Though I have always loved Amy Morin’s 13 Things Mentally Strong Women Don’t Do, most, if not all, did not resonate with me as a Black woman or a hypnotherapist. So, I decided to create a list of my own for my wellthy women to use as a blueprint for what strength might look like. Please see my list of 12 Things Mentally Strong Black Women Don’t Do, based on my personal and professional experience along with thousands of discussions with Black women of all ages.

  1. We don’t view vulnerability as weakness.
  2. We don’t view a fellow sis as competition.
  3. We don’t stay in relationships that make us constantly question who we are or constantly question the motives of the people we are in relationship with.
  4. We don’t code switch or compromise our identity to fit in.
  5. We don’t compromise our energy by trying to match someone else’s.
  6. We don’t pay attention to society’s definition of a strong black woman.
  7. We don’t apologize for setting healthy boundaries in our lives.
  8. We don’t view asking for help as weakness.
  9. We don’t view rest as shameful or weak.
  10. We don’t view our unhealthy coping mechanisms as strength
  11. We don’t put unrealistic pressure on ourselves or allow anyone else to either.
  12. We don’t believe we are destined to be unhealthy because of the unhealthy family patterns we learned as children.