Speaking Out About Racism Boosts Your Mental Health

Suppressing the anger and pain can actively damage what psychology researchers call ‘psychological fortitude’

Photo: Westend61/Getty Images

I bottled up my rage and despair for the first few days after George Floyd’s death.

It wasn’t because I wasn’t full of rage and despair — I was. My brain was slowly frying. The video of Floyd’s last moments was unavoidable; my mom, who I live with, kept the news on 24/7. But I was concerned that anything I could say out loud had already been said. There were so many activists, writers, and thought leaders speaking out about being Black in America. I wasn’t sure how to add to the conversation.

Finally, at my teletherapy session the Tuesday after Floyd’s death, I began the work of unspooling my pent-up despair. I told my therapist how I was even more afraid to leave my house now than at the start of the pandemic. I admitted to her, and to myself, that most of my despair stemmed from feeling like the people in charge of this country didn’t care if I lived or died. It was the first time I’d expressed that out loud.

My therapist’s suggestion: Write about it. Put it down on paper, even if no one but her would read it. “You’re a writer,” she said. “Expressing yourself is so important. You need to get these…