For many Black Americans, inflation, political uncertainty, shrinking safety nets, and inequity have created a level of stress and fatigue that feels both historically familiar and newly overwhelming.
Layered into the collective exhaustion is the constant expectation to keep fighting for jobs, stability, identity and rights.
Licensed clinical psychologist Dr. Isiah Pickens calls 2025 “a culminating year.”
“Stress is cumulative. Financial stress, exclusion, diminishing resources, everything collided,” the founder of iOpening Enterprises said. “People are exhausted. And there is a growing concern that systems that we used to run to for support will no longer hold us up.”
Despite experiencing a collective sense of fatigue, Pickens noted that the notion of rest, for many people of color, runs contrary to the culture.
“From a mental-health perspective,” he said, “many felt they needed permission to rest without first proving they had earned it.”
The cultural mandate to persist, rooted in generations of historic trauma, has long been celebrated as a form of resilience.
“But this year, more people began to ask a difficult question: ‘Why must we always be resilient?” Pickens questioned. “And who benefits from that expectation?’”
Rest, The New Revolution
For many, generational trauma and conditioning greatly heightened stress levels during a year filled with constant change.
“In Black communities, we are taught, ‘Stay ready so you don’t have to get ready,’” Pickens said. “This teaches a mentality that is always bracing. Ready and constantly anticipating the next threat.”
The clinical psychologist also noted that, for many, 2025 changed how people trust institutions.
“If systems failed you during your hardest moments, you’re less likely to depend on them going forward,” he said.
Occupational therapist Dr. Brea Brown warns that constant states of alertness over time can take a toll on both the mind and the body.
Functioning under high stress may result in increased health complications, internal tension, hypervigilance, and a nervous system that is continually in fight-or-flight mode.
To Brown, quiet revolt is imperative.
“Rest is resistance,” she emphasized.
Brown stressed that for many people of color, self-worth is often equated with productivity.
“We confuse activity with value,” she said. “But you’re worthy even when you’re still.”
Brown encourages using the resilience woven through Black history to strengthen both mental and physical resolve.
“Recognition of the spirit of survival in our DNA deserves grace,” she said. “Acknowledge the strength and resilience in that, while allowing grace for moments of stillness.”
The occupational therapist suggested small practical steps for moving into 2026 with peace and reflection:
- Participate in activities that bring you joy
- Surround yourself with positive minded people
- Don’t be afraid to step away from the news and social media
- Remember, rest is resistance
She also encourages getting mental health check-ups, just as one would do for physical health.
“Everyone can benefit from professional counseling, whether you are in a good spot or a low point,” Brown said. “Seek mental health check-ins even if you think, ‘I don’t have anything to talk about.’”
Healing Isn’t Weak, It’s Resistance
In a landscape of collective exhaustion and uncertainty, James W. Preston II, in many ways, embodies the spirit of resilience and reinvention happening across many Black communities.
Entrepreneur and community mentor, Preston, 49, has formed teaching and mentoring circles for men and families on the margins. He sees investment in community as essential to healing and rebuilding.
A barber who provides free haircuts to kids in D.C. and leads a jail ministry in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, Preston noted that even small acts of service can prove life-changing.
“A lot of people right now feel unseen,” he said. “But when someone shows up for you, even in a small way, it can pull you back from the edge.”
Preston believes that the path to healing should be built on practical steps towards financial independence and community connection, stressing entrepreneurship as both empowerment and therapy.
“Learn how to invest in your gifts and how to protect them,” he advised. “Form an LLC, acquire a trademark, open a business account. Our community has skills worth monetizing. Knowledge and skills are collective power. We weren’t always taught that.”
Emphasizing that growing distrust of institutions has pushed many toward self-reliance, Preston urged African Americans to create something sustainable as an act of both mental and financial reclamation.
“We’re seeing people understand that healing isn’t passive, it’s a form of resistance,” Pickens said. “When individuals choose restoration over survival mode, they’re reclaiming their power.”
Preston argued that true rebuilding requires forging stronger community connections through presence, accountability, and shared responsibility.
“We can’t wait for systems to save us,” he said. “We save each other. We teach each other. That’s how we truly heal and finally break generational cycles.”
I really enjoyed this read it hit home on so many levels especially the points made by Dr Brown how we equate self worth with productivity and confusing activity with value as a woman of color in the counseling field I agree regularly mental health check in’s are imperative I feel so seen all throughout this article!!! Thank you for such an impactful and relevant read!!! Giving ourselves permission to be healthy is imperative!!!
I throughly enjoyed speaking with Dr. Patrice and sharing my thoughts on this very important subject matter. Thank you again, for including my thoughts.
Such a timely piece. Grateful for the insights about supporting our mental health as we close out the year. I’m curious about the path forward for giving people resources for supporting their mental health in a world that continues to be uncertain. Thank you Dr. Patrise for bringing this important conversation to life!