So many things in the news and on social media inspired this post. The first being the loss of Kobe Bryant and his baby girl Gianna aka Gigi yesterday (Sunday 1/26). The second being a post that Maurice Moore reposted on Twitter – called “Self Care When the News is Difficult”. The third inspiration was a letter from Joohoney (Monsta X) sharing his current struggles with anxiety.
The Effect of Kobe Bryant
I honestly didn’t think that this would be the next post that I would write about Kobe. He has been my idol since I was 10 years old, controversies aside. Kobe and my grandfather were the ones who inspired my love of basketball and sports in general; and now they are both gone. I can only imagine what Kobe’s wife and oldest daughter are going through right now.
If you have been watching the news or been on social media since the news broke, so much love and hurt were shared by those who knew and admired Kobe and his family. This particular tragedy hit a lot of us harder than others. People like Kobe do seem immortal to us, even though we know they have to go eventually. So many people grew up watching him and we became so attached to the person that he was.
Click here for my last blog post about Kobe about his retirement.
The Impact of Anxiety/ Depression
I already have a post done about this, anxiety and how it affects some of our favorite artists (See the link below). It’s not like it hasn’t been around before now, it’s just brought up more and seems like even more people are affected by it. My generation, the millennials, seem to be affected by it the most. Whether it is caused by the foods and drinks that we consume, the news that’s being fed to us on a daily basis, the popularity of social media, demanding but underpaying jobs, etc…
Yours and my favorite artists are dealing with some of the same things but sometimes on a larger scale due to their career choice. Of course, being that I am a huge K-Pop fan, I see more of that in my news feeds these days. And seeing one of my favorite people, Joohoney of Monsta X, deal with it so openly definitely hit a chord with me. He wrote a letter to the fans through a Korean-based social media site, describing some of what he has been going through.
< https://www.newsweek.com/k-pop-monsta-x-jooney-break-hiatus-mental-health-struggles-update-1484230 >
How to Deal When the News Hits Too Close to Home
One of the most obvious things that we must do is to just separate ourselves completely. We have to turn off the television, get off of social media, and be present. Spend time with the people around you, your family and friends. Sometimes we get so distracted by the news, gossip, social media, etc…
We have to also acknowledge that it’s not weird to feel the loss of a celebrity figure who we’ve never met. We still need to process those emotions, write them down if you need to. A lot of people feel that way and can relate. But we must also remember to appreciate those special figures who are in our life right now, don’t wait until they’re gone.
