By Millicent Gorham  

July is Minority Mental Health Month. As women, it’s vital that we prioritize our physical and mental well-being.  As a Black woman and a CEO, I’ve had to gather an arsenal of strategies to keep my mental health in check over the years. Living in an inequitable society and sometimes being the only Black woman in the room can wear on you over time, not only mentally, but physically too. Below are my tips to mitigate that heavy weight and emerge with confidence. 

AFFIRMATION  

Positive affirmation and self-encouragement are tools that I learned through my church community to keep me in an upbeat mental state. A large part of finding your inner spark is learning to quiet self-doubt. If I had let negative thoughts and second-guessing pervade my career, I wouldn’t be where I am today as CEO of the Alliance for Women’s Health & Prevention. Often, when I need a moment of encouragement, I repeat, “I am the magnificent, marvelous, magnanimous Millicent Gorham.” Without self-confidence and positive affirmation like this, it’s easy to become worn out. 

SETTING BOUNDARIES 

One of the quickest ways to jeopardize your mental health is by taking on more than you can manage. When this happens, the quality of our work can decline, and stress levels can increase. By setting boundaries both professionally and personally, I ensure that I can tackle every task that comes my way to the best of my ability. While it can be tempting to please everyone and offer help everywhere, this often leads to burnout. “No” is a complete sentence and a superpower of a word. 

BUILDING NETWORKS 

It’s important to build a supportive, helpful network of friends and colleagues that are only three clicks or phone calls away.  It takes a village of supporters to become a leader — becoming a senior executive in the health advocacy space is not something I could have accomplished alone.  

Building a network in your personal life is also vital. I have found a vibrant community through my church; it is a great source of friendship, support, and reflection. Prayer has always played a powerful role in my life and has proven to be very beneficial to my mental health. I strongly believe that practicing any sort of intentional reflection time—religious or not—is necessary for those looking to preserve their mental health. 

BALANCING THE “TRIED AND TRUE” WITH THE NEW 

Sometimes, there can be a stressful tug-of-war between relying on generational knowledge versus diving headfirst into newer practices and opinions. In my decades-long career, I’ve gotten much better at striking this balance, especially as those I work with become younger and younger. I’ve learned to approach new projects with a mindset of “I want to learn more about this,” as I am a firm believer that older people can learn from younger people and vice versa. My decades of lived experience are vital to AWHP’s efforts, but if I led solely through my own generational lens, I’d be putting mental energy into a cause that can’t adapt for the future. Learning from young people keeps me mentally healthy in this way. 

Every person’s priorities regarding mental health are unique. There is no one-size-fits-all. While these are my strategies, I encourage you to find what works best for you. Whether it’s quiet reflection, therapy, or fun self-care days with good friends, ensure you’re taking time to destress and recalibrate. 

Think about where you can implement these strategies and others into your life to become the most mentally healthy version of yourself. From all of us at AWHP, Happy Minority Mental Health Awareness Month.