Black women deserve mental wellness, too
Mental health looks at how we (or our minds) respond in different situations, in particular, to negative circumstances and emotions. Managing your mental health is just as important as your physical health. Healthy organs, muscles, and joints help us recover from physical injury. A healthy mind helps us recover from adversity in life.
What is good mental health? Well, a healthy mind doesn’t mean you’re always happy. Instead, strong mental health is being aware of how different circumstances impact you and what you may need to recover when life throws you curveballs.
But not everyone needs emotional wellness, right?
Not true. We all need a way to regularly check in on how we’re feeling, processing, and responding to life. There is a misconception, particularly in the Black community, that mental wellness resources are unnecessary or only for a “weaker generation” who can’t handle life.
The fact is that we’re all human, and we all experience hard times. Black women’s mental health, in particular, carries the weight of racial, gender, and cultural biases. Everyone expects us to handle it all with no complaints.
It’s actually quite normal to experience seasons of depression or anxiety. Happy experiences result in happy feelings. Sad experiences result in sad feelings. Major negative events can lead to negative feelings lasting longer.
Minding your mental health helps you ride out those hard times so that the intensity of difficult emotions doesn’t last forever or stop you from living a full and healthy life.
Black women’s mental health is essential. No matter your religion, orientation, education, or income level, we all deserve access to the services and activities that improve our emotional wellness.
Love and take care of your mind, and you’ll see just how strong and resilient you can be.
Explore mental wellness resources, just for you
