I woke up and decided being a Strong Black Woman was not my calling. Being a Strong Black Woman is not my ministry. I cannot and will no longer kill myself for the sake of keeping my career, keeping the peace, or settling for nonsense. I would rather avoid situations and environments where I must stay strong.
I woke up and received a download from the Most High to write a quick blog post about being A Strong Black Woman and how I have suffered in silence while taking on unnecessary stress, nonsense, and toxic treatment from myself and others. I am unashamed to state that I brought into the narrative of being a Strong Black Woman and how to be unbothered and stoicism about things that do bother me, hinder me, and keep me stuck in this unhealed, traumatic, and perpetuated lie we have inherited from our ancestors, our Mothers, and other Black Women and often time society. Before getting into my story about being strong, I have to say this: being a Strong Black Woman is detrimental to our mental health, physical health, and spiritual health.
It affects our mental health: It affects Black Women's mental health because we suffer in silence and internalize toxic messaging, wear a mask, can't be sensitive, and constantly suppress who we are. We have to put our needs on the back burner and become a martyr to be strong and stoic.
It affects Black Women's physical health because when we internalize the messaging of being strong and not letting your hair down, we are stoicism and unbothered while we are suffering from high blood pressure, rising levels of cortisol, emotional eating, insomnia, underlying health issues such as an autoimmune disorder, fibroids, and more. Many Black Women are taught to be caregivers, prove their worth, and neglect themselves for the sake of pushing through and being strong because you cannot allow others to see you sweat while your mental and physical health is declining.
It affects our spiritual health; faith and prayer are sometimes all we have. Still, even that is affected because you question the Most High on your internalized struggle: why are you dealing with difficult situations, people, and toxic environments. You become hopeless and helpless because you feel the highest abandon you, and your faith wavers.
I have decided to break up with being strong because I am exhausted. I am tired of fronting and adopting the ideology of others because that doesn't work for me. One of my managers told me I needed to be strong and toughen up because the "students" would take advantage of me. I needed to rule with an iron fist. No, ma'am, that's not me. Plus, you get more with honey than you do with it. I will not subscribe to being a Strong Black Woman to appease other aggressive, harmful, and toxic Black Women. I refuse to prove my toughness because I come from a long line of Strong Black Women, but on the low, they were resilient; no doubt, they also died at young ages due to stoicism, aggressive stress, toxic environments, and caring for the needs of others while neglecting themselves. I am trading in strong for being soft, sensitive, and sensible. Sometimes, due to the environments and people I was surrounded by, I had to adapt to the Timberland Boot energy, aka being strong, independent, and fiery, but that was exhausting. When I am in survival mode or want to be heard and seen, I revert back to that energy. Still, it doesn't serve me and takes a significant hit on my mental health, physical health, and spiritual health because I was masking my true self instead of walking and living my truth. I have been told that you will have to deal with something and stop crying because people will take advantage of your "weakness" instead of, wow, you are empathetic. Let's cultivate that skill, which is a strength.
