This year, 2020, is the gift that keeps on giving in the worst way possible, and the Black community is bearing the brunt of the bad news. Not only are we experiencing a disproportionate amount of deaths from COVID-19, but the guilty-until-proven-innocent media trials of Black people who’ve lost their lives are putting us over the edge. Many of these deaths have been captured on camera.
Viral footage of Black people dying at the hands of police officers and vigilantes shows the worst-case scenario of racial profiling. And yet, as jaded and traumatized as we are, we are taking to the streets and social media, continuing what seems like a never-ending quest for racial equality, equity, and justice. And we’re tired of constantly dealing with the physiological effects of this trauma.
The effects of this can actually be measured through allostatic load, which is a metric used to quantify the accumulation of chronic stress-related health effects in the body. “The body is always trying to maintain balance, and the term allostasis is used to describe this process for buffering the stress response, which may be activated by [something] psychological, like discrimination, or environmental, like light exposure during the sleep cycle,” Olivia Affuso, Ph.D., associate professor at the University of Alabama, Birmingham, tells SELF. As SELF previously reported, experts can calculate a person’s allostatic load with various lab tests.
Stress can affect anyone’s body, but Black people have a higher allostatic load score than white people, according to research published in the Journal of National Medical Association. Research also points to racism as a culprit, and this has been problematic long before social media amplified racial trauma to a viral level. This concept is also known as weathering.
The term weathering refers to the way the constant stress of racism can lead to premature biological aging and worse health outcomes for Black people, as SELF previously reported. It was first coined by Arline Geronimus, Sc.D, professor at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, and member of the National Academy of Medicine, in her landmark 1992 Ethnicity & Disease hypothesis. The signs of weathering can be emotional, physical, and behavioral, says Affuso.
When an individual faces repeated or chronic exposure to stress, it can result in a higher allostatic load. One consequence of this increased stress is higher cortisol levels from being in a constant state of fight-or-flight. Over time this chronic stress response can contribute to a vast array of negative health outcomes, from depression and migraines to hypertension and heart disease. Daily occurrences of microaggressions, residual effects of intergenerational trauma, and blatant acts of racism are all harmful to the health of people of color. In the U.S., Black people die at a disproportionately high rate from most cancers as well as heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes.
Addressing the factors that contribute to weathering will require systemic changes. In the meantime, Black people are overdue for some radical self-care. There are things you can do to manage the chronic stress that you are likely experiencing—the chronic stress that can lead to a higher allostatic load and the health implications we’ve already mentioned. We asked the experts for their suggestions for alleviating that undue burden, in both big and small ways.
One way to counteract stress is through a regular exercise routine, explains Affuso. As an avid ultrarunner, she understands the catharsis of movement and says that research touts the benefits of walking, running, tai chi, and yoga. Even short bouts of activity can improve symptoms of stress.
“However, it is important to recognize that individuals may need therapy as well,” says Affuso. “That and social support, plus policy and environmental changes that decrease cultural and institutional racism.”
If you aren’t currently seeing a Black therapist, resources like Therapy for Black Girls and Psychology Today can help you find someone in your area. SELF also recently compiled a list of mental health resources specifically for Black people. Therapy may seem one-size-fits-all, but there is immense value in finding mental health resources that validate and celebrate your unique experience.
That therapy, according to psychologist Afiya Mbilishaka, Ph.D., may be trauma-focused. “This type of therapy recognizes the role of violence, abuse, and grief following a deeply distressing event.” Mbilishaka has created her own technique, known as Race Narrative Therapy, which focuses on community psychology interventions in familiar safe spaces: hair salons and barbershops. “It underscores the political activism of Black hair-care spaces and community connection to hair-care professionals. Safe storytelling and reprocessing can disrupt the negative cycles of trauma.”
For some, experiencing trauma can have lasting and debilitating effects. If you find that you’re having marked difficulty performing daily tasks, can’t stop thinking about your trauma, or are otherwise having a really tough time you’re not sure how to deal with on your own, professional help may be necessary. Black culture has quite a few built-in coping skills—laughter, music, religious practices, community support—but that doesn’t mean professional mental health support isn’t necessary or valuable, particularly at times when some of these coping methods have been halted by the pandemic.
Another useful tool that should not be discounted is disconnecting. No one is obligated to consume traumatic news or watch viral videos. “It is okay to turn off the TV or delete an app on your phone for a few hours or days,” says Mbilishaka. “Being intentional about media consumption is often required after seeing and hearing about trauma. While doing a media fast, you can ask those who choose to consume media to summarize what is happening in the world to stay informed.”
This is even more important when activism becomes both mentally and physically draining. “Although protests may foster a collective identity during times of racial trauma, it can also be disappointing when the goals of the protest have not been achieved,” says Mbilishaka. Unfortunately, protests have yet to put an end to police violence against Black people, and that can make this particularly demoralizing to Black people who have been involved in this activism for a long time. “This can cause a feeling of helplessness when the police officers, or citizens, go unpunished for their crimes after you’ve invested so much energy in protesting.”
That kind of disappointment can also be draining and demoralizing for those who are new to protesting, such as Generation Z and white people who are newly working on becoming allies. Mbilishaka wants them to safeguard their mental health as well.
Many Black people are steering clear of protests and racial discussions for their mental and emotional health. This is how allies can show up. While Black people can fight for change and try to safeguard ourselves from weathering, non-Black people—especially those who are white—have more systemic power to challenge anti-Blackness. According to Mbilishaka, to disrupt white supremacy, “white people will need to sacrifice certain luxuries that they only got because of their whiteness—certain jobs, educational experiences, and money. White allies need to start from the bottom, by consciously studying systems of racism and identifying their roles in upholding the system. This includes reading, spending money, and redirecting their families and friends.” This redirection could lead to loss of relationships. But it could also lead to productive conversations and, ideally, change.
Black people have been weathering racism since the creation of this very nation. Whether we call for justice via protests or other actions, we need to be mindful that change doesn’t occur overnight. While we battle with disappointment and further loss of innocent Black lives, let’s protect our physiological health as much as we can through self-care.
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