Understanding and coping with racial anxiety
The U.S is in a period of unrest and unease. 67% of Americans are dissatisfied with the way things are going in the country (1), and personal safety fears are at a three-decade high (2).
Amid increasing political division, discrimination is prevalent, with most Americans saying there is at least some discrimination against Black, Hispanic, and Asian people, while fewer than half say White people experience the same (3).
This discrimination is widespread, experienced in clinical settings, employment, and police interactions (4). And it’s giving rise to increasing racial anxiety – something that is greatly felt by many people but perhaps little understood.
We spoke to Dr. Anica Camela Mulzac, a Clinical Psychologist and Executive Clinical Director and Provost here at Resilience Lab.
Understanding racial anxiety
Racial anxiety is a growing but often misunderstood issue affecting individuals across many communities. To understand its impact, we first need to explore what it is.
What is racial anxiety?
Racial anxiety refers to anxiety symptoms or clinically significant anxiety disorders that are associated with, or exacerbated by, experiences of racial discrimination, racial microaggressions, or race-related stress. Though it is not a distinct diagnostic category, it describes the psychological distress and heightened anxiety that can arise in response to both overt and subtle forms of racism, including individual, cultural, and institutional discrimination.
What is racial stress, and how is it different from racial anxiety?
Racial stress is a psychological response to negative racial experiences. It’s a broader term than racial anxiety and has been linked to various forms of psychological conditions, such as major depressive disorder and substance use disorder. Racial anxiety specifically highlights the anxiety symptoms that stem from racial discrimination.
Is racial anxiety a recognized mental health issue?
It is not a diagnostic condition, but it is recognized in clinical literature as a real phenomenon that has a real impact on the health and well-being of racially minoritized groups.
What can racial anxiety feel like emotionally, physically, or socially?
The experience of racial anxiety may look very similar to a typical experience of anxiety. The difference lies in the trigger for the anxiety (i.e., racism, racial discrimination) rather than in the experience of the anxiety itself.
For example, the symptoms of racial anxiety may include:
- Always feeling on guard against future incidents
- Worrying that bad things are going to happen to you because of your race
- Feeling unable to relax when with people of a different race
- Your heart beating faster when someone of a different race walks towards you
- Avoiding social situations or certain places for fear of what other people might say or do to you
How might racial anxiety manifest differently across various racial or ethnic groups?
Since the experience of racial anxiety is triggered by experiences of racial discrimination and racial microaggressions, the varying prevalence across racial/ethnic groups will depend on the degree to which those groups experience racial discrimination and/or racial microaggressions. Thus, racial groups facing higher incidents of discrimination are more likely to experience more racial anxiety.
75% of Black adults say they have experienced racial discrimination (5), compared to 59% of Asian adults (6). In addition, 31% of Hispanics say that they have experienced discrimination by someone of another race (7). Based on these insights, Black individuals are most likely to experience racial anxiety.
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Causes and triggers of racial anxiety
Racial anxiety doesn’t emerge in a vacuum. It’s often a response to recurring experiences and systemic realities that many people navigate daily.
What can cause racial anxiety in someone’s life?
The main causes of racial anxiety are racial discrimination and racial microaggressions. Examples of these include:
- Being denied a job or promotion despite qualifications, due to race.
- Racial profiling by police (e.g., being stopped or searched without cause).
- Discriminatory housing practices, like redlining or landlords rejecting applicants based on race.
- Harsher school discipline for students of color compared to their white peers.
- Medical bias, such as not taking pain complaints seriously from patients of certain racial backgrounds.
- Unequal sentencing in court for similar crimes based on race.
- Use of racial slurs or hate speech
- People laughing off racist jokes
- Someone asking, "Where are you really from?”
- Making stereotypical assumptions based on race, such as “As an Asian, you must be good at math”
- Assuming someone doesn’t speak English well based on their appearance
- Touching a Black person’s hair without consent
- Someone clutching their bag or crossing the road when a person of color approaches
How does systemic racism, and historical or intergenerational trauma contribute to racial anxiety?
Estimates suggest that 30% of People of Color may suffer from some degree of racial trauma, with many seeking help from a mental health provider. Racial stress and trauma are often compounded by community trauma, historical trauma, and cultural trauma.
