Self-care is vital for Black women’s well-being. This post features over 100 ways to prioritize self-care, from physical activities to mental health practices.
What do you find if you do a quick Google search for the term “self-care tips for black women”? When I did it, I found a lot of articles that spoke about skincare, emotional, and physical health. But do you know what was left out–mental health?
The stigma around self-care and taking care of your mental health remains prominent in black communities, especially black women. Yet, self-care is vital to black women’s overall physical and psychological health.
However, many of us, including myself, tend to put our health needs on the back burner for our friends, family, children, careers, school, and more.
So, ladies, if you’re a black woman struggling to prioritize herself, continue reading this post to get 100+ self-care tips, and grab your free printable!
Why Is Self-Care Important For Black Women?
You all know the importance of practicing daily self-care and love. But, when it comes to the well-being of black women, it’s even more critical. As a young, biracial black girl, my mother always taught me the importance of caring for myself.
While there is nothing wrong with all women educating and learning about self-love and care, it looks different for women who are black or come from an ethnic background. For most people of color, mental health and self-care relate to culture, race, politics, and spirituality.
Black women run the risk of suffering from heart disease, stroke, diabetes, breast and cervical cancer, and mental health illnesses like depression, anxiety, and eating disorders without self-care.
Now that you understand the importance of self-care, here are some self-care tips for black women.
Self-Care Tips For Black Women
For The Body
Taking care of the body is essential to the health of all black women. So, here are some self-care tips for black women that involve physical health.
- Practice Deep Breathing
- Stretch For 10 to 15 Minutes Daily
- Drink More Water
- Listen To Your Body
- Wear Sunscreen Daily: This may sound surprising, but black people need sunscreen, too. It protects the skin from harmful ultraviolet radiation.
- Dance
- Hit The Local Gym
- Get A Pap Smear: Since black women are at high risk for cervical cancer, it’s essential to talk to your gynecologist about a Pap smear. This is one of the most important ways for women to maintain their overall reproductive health.
- Check Your Boobs: Breast cancer does not discriminate on the face. Check your boobs and immediately go to your doctor if you notice something wrong.
- Find A Black Doctor: I don’t want to sound like a racist or colorist, but all black women should have a black female doctor. While they may get the same education as their white peers, they better understand the cultural, racial, and political effects their patients may experience.
- Reduce Your Caffeine Intake
- Take Time Off: Black women are their communities’ leaders, caretakers, and saviors. But even the most incredible people need a physical day off. Take a day off to rest and not work. It would help if you had it.
- Advocate For Your Health: Historically, black women have always found themselves on the back burner of the medical industry. If you suspect something is wrong, don’t allow your medical provider to disregard or dismiss your concerns. Make sure to stand up for yourself! Make sure to also follow and learn about your local mental health advocates.
- Take Your Vitamins
- Take A Bubble Bath
- Nap
- Go For A Brisk Walk
- Do Active Household Chores: If you’re a SAHM (stay-at-home mom), doing active household chores like vacuuming counts as exercise.
- Get A Massage
- Go To Bed Early
- Treat Yourself To A Spa Day
- Eat Healthily: If you live in a low-income community, it may be harder always to eat healthily. I understand that. But you can do simple food swaps that are affordable and healthy.
- Get Dressed
- Take Care Of Your Hygiene
- Skincare
- Spend 30 Minutes Outside
- Get To Know Your Body Intimately: This one may sound weird, but so many black women hate how their bodies look. Now is the perfect time to start loving yourself and your body. Take a mirror and stare at yourself naked. Get to know your body and show appreciation for everything you have.
- Play With The Kids
- Attend A Fitness Class
- Play Sports
- Have Sex
GRAB YOUR FREE PRINTABLE
Mental Health
Mental health illnesses are prominent in black communities, especially in women. Unfortunately, the stigmas remain in many communities due to the lack of communication and education surrounding mental health. Here are some mental health self-care tips for back women to use anytime.
- See A Therapist
- Give Yourself A Break
- Free-write
- Detox From Social Media
- Learn To Say NO: It’s not selfish, and you have the right to say no to anything.
- Avoid Toxic People
- Create A Safe Space
- Start A Gratitude Journal And Use Gratitude Journaling Prompts
- Read Affirmations
- Cry
- Scream
- Listen To Upbeat Music
- Practice Self-Compassion
- Do Nothing
- Stop Trying To Be Perfect: Perfectionism is a disease. Stop striving for it.
