
Sis, we need to talk.
That daily routine of changing your voice, tweaking your hair, or debating whether that outfit or designer bag are โtoo muchโ for the office? Itโs not just exhaustingโitโs hazardous to your health. The energy it takes to constantly alter yourself to fit in isnโt just mentally draining, itโs physically aging us at a rate we can no longer ignore.
Research published in the American Journal of Public Health lays bare the harsh reality: navigating racial discrimination accelerates biological aging in Black women. The study found that Black women who reported higher levels of racial discrimination had telomeresโprotective caps on our DNA that indicate cellular agingโequivalent to someone 7.5 years older. Think about that. Facing discrimination doesnโt just leave us drained at the end of the dayโitโs literally shaving years off our lives.
This isnโt just about stress in the abstract. Itโs about what chronic stress does to the body when we engage in behaviors like code-switching to navigate predominantly white workplaces. The effort to make ourselves palatable in these spaces is more than a social burden. It activates the bodyโs stress response over and over, a process that takes a daily toll on our health. This repeated activation of the fight-or-flight response leads to chronic inflammation, increased blood pressure, and a compromised immune system. Itโs no wonder studies have shown elevated cortisol levels, disrupted sleep patterns, and higher rates of anxiety and depression among Black women.
The numbers donโt lie. According to a report by Catalyst, 67 percent of Black women feel they have to repeatedly prove their competence at work, compared to just 10 percent of white women. This relentless need to validate oneโs abilities isnโt just mentally exhausting โ it has serious physical repercussions. The pressure to excel while navigating biases places an extraordinary amount of stress on Black women, leading to emotional exhaustion and burnout. Over time, the chronic stress tied to this workplace dynamic has been linked to severe health outcomes, including hypertensionโa condition that already disproportionately affects Black women. This cycle of proving, enduring, and surviving isnโt just unsustainableโitโs deadly.
The truth is, Black women shouldnโt have to trade their authenticity for their healthโor their livelihood. We shouldnโt have to strategize how to navigate white-dominated spaces without losing ourselves in the process.
Yet, for so many of us, this is the reality of corporate life.
Iโll never forget the weight of being the only Black person on my team at a company that shall remain nameless (though, if you look me up on LinkedIn, you should be able to guess). The memory of constantly questioning if I was being โtoo muchโ or not enough is something Iโll never forget and hope to never again experience. From over-preparing for every meeting to policing the tone of my emails, I lived in a constant state of hyper-awareness, especially as those who were my subordinates (who had also applied for my role, and didnโt get it I might add) constantly questioned my work and would go above me at each and every turn.
It was exhausting, and yet it felt necessary to prove I belonged in that space. Thankfully, those experiences have been few and far between in my career, and I now find myself blessed to work in environments that donโt just tolerate but celebrate the beauty and diversity of โus.โ Here at ESSENCE, being unapologetically Black isnโt just acceptedโitโs the standard. But for so many Black women, navigating spaces where authenticity is a liability, not an asset, remains a daily struggle.
There are steps we can take to protect ourselves in the short term. Prioritizing therapy that focuses on workplace trauma, practicing stress management techniques, and setting boundaries around how we engage in workplace communication can help. Seeking community with other Black women who understand these experiences can also be a lifeline. However, self-care alone wonโt fix whatโs broken.
The real solution lies in addressing the systemic issues that force us into survival mode in the first place. Workplaces need to stop asking Black women to carry the burden of โfitting inโ and instead foster environments where we can thrive as our full selves. Research from McKinsey and LeanIn.org shows that companies with genuine diversity and inclusion efforts see significant benefits, including higher productivity, lower turnover rates, and better employee health outcomes. These numbers arenโt just corporate jargonโtheyโre proof that when workplaces are inclusive, everyone wins.







This isnโt just about surviving corporate America; itโs about reclaiming our time and our health. Code-switching is a survival mechanism, yes, but it shouldnโt be a requirement for our successโor our safety. As we demand change from the systems around us, we also need to prioritize protecting ourselves. Because the truth is, our authenticity isnโt just a rightโitโs a necessity.
The next time you feel the pressure to tone down who you are for the sake of fitting in, ask yourself: is it worth the cost?