9 Wellness Resources for Black Women When Life Gets You Down

Racism is a form of trauma that disproportionately affects us, and though black women project strength, Black Girl Magic can’t protect us from everything.

From everyday microaggressions that simply annoy to dealing with discrimination on a larger scale, black women everywhere are looking for health and wellness resources to help us cope.

Though we’ve seen that the wellness industry isn’t exactly immune to marginalizing black voices, there are a multitude of black wellness influencers to watch. Check out these resources to help you find your inner Zen.

Mental Health Directories:

• Therapy for Black Girls. Founded by psychologist Dr. Joy Harden Bradford, the site provides a host of mental health resources for black girls and women. Browsers can find a directory of culturally competent therapists across the country, online community The Yellow Couch Collective, and a weekly podcast.
• Ayana. After Eric Coly’s friend had trouble finding a culturally competent therapist, the Senegal native decided to launch Ayana, an app that connects marginalized communities, people of color, LGBTQ+, and disabled people to therapists.

Wellness Communities:

• OmNoire. A wellness social community for women of color that hosts events and retreats. Though the site provides a plethora of health and wellness tips, the real draw is the community’s wellness retreats, including the upcoming trip to Ghana scheduled for April.
• Black Girl in Om. This site aims to “create space for women of color to breathe easy,” and not only provides an online community, but a host of other resources including a popular podcast and a newsletter.
• the body: a home for love. This community wants to “shift culture around how black women heal from sexual trauma.” The site shares stories, a resource directory, and poetry.

Guided Meditations:

• Liberate. Created by and for the Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) community, the Liberate app provides guided meditations, delivered by Buddhist teachers of color like Ruth King, Gina Sharpe, and Mushim Patricia Ikeda. The content tackles a variety of topics, including dealing with microaggressions and cultivating loving-kindness for difficult people.
• Meditation Mixtape. Produced by wellness influencer Sheyla Marie, this guided meditation is designed to “to cultivate a deeper sense of self-love, to let go of fear and to help you live healthier, happier, and freer.
• Black Lives Matter Meditation. University of Kentucky’s Dr. Candice Nicole developed this guided meditation to specifically heal racial trauma. “Racial trauma exacts a psychological and physiological toll on people of color, and those involved in the Movement for Black Lives are especially vulnerable to hourly personal, emotional, and physical racist attacks. Guided meditation is one way to assist in calming a heightened state of distress, affirming one’s value and humanity, and recentering with love for Black people,” she says.
• The Sound Sessions. Produced by Black Girl in Om’s Lauren Nash, this meditation is about 7 minutes long and aims to be “soul calming and sound healing” to inspire inner peace.

Read “3 Bold Expressions of Love in Action.”