• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
BlackDoctor.org
Where Wellness & Culture Connect

Where Wellness & Culture Connect

  • Health Conditions
  • Wellness
  • Lifestyle
  • Longevity
  • Resource Centers
    • Cancer Resource Center
    • Covid Resource Center
  • Find A Doctor
  • BDO TV
Home / Wellness / General Health / 3 Generational Cycles Black People Can Overcome in 2022

3 Generational Cycles Black People Can Overcome in 2022

breaking generational cycles

African-Americans in this country have always dealt with, and overcome hardships. Whether it be the hundreds of years of slavery, the decades of fighting for civil rights, or the modern-day oppression we experience in our personal and professional lives, Black people have always found a way to turn their setbacks into setups for a bright and prosperous future.

However, while we can be credited for many of the greatest parts of modern culture, we often fail to recognize how our hardships have affected our physical, mental, and emotional health as individuals and families. It has become the norm for us to ignore “signs of weakness” and uphold this narrative of a strong Black man or woman. While this seems like no big deal in your own personal life, this can and has become detrimental to the advancement of Black people when passed from generation to generation. However, in 2022 and beyond, we are going to address and break these common generational cycles so that every generation after us is closer to positive health in all aspects. 

To help you get started, here are three generational cycles you and your family can begin to overcome in 2022.

1. Refusing to Ask for Help

Like all generational cycles, they did not just appear out of nowhere. They each have a history and justification behind them. More specifically, when it comes to asking for help, Black people were never made to believe that others would help them. We have become accustomed to being hurt by non-Black people and having to fight for our place so much in this country that what was once a means of defense and growth, has now become a limitation. 

You May Also Like
5 Top Sunscreens for Black Skin

When we refuse to ask for help, we are stripping ourselves of our basic human need for relationships and assistance and holding ourselves to unrealistic expectations. In some cases, we will even risk slowing down any personal or professional growth just to handle a situation ourselves. But this perpetuates so many false narratives that affect us the most. We start to believe that we can’t trust anyone, we don’t need platonic or romantic relationships, or that we don’t have the right to experience the rollercoaster that is basic human emotions. 

Each of these narratives not only affects how we operate, but they impact how others see us as well. If we communicate that we don’t need anything or anyone, others will stop offering help in dire situations. Of course, there are a number of other discriminatory reasons why we are not given assistance in comparison to other races. However, if we want to help the issue, we have to begin to push the narrative that we, like all other humans, need help. 

So, to get yourself used to asking for help, you have a couple of options. You can first try offering your emotions. If asking is the uncomfortable part for you right now, that’s no problem. Lay out your stressors to people you trust. It can be as simple as telling your spouse, “It frustrates me when I have to do the laundry and dishes as soon as I come home from work.” You never had to ask and when communicating this to someone you love, it is often met with an action that solves your problem. As you get more comfortable communicating your stress, you can begin to ask for small things that would assist you in your personal life. Before you know it, you will feel comfortable even asking for help in bigger parts of your personal and professional life. 

The more you begin to offer up your needs and ask for help, the more you will see its benefits and how many opportunities can be released to you when you do so.

You May Also Like
15 Natural Remedies for Aches and Pains

2. “Mental Health is for White People”

Let’s start by establishing that this idea, “mental health is for white people” is wrong. Mental health is for everyone because we all deal with our own personal struggles that impact the way we think. However, like our hesitancy to ask for help, this false idea has an origin as well. 

For most of American history, mental health was not a resource that was available to Black people and some would even argue that oppressed African-Americans had “bigger fish to fry.” During slavery and civil rights, Black people spent most of their time trying to survive rather than picking apart their mental state. But even when slavery was abolished and the civil rights movement was over, we were still seen as being at the bottom of society so there was no effort to advance us as people, let alone our mental health. 

