Boya You Should Calm Down

"Oya, hurry up!" "Why haven't you finished?" "Have you sent that money?" The urgency in Nigerian life is relentless, messages demand immediate responses, opportunities disappear quickly, problems multiply if not addressed instantly. Even our language reflects it "now now," "quick quick."

Last week, I found myself shaking with anxiety after three consecutive nights working late. My body sent clear signals, headaches, racing thoughts, irritability but I pushed through. "Nigerian youth don't have time for breakdown," I joked to my brother. He looked at me seriously and said, "Boya you should calm down before your body forces you to."

His words stay with me. Not as laziness or luxury, but necessity. In a country where the pressure never stops, learning to pause becomes revolutionary.

Today, I practiced intentional slowness. I ate breakfast sitting down, not standing over my laptop. I turned my phone off for two hours. Small acts of rebellion against the tyranny of urgency.

We've normalized exhaustion as the price of survival. But what are we surviving for if not to live fully? True self-care starts with permission. Allowing yourself to move at a human pace in a world demanding superhuman speed.

DandelionPrecious from MANI