- Heal Your Inner Child: Many women in the black community have been through lots of trauma. Heal your inner child and acknowledge what they’ve been through.
- Create A Vision Board
- If you’re looking for vision board inspiration, then check out my 2022 vision board.
- Don’t Police Your Truth: Black women tend to police themselves and their thoughts to avoid seeming aggressive or angry. Stop doing this. You’re allowed to feel how you feel and say what you want to say.
- Embrace The Bad Days
- Set Proper Boundaries
- Challenge Negative Thinking
- Practice Mindset Shifting
- Change Your Daily Routine
- Use Essential Oils
- Take A Solo Trip
- Take A Mindful Shower
- Schedule Me Time
- Use A Coloring Book
- Pay Attention To Your Warning Signs: Learn about stress indicators such as mood swings, short temper, or feeling overwhelmed. Make sure to act accordingly.
- Do Something Spontaneous
- Read a feel-good Book
- Take A Mental Health Day
- Stop Negative Self-Talk
- Vent To Loved Ones
- Validate Your Feelings
- Don’t Read Or Watch Race-Related News
- Focus On Being Present Minded
- Binge-Watch Something You Love
- Spend Time Alone
For The Soul
You don’t have to be spiritual or religious to practice spiritual self-care. Spiritual self-care is about how you can care for your soulful and inner self. Here are a few self-care tips for black women to practice spiritual self-care.
- Pray
- Mediate: If you’re a beginner, then read this post!
- Spend Time With Nature
- Practice Yoga
- Clear Your Space: A clean space will make the air and aura around you feel more at ease.
- Use Crystal Manifestation
- Channel Your Inner Self
- Practice Silence
- Chant Positive Mantras
- Read Inspirational Books/Blogs
- Listen To A Motivational Podcast
- Read Sacred Text: If you’re religious, reading the Bible, Quran, or scrolls is a great way to satisfy your soulful needs.
- Listen To Spiritual Music
- Connect With The Local Community
- Practice Mindfulness
- Volunteer
- Attend A Confessional
- Learn To Relax
- Join A Religious Study Group
- Complete A Grounding Exercise
- Do Aromatherapy
- Listen To Your Gut
- Do Something Nice For Someone Less Fortunate
- Lower Your Expectations Of Others
- Do Something Intentional
- Be Empathetic
For The Brain
The human brain is one of the essential organs. It controls all the nerves, blood flow, and limbs. So, the brain needs constant stimulation to continue functioning. Here are a few ways black women can use self-care to stimulate the brain.
- Attend A Finance Class: Many black women in low-income communities struggle with saving finances or creating plans to improve their situations. Attending a finance class is a great way to build these skills.
- Watch A Historical Documentary
- Listen To A Self-Improvement Podcast
- Read An Educational Book
- Finish A Jigsaw
- Play Sudoku
- Teach Yourself Something New
- Dive Deeper Into Your Femininity
- Don’t Do Social Media Rants.
- Meet with A Financial Advisor
- Try Brain Dumping: If you ever have random thoughts, grab some paper and a pen and write down every idea you have.
- Use The Pomodoro Technique: It’s one of the best techniques for staying productive throughout the day.
- Make Time For Stillness
- Get Creative
- Read Something Thought-Provoking
- Plan Your Week
- Do Some Online Trivia
- Get Some Work Done
- Complete A Crossword Puzzle
- Take Fish Oil Supplements
- Take Frequent Work Breaks
- Minimize Screen Time
- Listen To Your Favorite Audiobook
- Get A Houseplant
How Black Women Can Incorporate Self-Care Into Their Daily Routine
I hope you enjoyed this list of self-care tips for black women. Most women of color understand the importance of putting themselves first and caring for their health. However, these same women might be in poverty and homelessness, making doing some of these things challenging.
Black women and women of all races can incorporate self-care into their daily routines in many ways. But, first, they can schedule it into their day. That way, it’s part of the daily routine, or create a plan for when they want to practice self-care.
If you love these self-care ideas, download your free printable checklist filled with 100+ self-care tips for black women, including sections not listed above, like social and financial self-care.
