Therapy IRL: The Art Of Staying Steady In Unsteady Times

To be a Black woman at this time, as it has always been, requires holding challenges along with triumphs. And social media has been particularly instructive on the state of the Black woman this month. Whether showing the freedom and joy Black mothers felt after dropping their kids off for the first day of school , the athletic skills of a Black woman acknowledging the third anniversary of #FadeInTheWater, celebrations of Black families and friends gathering for connection and community in Martha’s Vineyard , or a lamenting of the economic position skilled Black professionals have been put in– likely for the first time in their careers–August has already been a doozy. But what if the challenges feel like they’re winning out, especially when it comes to how we see ourselves as professional women? When we’ve earned the degrees, gone to the right networking events, followed the rules, moved into the right neighborhoods, what do we do then? It may be hitting especially hard for women who now find themselves at the start of the school year asking how they are going to afford the tuition for their child’s elite education or after-school extracurricular activities, as over 600,000 Black women have lost their jobs in this destructive economy, disproportionately impacting us. You may ask yourself how to navigate job security, identity, relationships, parenting, and professional growth at the same time. In this month’s Therapy IRL, we will explore how to keep that head held high, …