Navigating the Holidays with Intention: A Culturally Relevant Guide for Black Mental Health and Wellness
Embracing Emotional Truth During the Holidays
The holiday season can be a beautiful time of celebration — but for many Black Americans, it can also activate grief, loneliness, fatigue, and emotional heaviness. What some casually call the “holiday blues” often runs deeper in our communities, especially when layered with cultural expectations, systemic stressors, and unhealed trauma.
At For Every Mountain Counseling Services®, we honor your full emotional range.
You don’t have to pretend you’re okay to make others comfortable.
You don’t have to carry the season on your shoulders.
You deserve rest. You deserve support. You deserve truth.
Recognizing this is the first step toward navigating the holidays with intention, balance, and compassion.
Why Black Communities May Experience the Holidays Differently
Research, lived experience, and culturally informed mental health insights tell us that the pressures many Black individuals feel during the holidays are real, layered, and deeply rooted in our history, our culture, and our resilience.
1. Higher Rates of Psychological Distress
Black adults often carry disproportionate levels of emotional, financial, and systemic stress. During the holidays — when expectations rise, family roles intensify, and financial obligations increase — those stressors become even more pronounced. Many of us are navigating unspoken responsibilities: caregiving, emotional labor, or being “the strong one” everyone else leans on.
As Forbes journalist Maia Niguel Hoskin highlights, these stressors are often minimized or mislabeled, even though they reflect deeper systemic realities affecting Black communities.
2. Seasonal Depression Often Goes Undetected
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) impacts people across backgrounds, but it is underdiagnosed in Black communities, in part due to:
Less sunlight exposure
Higher rates of vitamin D deficiency
Cultural stigma around discussing mood changes
Symptoms being misinterpreted as irritability or fatigue
Capital B News emphasizes how these factors make it harder for Black individuals to access proper treatment or even recognize the signs of seasonal depression.
3. Grief Feels Heavier This Time of Year
Holidays naturally highlight those who are no longer with us. For families who have lost loved ones — especially to illness, community violence, or systemic inequities — this season can reopen wounds we’ve tucked away just to function. Grief doesn’t take a holiday, and for many Black families, grief is layered and intergenerational.
4. The Pressure to Perform: “Strength”
Many of us grew up learning that strength is survival — that smiling through pain is necessary, that we must “show up” for everyone, that vulnerability should be contained. This cultural expectation, while rooted in resilience, can make it difficult to rest, slow down, or admit when we’re struggling.
The holidays often amplify this pressure, leaving little room for authenticity or emotional release.
5. Limited Access to Culturally Competent Care
Barriers that keep Black individuals from seeking mental health support include:
Fear of being misunderstood
Lack of representation among clinicians
Past negative experiences in the healthcare system
Emotional exhaustion from having to “explain” cultural context
When care doesn’t feel culturally aligned, people are more likely to internalize their pain instead of reaching for help that could provide relief.
You Are Not Imagining It
If the holidays feel heavy, complicated, or emotionally draining, you’re not alone — and you’re not “doing the season wrong.” There are real historical, cultural, and systemic reasons behind what you’re feeling.
Naming that truth is not weakness.
It is an act of healing.
At For Every Mountain Counseling Services®, we hold space for these experiences with compassion, cultural understanding, and clinically sound care. Whether you're navigating grief, burnout, family stress, or the weight of expectations, you don’t have to carry it alone.
✨ Book a consultation today to begin your healing journey.
How Racism, Stress, and Cultural Expectations Shape Holiday Mental Health
The Burden of Being “Everything to Everyone”
Black women often shoulder emotional labor for entire families — planning, cooking, coordinating, mediating, caregiving. This survival-based history runs deep, but today it often comes at the cost of personal rest and emotional well-being.
The Emotional Silence Placed on Black Men
Black men may feel pressured to maintain composure, strength, and financial stability — even when experiencing sadness or overwhelm. The expectation to “hold it together” can make it difficult to express emotional needs during the holidays.
Financial Pressure During the Holidays
Holiday spending can create significant stress, especially given economic disparities that disproportionately impact Black families. Wanting to “make the holidays special” can lead to guilt, shame, or burnout.
Intergenerational Trauma
Trauma doesn’t pause for celebration. Family gatherings may bring up unresolved conflict, emotional tension, or reminders of loss. Naming these realities helps interrupt patterns of self-neglect and allows healthier traditions to emerge.
Culturally Rooted Self-Care Strategies for the Holiday Season
The holidays don’t have to drain you. Here are culturally aligned, evidence-informed strategies to help you protect your peace.
1. Normalize Your Emotions — Don’t Silence Them
You are allowed to feel whatever you feel: joy, grief, exhaustion, neutrality, frustration, or hope. All of it is valid.
2. Set Boundaries That Protect Your Peace
Practical scripts include:
“I can’t stay long, but I’m happy to stop by.”
