Self-Care in the African American Community

Presenters: Bianca Johnson and Dr. Denita Hudson Easton (1993) states that self-care is a well-developed concept introduced by Virginia Henderson around 1955. This concept is defined as activities that individuals initiate to maintain life and a sense of emotional well-being. Some positive examples of self-care can be journaling, meditating, and routine physical activities such as jogging or hiking, and participating in regular counseling sessions. Unfortunately, in the African American community, there are negative stigmas associated with mental health care ranging from counseling, medication, and even self-care. Corrigan (2004) reasons that negative outlook is due to not wanting to be labeled with a mental health disorder or to be viewed differently by society. Individuals with common mental health concerns such as anxiety and stress, are less likely to seek mental health assistance and tend to self-cope with alcohol, recreational drug use, and promiscuous behavior. Stressors about the African American community can be due to dramatically disproportionate rates of disease, unemployment, poverty, and premature death. African American self-care is rooted in the idea of survival; using a hard work ethic to overcome traumatic situations (Becker, Gates, and Newsom, 2004). Participants will examine the importance of self-care, African American culture specifics of self-care routines, and the need for mental health awareness agencies in minority communities and the generational impact of continued the lack of focus on wellness.