Awakenings – How the past year has impacted on Black Mental Health

Warning: this post can be triggering, but we felt it important to share it exactly as the author intended it to be read.

Collaboration with Jazz.FM

By Amma Acheampong

BMMUK Therapist and Private Practitioner, MBACP

“In the place of stillness, rises potential. From the place of potential, emerges possibility. Where there is possibility, there is choice, and where there is choice, there is freedom!”

– Gabrielle Goddard

The past year has highlighted Black mental health issues like no other year in my lifetime, just like racism it is something that has always been present but buried deep for many reasons.  Avoidance like most defence mechanisms can be used to protect us from experiencing painful feelings.  It is no coincidence that once people stopped, the awakening began and the questions started to bubble.

Covid –19

The impact of the virus itself has not discriminated, however Covid-19 highlighted the societal impact and discrepancies to those from disadvantaged backgrounds.  This included health inequalities highlighted by the constant news articles about BAME people being more likely to die from Covid.   For instance, two-thirds of health workers who have died from contracting Covid-19 have been from the BAME population. Cook et al (2020)

Covid fuelled anxiety and a sense of a lack of control, a feeling some Black people have felt for years due to being more likely to experience mental health issues from systematic racism, and less likely to seek or indeed receive the help they need.

It has not been this way for all and I have also noticed a sense of guilt and a different level of anxiety from Black people exploring their own privilege.  The Black experience ranges greatly and psychologically the reaction is different but the downplaying of racist experiences that can harm mental health seem to be universal and directed inwards which can be fragile to your sense of self.

There has been a great strain to keep going and be as normal as possible during this time, it has compounded the inability to rest for some.  There is an underlying narrative that rest is for the weak or needs to be earnt.  Generationally Black people have seen their elders work very hard to provide, perceived as “Superpeople” who just keep going through adversity. 

To prioritise yourself last, ignoring basic needs such as food, water and sleep impacts on your physical and mental health.  It is ok to rest, to put boundaries in place and say no.

Racial Trauma

Sadly, Black people had barely adjusted to the news of Covid, when we were hit by the tragic murder of George Floyd.

The video, the Black Lives Matters movement, organisations rushing to say they were diverse, the black square, the protests, images of tear gassing, the storming of the Capitol, Megan Markle, The Race Report.  The list goes on.  Racial trauma does not have to be direct, witnessing police brutality on another Black person can be traumatic, it can take you back to your own racist experiences and put your body into a stress response.

Constant racial trauma can have long term health effects including psychological distress, anxiety, depression, feeling hopelessness and hypervigilance.  The physiological impact from chronic stress can also cause high blood pressure, heart problems, diabetes etc.  The over exposure to racism and having to talk about racism, defend against racism and explain racism has left some feeling vulnerable and exposed. 

An important factor is also microaggressions, an unintentional form of racism such as offhand comments which can often lead to Black people feeling that they must move away from their authentic self to fit in, twisting to fit into a keyhole the wrong shape.  In my work with clients it leaves Black people feeling drained, unable to have a voice, unsafe, guarded and questioning themselves in a bid to obtain this external validation from the White gaze.  A process that can happen consciously or unconsciously.

Hope

At the start of the therapeutic process, my clients seek me out as they have come to a point where they are starting to awaken to the expectations and societal impacts that racism and other experiences have had on them.  A process that seems to have been accelerated by the lockdowns and ‘stay in the UK’ orders where the means of escapism, holidays abroad, jam packed lives and external sources of entertainment have been taken away. 

There is no choice but to start to listen to yourself and notice your behaviours...notice your mental health. 

It is possible to move towards your authentic self and acceptance using tools such as self-care, compassion, finding meaning, introducing healthier ways to cope, and taking back control of your life.  These are all ways to manage the impact of the past year and beyond. 

It has been my honour to witness my Black clients move away from what makes them unhappy, become more grounded, take back their autonomy, take better care of themselves and gain greater awareness and self-acceptance.  I have seen my Black clients awaken and create beautiful lives where ‘everyday may not be joyful but they find joy in everyday’. 

Everytime a Black person thrives in a system designed against them, I feel we all win.  Black Minds Matter UK  was one of the great services that were created to support Black people as the result of so much pain. Access to professional mental health services should not be a privilege and services should not discriminate against those that seek them out. Having BMMUK as a safe space for our community to access free mental health support is a huge relief, but one born from sheer necessity and worry for the mental health of our community. It’s important we continue to support organisations such as BMMUK  but learn to challenge and disrupt the systems in place that continue to harm us.