Even though our mental state wasn’t a priority in this country, we have to make it a priority within ourselves. As individuals, African-Americans have their own trauma and stressors to address but additionally, we still subconsciously deal with

Continue Reading

The Latest In General Health

monkeypox

Why Are Blacks Disproportionately Being Affected By Monkeypox?

As monkeypox cases continue to spread, a detailed analysis of monkeypox case records published by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers new insight into the outbreak, which is disproportionately affecting men who have sex with men, especially read more about Why Are Blacks Disproportionately Being Affected By Monkeypox?
polio

How Worried Should You Be About New Reports on Polio?

Poliovirus detected in New York City wastewater last week put public health officials on high alert, as it indicates the potentially paralyzing virus is circulating widely in the area. But infectious disease experts say there's no need for families of read more about How Worried Should You Be About New Reports on Polio?
The National League for Nursing applauds today’s passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (H.R. 5376) by the U.S. House of Representatives, sending the landmark legislation to President Joe Biden for his signature.

National League for Nursing Applauds Passage of the “Inflation Reduction Act”

Washington, DC —  The National League for Nursing applauds today’s passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (H.R. 5376) by the U.S. House of Representatives, sending the landmark legislation to President Joe Biden for his signature. This legislation makes historic investments in read more about National League for Nursing Applauds Passage of the “Inflation Reduction Act”
how to advocate for yourself at the doctor

Speak Up, Speak Out! 9 Ways to Advocate for Your Needs at the Doctor

As she has shared, tennis legend Serena Williams faced life-threatening complications while giving birth to her baby girl Olympia in 2017. If it weren’t for Serena speaking up and pushing for doctors to listen to her, she may not have read more about Speak Up, Speak Out! 9 Ways to Advocate for Your Needs at the Doctor
monkeypox vaccine

FDA Stretches Monkeypox Vaccine Supply by Authorizing Smaller Doses

As at-risk Americans stand in long lines across the country, trying to get the Jynneos monkeypox vaccine, U.S. officials on Tuesday announced they will modify dosing instructions for the shot to help stretch the supply. What do the new instructions entail? The read more about FDA Stretches Monkeypox Vaccine Supply by Authorizing Smaller Doses

Serena Williams Announces Retirement from Tennis: “I Feel a Great Deal of Pain”

The G.O.A.T. is retiring. That's right, as many fans knew in the back in their head that Serena Williams, arguably, one of the greatest of all time to play the game of tennis, would one day retire. Well, that day read more about Serena Williams Announces Retirement from Tennis: “I Feel a Great Deal of Pain”

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe to our newsletter

Poll

Popular Posts

  • Like Father, Like Son: ‘Miami Vice’ Star’s Son Handsome Like his DaddyLike Father, Like Son: 'Miami Vice' Star's Son Handsome Like his Daddy
  • Football Legend & Coach Deion Sanders Has Toes AmputatedFootball Legend & Coach Deion Sanders Has Toes Amputated
  • LL Cool J & Wife Simone Smith Celebrate 25 Years Married: “We Celebrate Life”LL Cool J & Wife Simone Smith Celebrate 25 Years Married: "We Celebrate Life"
  • Marjorie Harvey: Fit, Fine & 57!Marjorie Harvey: Fit, Fine & 57!
  • 7 Ways To Prevent Yellow Eyes7 Ways To Prevent Yellow Eyes

Podcast

Footer

Where Wellness & Culture Connect

BDO is the world’s largest and most comprehensive online health resource specifically targeted to African Americans. BDO understands that the uniqueness of Black culture - our heritage and our traditions - plays a role in our health. BDO gives you access to innovative new approaches to the health information you need in everyday language so you can break through the disparities, gain control and live your life to its fullest.

Connect With Us

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Learn More About

  • Hepatitis C
  • Diabetes
  • Sickle Cell
  • Mental Health
  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Advertise With Us
  • BlackDoctor.org Advertising and Sponsorship Policy
  • Daily Vitamina
  • TBH

Copyright © 2022, BlackDoctor, Inc. All rights reserved.