Aromatic wood palo santo stick for meditation with various stones, minerals and candles in a plate. spiritual training.
In recent years, Black Gen Zers have experienced many traumatic and life-altering events in their adulthood. From the global pandemic to the social injustices that have forcibly changed much of our reality, we needed a cleansing and a new outlook to move beyond emotionally damaging times.
For many of us, this is where spirituality comes into play. LaCresha “Cree” Cunningham, LCSW, said she has recognized the need for clients to connect mental health and spirituality to improve their well-being.
“What we’re seeing with a lot of Gen Z is that people are starting to have a spiritual and energetic awakening,” Cunningham told GU. “Also, their parents and leaders started to raise us a little differently because we started to step outside of the normal box of what we’ve been taught to think and feel. So is the amount of indoctrination that Z’ers have received. Z’ers are more free-thinking. They push the boundaries of what we were originally taught.”
According to a study conducted by the American Research Center, Gen Z is the least religious generation ever. More than a third of Gen Z’s (34%) are religiously unaffiliated, a significantly higher percentage than Millennials (29%) and Gen X’s (25%).
As social media amplifies Gen Z voices, many are opening up and having honest conversations with others online. Eric Johnson grew up in a traditional religious household where his family owned a church and his grandmother was a pastor. Naturally, having grown up in such an environment, his family’s religious values led him to want to continue studying religion more deeply in college.
“I grew up thinking about religion and spirituality, how it affects society and my behavior, and how religion and spirituality affect society and my behavior. “I was able to get my own understanding of whether they use the tools the same way I do or it looks different to them,” Johnson said.
Many people did not have the language to express their mental health problems. In today’s society, this new era allows us to label specific traits and work towards healing and improvement. From using herbs to learning about the chakra system, this generation is practicing a variety of alternative methods to maintain their mental health.
Cunningham teaches students at Clark Atlanta University and his primary mission is to share developments in spiritual practice with the next generation. “For me at an HBCU, it’s very important to be a part of the mindset shift so that we can change the lives of students of color, because we haven’t always had an easy life. ” Cunningham said. “Still, there are different stressors and different expectations, so teaching them those things will help them be OK, especially post-COVID.”
Taylor Daniels, 23, recalled clinging to spirituality from the age of 18 to 19 as she found her mental health at an all-time low. “Before I embarked on my own spiritual journey, I didn’t know myself. I didn’t know myself through God, and I found myself in a very uncomfortable space,” Daniels said. told GU. “I learned to face myself, face my thoughts, and understand how they guide my life.”
By listening to her intuition and understanding how her thoughts were eating away at her mind, she began studying hoodoo and following the practices of her ancestors. Through her soul-searching journey, she has discovered methods of healing and meditation to help herself grow and help others.
Overall, through this new era of spirituality, many Gen Zers are questioning the institutions they were founded on and reconsidering the principles that were originally laid out. Now they realize that there is more ancestral history behind certain practices, and we’ve had a lot of misconceptions about rootwork throughout Black history.
About Kenyatta: Clark Atlanta University and Medill School Alumni kenyatta victoria I’m a writer for Girls United, covering everything from news, pop culture, lifestyle, and investigative articles. When I’m not reporting, I can be found digging deep into curated playlists or watching my favorite comfort shows.