The relentless exposure (direct and indirect) to racism can certainly contribute to increased hypervigilance and racial anxiety among racially marginalized groups.
Is there a link between unconscious bias and racial anxiety?
Since unconscious bias typically refers to the biases toward others that are happening underneath one's awareness, and racial anxiety is a response to being on the receiving end of bias, I would guess there isn't a notable link, as one would typically think of a linkage.
However, actions or comments made by an individual due to unconscious biases they hold could contribute to or exacerbate racial anxiety.
Can someone experience racial anxiety even if they haven’t encountered direct racism?
Even if someone is not the direct target of racial discrimination or acts of racism, they are still subject to experiencing anxious symptoms upon witnessing or learning of such acts against people with whom they identify. Think of the experience of many who learned of lynchings in 1960s America. Even if one was not the direct target, the knowledge that another Black person was wrongfully killed was enough to incite terror and anxiety.
How do social settings, like schools or workplaces, play a role in triggering racial stress?
Settings where racial discrimination and microaggressions run rampant and unchecked are likely to be breeding grounds for racial stress.
The impact of racial anxiety and stress
Like any form of chronic stress, racial anxiety can take a serious toll over time. But its effects go beyond the individual, influencing broader health and social outcomes.
How does racial anxiety affect mental health in the long term?
Racial discrimination is linked to both physical and psychological conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, anxiety, and sleep disorders. Prolonged experiences of racial anxiety and racial stress are likely to have deleterious effects on the health of racially marginalized people, and even their offspring, due to the changes in genetic and behavioral disposition due to the trauma.
Anxiety and depressive disorders have many overlapping symptoms, and thus, it is likely that folks may develop both depression and anxiety in response to persistent racial discrimination.
Can racial anxiety cause physical symptoms, such as headaches, fatigue, or sleep disturbances?
Yes, anxiety can result in physiological symptoms, and this is true for those experiencing racial anxiety.
What aspects of an individual’s life can be affected by racial anxiety?
All aspects of a person's life can be affected, as the core feature of racial anxiety is the experience of bias/discrimination against someone due to their racial grouping. These effects are far-reaching and have an impact beyond the immediate place/time of their occurrence.
What are the wider societal implications of racial anxiety?
The negative impact on the mental and physical health of large groups of people due to racial anxiety will certainly undermine the growth and health of that society at large.
Support for navigating racial anxiety
While the causes of racial anxiety are complex, there are meaningful ways to find support and relief. Understanding your options is pivotal to finding a sense of peace.
What steps can someone take toward overcoming racial anxiety?
Buffers against racial discrimination and microaggressions include taking pride and connecting with one’s ethnic/racial identity, increasing connectedness with others, and of course, taking key steps to help with managing the symptomology (i.e., self-care practices, therapy, journaling, acts of service, and connecting with something bigger than oneself).
How can therapy support people dealing with racial anxiety?
Therapy can provide a safe place where one can process the impact of their racialized experiences, identify areas of agency and power to allow for better advocacy, care, and protection, and develop effective coping strategies to manage the cognitive, social, and physical symptoms of racial anxiety.
If you are dealing with racial anxiety, you don’t have to do it alone. A therapist can help you come to terms with what you've been through, understand your anxiety symptoms, and find the tools you need to protect your long-term mental well-being. At Resilience Lab, we have a large and diverse collective of therapists, so that you can find a match that resonates with who you are and your lived experiences. Take the first steps and find care now.
References
- Satisfaction With the United States | Gallup Historical Trends (2025)
- Personal Safety Fears at Three-Decade High in U.S. (November 2023)
- 1. Views of how much discrimination racial and ethnic groups in the U.S. face (May 2025)
- Discrimination in the United States: Experiences of black Americans - PMC (October 2019)
- 1. Racial discrimination shapes how Black Americans view their progress and U.S. institutions (June 2024)
- Discrimination Experiences Shape Most Asian Americans’ Lives (November 2023)
- 1. Half of U.S Latinos experienced some form of discrimination during the first year of the pandemic (November 2021)
- An Evidence-Based Approach for Treating Stress and Trauma due to Racism - PMC (November 2024)