What do you think of these self-care ideas? Let me know in the comments.
Although I am not a black woman I found your ideas perfect for showing appreciation and love to ourselves! Really enjoyed reading this!
Hi Eri,
Thank you so much! Anyone could use these ideas, but some of them are tailored towards black women. I hope you’re doing well.
Although I myself am not a black woman, I think advocating self care is always great! i love that you took the initiative and write about self care in terms of mental health with the black community. In general, the stigma around mental health is still needing to be broken, especially for black women as you said. good on you for breaking that stigma!
Hi, the stigma on black mental health is high and really does need to be broken. Each conversation we have brings us one step closer to doing so.
There are some things on your list that I hadn’t considered, like getting a black doctor. I am a pretty even-tempered, laid back person, but in those rare moments when I might feel more expressive, I definitely edit myself to avoid the perception that I’m aggressive. It really bothers me that I have to hold back depending on who my audience is to ensure my message is heard and not any cultural bias. I feel even more pressure as a mom than I did as an individual. I am raising my daughter with the knowledge of what she might be facing, whereas in my life, the necessary discussions never happened.
Thank you for your post,
Cassie | letsgrowmom.com
Cassie,
Thank you for your honesty and sharing this with me. I feel like a lot of black people don’t think about these things until something happens or they are made to feel uncomfortable, which is unfortunate. I hope your daughter can learn to take better care of herself as she gets older.
Brilliant tips — Black women should absolutely take care of their health and well-being, and I love that you highlighted this during Black History Month and it’s health and wellness theme/focus. May I add a link to this on my latest blog post?
Yes, you can add this link! Thank you so much for reading this post.
Such a great read! Lots of suggestions that I never even thought of!
I’m glad. I hope some of these self-care tips help you or someone you know.
These are some wonderful tips and great for you to cater towards black women as well! Brilliant post xx
Thanks Gemma!
How would your list of self-care ideas for black women differ for black men?
For one, when it comes to physical health, I’ll definitely encourage black men to take care of their prostate health since it’s a cancer most likely to affect them. I’d also recommend for them to get out of the lockeroom mindset and learn to express themselves more. Some other differences would be in terms of needs and wants for men, like I’d encourage them to go fishing or plan a day where they go out with their boys.
I love this post because it gives a lot of choices to take care of yourself and they are not difficult to integrate into your daily life. You just have to make the decision to take care of your well-being and take action. No one will take care of us if we don’t do it ourselves.
I absolutely agree Corrine. No one else is going to watch out for us.
Beautiful message and approach with this list. We love #119, buy a house plant.
Thanks so much!
Wow! That’s pretty shocking that the mental health area was left out! Thank you for shining a light on this – and being that voice that black women can find when they google next time. And also thank you from me, because I found these steps incredibly supportive too. Thank you for being you and doing what you do x
Laura,
I’, so happy that you felt supported through this post. All I want to do is provide resources and information to people in need.
I love this post! I think so many of these self-care tips can be applied to ALL women (or men, even!) but I love that you made it specific for black women to work on breaking the stigma of mental health.
Thanks for reading Katie. You’re right a lot of these self-care tips apply to women overall and men, but I feel like we need to work towards destigmatizing black mental health.
Great tips, it’s definitely important to have a day off. Everyone needs it including black women. Thank you for sharing these tips!
Hi Fransic,
Thanks for reading. Black women especially need to take a day off.
This is such a great list of suggestions. Its so important to take care of yourself.
I agree Kelly!
These are great tips for everyone, no matter race or gender. I was surprised to read that there is a pretty significant stigma around mental health and self-care within the black community. I really hope that articles like yours continue to bring attention to that fact and things start to shift. The more conversations we have about it, the more we can learn and help each other.
Great list! I am not a black woman but as a woman I can totally relate. I find it interesting you how you divided the list into portions, allowing a reader to jump to the parts you need more
good post. I think these self care tips are good for any woman — or person — of any race 🙂
Hi Helen,
Thanks for reading. Some of these self-care tips can apply to all women and any age, but some of these are specific.
This is a really great list. Just reading it relieved some stressful anxieties. Self care is important and crucial for African Africans especially women. I am always going, doing, pushing rushing to get the things done, never stopping to enjoy life and the people around me. I sometimes forget to breathe.