Name The Wound: Racial Trauma & Your Mental Health
July is Minority Mental Health Awareness Month. And while we care about the mental health of everyone in our community, we are proud to participate in a time set aside to highlight the mental health challenges faced by communities of color.
If you've ever felt the weight of being the “only one in the room,” navigated microaggressions with a smile, or swallowed anger after watching yet another headline about injustice, you’ve likely experienced racial trauma. And while it might not always leave visible scars, its impact on your mental and physical well-being is real and valid.
What Is Racial Trauma?
Racial trauma refers to the mental and emotional injury caused by encounters with racism. This could include things like being profiled, denied opportunities because of your race, or being exposed to videos and stories of racial violence. It also shows up in more subtle ways: being talked over in meetings, questioned about your credentials, or feeling like you have to constantly prove yourself just to belong.
What makes racial trauma particularly challenging is that it’s not always about one major event. Often, it's the cumulative effect of repeated stress over time. It's the proverbial "death by a thousand paper cuts"and many in society often expects you to just “be strong”.
How Racial Trauma Shows Up
Racial trauma doesn’t always announce itself like traditional trauma. Sometimes it whispers. You may notice:
Hypervigilance: Feeling constantly on edge, especially in predominantly white spaces.
Exhaustion: A deep, bone-level tiredness that rest doesn’t seem to fix.
Irritability or emotional numbness: Lashing out or feeling shut down emotionally.
Trouble concentrating: Your mind running in loops of anxiety or anger.
Physical symptoms: Headaches, digestive issues, body pain with no clear medical explanation.
It can also lead to feelings of disconnection; from yourself, your culture, or even your own joy. And in a world that too often gaslights your experience, you may start to question if you’re just “too sensitive” or “imagining things.”
You're not.
Why Mental Health Support Looks Different for Us
Communities of color face some very real barriers to accessing mental health care. For one, historical and present-day medical racism has created a deep and understandable mistrust of healthcare providers. Some folks may also feel like therapy isn’t culturally relevant, or that their pain will be minimized or misunderstood. This is made even more common because often accessing mental health care from a culturally competent provider can feel almost impossible.
This can be complicated even more when cultural norms and beliefs make it less likely that we will seek treatment either because we are afraid of how we will be perceived by others or how we feel about ourselves as we 'need' help.
So where do we begin?
5 Ways to Care for Your Mental Health Amid Racial Trauma
Taking care of your mental health in a world that often invalidates your pain isn’t indulgent, it’s necessary. Some even say it is the greatest protest we can engage in. Here are five strategies that can help:
Name It
Language gives us power. When you name racial trauma for what it is, you give yourself permission to stop minimizing it. Saying, “That interaction left me feeling unsafe because it was racially charged,” is a way of affirming your reality. Gaslighting thrives in silence. Call it what it is.
In scenarios where this may feel unsafe, such as employment environments, seek external peer interactions.
Unplug When Needed
While staying informed is important, consuming a constant stream of news, especially involving racial violence, can be retraumatizing. Set limits around social media and news consumption. This may mean snoozing or unfollowing creators who regularly share content that is triggering for you.
Find Cultural Connection
Healing can’t always happen in isolation. Whether it’s a local community group, a Black book club, a group chat with people who just get it, or even a podcast or playlist that speaks your language, seek out spaces where you don’t have to explain yourself. Cultural connection can be an antidote to racial isolation.
Practice Rest Like Resistance
You weren’t built to grind 24/7. Capitalism may tell you otherwise, but your body and mind need rest to repair and recover. This could be a full night’s sleep, a 10-minute walk without your phone, or simply saying “no” without over-explaining. Rest isn’t lazy, it's restorative. And it is absolutely your birthright.
Seek Joy On Purpose
Joy is not just a feeling, it’s an act of rebellion in a world that profits from your pain. Make room for laughter, celebration, creativity, and awe. Dance in your kitchen. Rewatch that guilty pleasure sitcom. Go outside and feel the sun on your face. Joy doesn’t cancel out pain, but it creates room for something else to live there too.
You Don’t Have to Carry This Alone
The truth is, racial trauma wasn’t created in a vacuum, and it won’t be healed in one either. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, anxious, depressed, or just not yourself, you don’t have to figure it all out on your own.
Working with a mental health professional, especially one who understands cultural dynamics, can be a game changer. Therapy isn’t about “fixing” you. It’s about supporting you through the very real impact of the world you’re living in.
To schedule a session with one of our coaches or therapists, call 317-471-8996 or email intake@thewellcounselinggroup.com and let us be a part of your healing.