“I’m choosing a quieter holiday this year.”
“I don’t want to discuss that topic today.”
Boundaries aren’t walls — they are instructions for how you deserve to be treated.
3. Prioritize Rhythm, Rest & Nourishment
A grounded body supports a grounded mind. Create a simple rhythm:
Maintain consistent sleep
Stay hydrated
Eat warm, nourishing meals
Practice gentle movement
Schedule intentional rest
Burnout is not a badge of honor.
4. Seek Sunlight & Consider Vitamin D Support
Vitamin D deficiency is common in Black communities and contributes to seasonal depression. Light therapy, morning sun exposure, and medical guidance around supplementation can support mood regulation.
5. Stay Connected to Safe Community
Community care is essential for emotional well-being. Reach out to:
Trusted friends
Faith or spiritual communities
Cultural or support groups
Your therapist
Isolation intensifies emotional stress — safe connection softens it.
6. Create New Traditions That Honor Who You Are Today
Traditions can evolve. You are allowed to create holidays that reflect your current needs and values.
You might choose to:
Host a peaceful brunch
Take a morning walk
Volunteer
Light candles and reflect
Remove traditions that no longer feel aligned
Your holidays should nurture your well-being, not deplete it.
Five Grounding Practices for When Emotions Feel Heavy
When your emotions feel overwhelming, these grounding exercises can help restore calm and control.
1. 5-4-3-2-1 Reset
A sensory grounding tool that helps interrupt panic or spiraling thoughts.
How to do it:
Name 5 things you can see
Name 4 things you can touch
Name 3 things you can hear
Name 2 things you can smell
Name 1 thing you can taste
Why it helps:
It anchors your nervous system in the present moment.
2. “Name the Story” Technique
A cognitive reframing practice that helps separate fear from fact.
How to do it:
Say: “The story I’m telling myself is…”
Name the fear or assumption.
Ask yourself what else might be true.
Why it helps:
It interrupts emotional spiraling and helps clarify reality.
3. Warm Hand, Warm Heart
A soothing somatic technique using breath and touch.
How to do it:
Place one hand on your chest and the other on your stomach.
Inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 2, exhale for 6.
Feel warmth from your hands calming your body.
Repeat for 5–8 breaths.
Why it helps:
It activates your body’s natural calming system.
4. A 10-Minute Compassion Walk
Movement supports emotional regulation and clarity.
How to do it:
Step outside or into a quiet hallway.
Walk slowly and intentionally.
Repeat a grounding phrase such as:
“One step at a time.”
“I am safe in this moment.”
Continue for at least 10 minutes.
Why it helps:
It combines movement, breath, and compassion — a powerful reset for the mind.
5. Mindful Gratitude (Without Toxic Positivity)
A balanced practice that honors both gratitude and struggle.
How to do it:
Sit comfortably and breathe slowly.
Name three things you appreciate.
Name three things that feel hard.
Hold both truths without judgment.
Why it helps:
It creates space for emotional honesty without forcing positivity.
For Those Grieving This Season
Grief changes the holidays. Your experience deserves compassion and permission.
Affirmations to Hold Close
“I am allowed to honor my grief and my joy.”
“My grief is a reflection of my love.”
“My holidays don’t have to look like anyone else’s.”
Ways to Honor Loved Ones
Light a candle
Wear something meaningful
Cook their favorite dish
Share a memory
Create a new ritual
Your loved one is still with you — not physically, but in legacy, story, and the love that shaped you.
Signs It May Be Time to Reach Out for Support
You deserve help if you notice:
Persistent sadness
Overwhelming stress
Changes in sleep or appetite
Emotional numbness
Loss of interest
Intrusive memories
Thoughts of harming yourself
Healing does not require crisis — it requires honesty, support, and care.
How For Every Mountain Counseling Services® Can Support You
If this season feels heavy, complicated, or overwhelming, support is available.
We offer:
Individual therapy
Group therapy
Family therapy
Corporate wellness services
Telehealth sessions for Maryland residents
You deserve care that understands your culture, your lived experiences, and your emotional realities.
✨ Book your consultation today. Healing is possible — and you don’t have to climb alone.
Sources
Hoskin, Maia Niguel. Black Americans Are More Vulnerable to What Some Dismiss as the “Holiday Blues.” Forbes, 2020.https://www.forbes.com/sites/maiahoskin/2020/12/07/black-americans-are-more-venerable-to-what-some-dismiss-as-the-holiday-blues/
African American Behavioral Health Center of Excellence. Holiday Self-Care Guide. 2023.
https://africanamericanbehavioralhealth.org/documents/AABH-COE_HolidaySelf-CareGuide23.pdf
Capital B News. Ways to Address Seasonal Depression.
https://capitalbnews.org/ways-to-address-seasonal-depression/