In this article, we use the term People of the Global Majority (PoGM), which includes Black, Brown, Asian, Indigenous, Latine, biracial, and multiracial individuals, as well as other people groups who are often racialized as ‘ethnic minorities’. Across the globe, these communities represent nearly 80% of the world’s population.

Understanding the Chronic Stress of Everyday Discrimination

For many immigrants and People of the Global Majority in the U.S., racial microaggressions are a daily, exhausting reality. These subtle but pervasive acts of discrimination—whether in the workplace, social settings, the general public, or healthcare—contribute to harm, chronic stress, anxiety, and feelings of being othered.

When people try to share their experiences of racial microaggressions, they are often met with dismissive or gaslighting responses:

• “Why do you make everything about race?”
• “That's not what I meant.”
• “You're reading too much into it.”
• “Are you sure you’re not overreacting?”
• “Maybe you just misunderstood.”
• “It’s not that big of a deal—just ignore it.”
• “You should focus on fitting in.”

These responses minimize the deeply embedded white supremacy, xenophobia, and colonialism that immigrants and People of the Global Majority navigate daily. Over time, these experiences contribute to racial trauma, identity distress, and a profound sense of not belonging—which can have lasting mental and physical health consequences.

What Are Microaggressions?

Psychologist Derald Wing Sue defines microaggressions as subtle, everyday insults, slights, or actions—whether intentional or not—that convey hostility or bias toward marginalized groups. These interactions can invalidate identities, demean individuals, and reinforce exclusion or inferiority. They may be connected to race, gender, sexual orientation, disability, religion, or class.

For immigrants and People of the Global Majority, microaggressions are often tied to race, ethnicity, culture, language, and perceived foreignness. These experiences can make it feel impossible to truly belong, no matter how long someone has lived in the U.S.

Common Racial Microaggressions

1. Assumptions of Inferiority

• Being spoken to slowly or condescendingly because of an accent.
• Having qualifications or intelligence questioned based on race or immigrant status.
• “You’re so articulate.”—implying that it’s uncommon for someone of that person’s race to be intelligent or to speak in a certain way.

2. Perpetual Foreigner Stereotype

• “Where are you really from?”—even if you were born and raised in the U.S.
• “Your English is so good!”—implying surprise at language proficiency.

3. Pressure to Assimilate

• Being told “You should speak English better” or “You’re in America now.”
• Feeling pressured to abandon cultural traditions, food, or clothing to be accepted.
• “Are you forced to wear that hijab?”

4. Workplace Discrimination

• Being passed over for promotions despite qualifications.
• Experiencing tokenization—being the token woman of color but not being valued or respected.

5. Social Exclusion & Stereotyping

• Being left out of conversations or professional opportunities.
• People from certain groups not being included in decorations or images within marketing materials.
• Facing stereotypes about aggression, work ethic, or intelligence based on race.
• A store owner follows a Black person around the store—implying that they are more likely to steal.

The accumulation of these incidents over time has a significant impact on individuals, affecting mental health, self-esteem, and overall well-being.

How Racial Microaggressions Impact Mental and Physical Health

1. Chronic Stress and Anxiety

Microaggressions lead to racial battle fatigue, a term coined by Dr. William A. Smith to describe a systemic, race-related repetitive stress injury. This is the constant mental and emotional exhaustion caused by racism and discrimination. Experiencing microaggressions repeatedly can lead to:

• Hypervigilance – Always anticipating discrimination or bias.
• Social withdrawal – Avoiding workplaces, schools, or social settings.
• Generalized anxiety – Feeling constantly on edge or second-guessing yourself.

2. Depression and Identity Distress

Repeatedly receiving messages that you don’t belong, can lead to low self-worth and racial identity struggles. Studies show that chronic exposure to racial discrimination is a strong predictor of depression.

3. Physical Health Consequences

The stress of racial microaggressions activates the body's fight-or-flight response, flooding the system with cortisol and adrenaline. Over time, this can lead to:

• Increased risk of hypertension and cardiovascular disease
• Weakened immune system function
• Higher rates of chronic pain and fatigue

Racism is a public health issue—not just a social one.

How White-Centric Mental Health Care Fails Immigrants and People of the Global Majority

Despite the well-documented mental health impact of racism, the U.S. mental health system remains largely white-centric and invalidating. Many Western therapy models:

• Minimize the effects of racial discrimination.
• Pathologize cultural differences instead of respecting them.
• Ignore systemic racism as a root cause of distress or pathologize trauma responses to discrimination.

Barriers to Effective Mental Health Care

1. Further Harm by Therapists

• Lack of training in how to truly support and affirm PoGM and immigrants.
• Using therapy models that do not recognize the harm caused by racism and discrimination.
• Pathologizing trauma responses or labeling patients as resistant or non-compliant.
• Minimizing the impact of intergenerational and historical trauma due to white supremacy and colonialism.
• Microaggressions towards patients within sessions.

2. Language and Communication Barriers

• It’s more difficult to fully express your emotions and experiences in a second language.
• There is a shortage of bilingual therapists in many areas, especially rural parts of the U.S.

3. Fear of Being Dismissed

• Individuals may avoid therapy after past experiences of gaslighting (“Are you sure it wasn’t just a misunderstanding?”).
• Therapists focusing on individual solutions rather than addressing systemic oppression.

4. Financial and Accessibility Barriers

• Lack of insurance coverage for mental health care.
• Limited affordable mental health care.
• Anti-immigrant policies create a fear of deportation that prevents individuals from seeking care.

Healing from the Stress of Racial Microaggressions

1. Seek a Therapist Who Understands Racial Trauma

• Look for therapists who honor your identity and lived experiences.
• When you meet with a potential therapist for a consultation, you can ask them:
• How do you view different systems of oppression's impact on mental health?
• How do you approach trauma related to racism, xenophobia, etc.?
• How are you working to dismantle white supremacy and colonialism within your practice and community?

2. Build Community Support

• Join cultural or community groups in your area.
• Find online spaces that validate and affirm your lived experience.

3. Practice Mind-Body Healing

• Chronic stress from microaggressions can be stored in the body. Explore practices like:
• Breathwork and meditation
• Somatic therapy and trauma-informed yoga
• Ancestral and cultural healing practices from within your community

4. Advocate for Systemic Change

• Push for anti-racist education in mental health training programs.
• Support language-accessible mental health services.
• Raise awareness of how racial trauma affects mental health.

Your Experience Is Real, and You Deserve Affirming Support

When you experience racial microaggressions and discrimination, you are not too sensitive and you shouldn’t have to just get over it. You deserve care that honors your lived experiences and identity. You also deserve to work with a practitioner who not only recognizes the impact of racism and other forms of oppression but pushes back against them. Dr. David Zacharias has worked with people from all walks of life for over 20 years in healthcare. He provides patient-centered care and understands the far-reaching impact of discrimination and chronic stress. If you’re seeking compassionate and holistic treatment, please reach out for a free consultation.

Written by Existential Psychiatry Staff

Sources

• Immigration Law Practitioners' Association. “People of the Global Majority.” Accessed March 11, 2025.
• Sue, Derald Wing. “Microaggression: More than Just Race.” 2010. Accessed March 11, 2025.
• The University of Utah. “William A. Smith.” 2024. Accessed March 11, 2025.
• Williams, D.R. “Stress and the Mental Health of Populations of Color: Advancing Our Understanding of Race-related Stressors.” Journal of Health and Social Behavior, December 2018. Accessed March 11, 2025.