Self-care: Be gentle with yourself Black women have coped with much but must take steps to safeguard mental health Keiara Carr Last year, I went to therapy for the first time. I found myself living through a global pandemic that disproportionately impacts African Americans while also trying to engage in conversations surrounding racism experienced in our workplaces and neighborhoods and across the country. It was draining, to be honest. My counselor suggested something radical at the time. She suggested that I try being gentle with myself. “You don't always need to carry a burden that is much larger than you,” she said.