
Research has shown that individuals with the highest rates of depression in Canada are Black women at work.
Give that a minute to sink in.
Now let’s unpack some of the issues that contribute to this situation for Black women in Canada.
WORK
The workplace has always been an issue for Black women. Overworked and underpaid. Being bullied and having their ideas stolen. Women are often seen as the office “help” and end up planning retirement parties, collecting money for the baby shower gift and planning the office party. When was the last time you saw these things handled by a man at work? And the brunt of it tends to fall to the Black woman on the team. Black women find that they have to prove themselves more than their other counterparts, and their education and validity are constantly being questioned even though they are usually the most highly educated persons in the workplace.
Constantly having your value and knowledge being second-guessed. Constantly having to prove yourself when others don’t. This constant gas-lighting that Black women have to expose themselves to every day is mentally harmful.
FAMILY
Despite it being a 21st century world, the work load at home is still not equal. In many families, women are expected to work and take care of the family, creating a 2nd shift after work. Between cleaning the home, preparing meals, doing laundry, seeing about the children and knowing who needs new shoes, this is exhausting work for women. But if you are a Black woman, then there is the ongoing stress of personal and systemic racism that your loved ones face, creating unrelenting hypervigilance, and pushing your children to ensure that they become twice as good only to get half as far as their white peers. If you are having a baby, you worry about surviving the birth process due to racism in maternity care that often leads to fatalities.
If you don’t have children, but you have a partner, you worry about their safety - just driving home. If you have elderly parents, the burden of elderly care tends to fall on your shoulders due to the lack of culturally responsive care for Black seniors in long-term care facilities.
PEOPLE PLEASING
Many Black women tend to be people pleasers. They avoid confrontation and wind up saying yes to tasks, events, people and processes that they would rather not engage with, creating unyielding stress, and tension that leads to depression. It truly isn’t their fault. As a result of hundreds of years of brutal treatment in the Western world, people of the African diaspora learned to listen to and obey their white aggressors, or the results could literally be fatal. As such, our parents taught us to listen and obey without asking questions or offering confrontation of any kind. And that has been passed down from one generation to the next without understanding the reasons. Just listen and obey without question. It has resulted in many of us - particularly Black women - who cannot find their voices. So much so, that society now recoils when Black women stand up for themselves, calling them masculine and angry. This causes Black women to stay in toxic jobs, relationships and situations that cause their depression.
EXHAUSTION
If you are a Black woman reading this, ask yourself “when was the last time I got a good night’s rest and woke up feeling refreshed?” For many of you - it’s been a long time. Let’s be real, for multiple decades, Black women have been the work horse of North America. If it was laborious or intense, a Black woman would be given the task. So much so that it drove the myth about Black women not feeling pain as readily as others. When the immigration gates were open to Black women in North America, they were given jobs as caregivers and caretakers, doing the “heavy lifting” while their white counterparts were seen as not being strong enough to do that kind of work.
This has followed Black women throughout the years, as we keep working even though we are exhausted. We don’t ask for help or take time off, lest it put us in less advantageous positions. We wake up early, stay up late and pretend we are not sick.
We are exhausted, stressed and depressed.
WHAT CAN WE DO?
If you find that these points speak to you, or they represent someone you love, the first thing for us to do is acknowledge reality. The deep overwhelming sadness that you are feeling is real. But if we don’t acknowledge it, we cannot face it and deal with it. You are not failing. You are overwhelmed, trying to do it all in a society that was not built to support you. But it does not have to be this way.
As a Black woman, the short answer to all of this is community. Of course there are more nuances (keep reading), but being around other Black women, talking about the same things, will help you realize that you are not alone. It will counter the negative self-talk that you are somehow not good enough or that you are failing as a wife, mother, employee (fill in the blank).
Connect.
Healing is found in community. Talk to someone who will not judge you - a close friend, family member, doctor or therapist. But pay attention to your nervous system as you are having the conversation. If you are not feeling emotionally safe, if you are not feeling validated and if you are being blamed or made to feel small, this is not the right person to connect with.
Boundaries
Set some boundaries in your life. This may be difficult if you are not used to doing so, and people may get annoyed at you, but sometimes you have to guard your peace even if others don’t understand.
Ask for Help
You don’t have to do it all by yourself. No matter what society tells you. Delegate. Ask for Help. Get some support. You will not get a reward at the end of this life for being a superhero.
Medication
If your depression is deep seated and talking with your therapist is not helpful, your doctor might prescribe medication. Consider how it might help you.
Cry
It’s ok sis - release those tears. It’s actually good for you. But if you find yourself crying every day or night, you might revisit the previous points.
Engage in Life
Connect with your friends. Eat good meals. Have belly laughs. Engage in play. All these things will soothe your inner child and help to release the stress and tension that you have been carrying.
Well - if you have gotten this far, it means that you are invested in your wellness. So go ahead and connect with someone so you can take a load off.
You deserve it.
About the Author:

Roxanne Francis is an award-winning psychotherapist, registered social worker, consultant, leadership coach and international speaker, who has been helping people access tools to change their lives for over 15 years.
She is the Founder and CEO of Francis Psychotherapy & Consulting Services, where she is the Principal Therapist in her group practice, coaches and supervises other social workers, and provides consultation to various organizations addressing topics such as mental health in the workplace, diversity equity & inclusion, mental health in the Black community, racial trauma at work, burnout, and women’s issues.
She is also the founder of The Therapist’s Lounge™ - a Canadian conference which helps mental health therapists in private practice meet their need for community, wellness and business support so they can better meet the needs of their clients and have thriving practices.
Roxanne is an adjunct professor at the School of Social Work at the University of Toronto, and in 2020 she was recognized as one of Canada’s 100 Black Women to Watch. She is a sought-after podcast guest who shares her mental health expertise in print/online publications like Essence Magazine and Today’s Parent Magazine, as well as multiple local and national media outlets including CTV CBC News and Breakfast Television.
You can follow Roxanne on social media and on her website at www.francispsychotherapy.com.
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