start from somewhere. Even just dancing to a song, just moving. And I recognize that these all sound small and perhaps inconsequential, but no cat. They add up when you do them together and a little more each day. Pitchers just expressing all that. Tip number three. Say no. That's it. That's a slide. Joking. But if no one has ever told you before, no is a complete sentence. Now, full disclosure. I know I got friends and family watching shaking their head in me right now. But I'm gonna call it out. This is a concept I know I still struggle with. But when I saw this reframed as self harm against myself when I over commit or over exert myself. Saying yes to everything, even if it's really cool and exciting. I pause because thinking about it in that context really reframes it for me. And healthy minds and national survey based out of you of M recently collected data that speaks to the added exhaustion students of color feel unvisibly being at the forefront of the social justice movement. And I bring up that statistic to name that just because you may be the only black or personal color in your class or place of work does not mean you have to participate or lead out DI or anti racism efforts, especially. And this part's important. If it means doing so without monetary or other forms of compensation. And this article after article of black women shouldering the brunt of this hard but necessary work without pay working longer hours in addition to their regular duties. Hell I was one of them at one point. But I will tell you this right now for the record. I will never do that again for free. It's important to acknowledge that these steps, I have not perfected, nor by any means are they tools that can be perfected, or were they outright eliminate exhaustion from black excellence. My hope is instead that a perfecting these habits. You can be gentle with yourself as you form new ways of coping. I would encourage you to reframe these tools through a lens of mastery, meaning perfection isn't the goal, but confidence autonomy, knowing you have the power and control to tap into these strategies at any time that you'll get better at them over time. I repeat, you can choose to work at a pace that does not pull you apart. Black excellence is exhausting. But it doesn't have to be. Thank you.