When Words Harm the Body: Wellness, Safety, and Being a Black Woman in America

I’m writing this as a Black woman—not to persuade, debate, or defend—but to name something that lives in the body long after the headlines fade.

When public figures use language that stereotypes, diminishes, or casts suspicion on Black people, the harm doesn’t stop at opinion. It becomes physiological. The body listens. The nervous system responds. Muscles tighten. Breath shortens. Awareness sharpens—not out of choice, but out of conditioning.

This is where wellness enters the conversation.

For many Black women, stress is not episodic. It’s cumulative. It’s the result of repeated exposure to messages—subtle and overt—that question our intelligence, professionalism, or belonging. Even when the words aren’t aimed directly at us, our bodies recognize the pattern.

Wellness Is More Than What We Eat

We talk often about nutrition, movement, and supplements. All of that matters. But emotional safety matters too.

Chronic stress driven by social threat can contribute to:

• Nervous-system dysregulation

• Elevated cortisol and inflammation

• Mental and emotional fatigue

• Burnout disguised as “strength”

  
  

Being strong has never been the issue. Being constantly on guard is.

Boundaries Are a Wellness Practice

One of the most important lessons I’ve learned is that wellness includes what I allow into my body and mind.

That means:

• Choosing when to stay informed and when to step back

• Limiting exposure to rhetoric designed to provoke rather than inform

• Refusing to internalize narratives that were never created with my well-being in mind

  
  

I don’t need to engage every harmful statement to prove my humanity. My nervous system deserves peace.

Returning to the Body

For me, wellness looks like practices that remind my body it is safe now:

• Intentional breathing

• Grounding rituals

• Reducing inflammatory media consumption

• Choosing spaces rooted in dignity and care

This isn’t avoidance. It’s regulation. It’s self-respect.

In Closing

I am not responsible for carrying the weight of someone else’s words.I am not required to debate my worth.And my wellness is not optional.

True well-being begins when we stop holding what was never ours to carry.