Kink and BDSM are still heavily thought of with disdain. Misclassified as some sort of deviance, participating in the intimacy and lifestyles associated with BDSM may still feel rather isolating due to harmful myths. But it doesn’t have to be this way. For so many folx who identify as kinky or use BDSM dynamics as a part of their relationship structure, the positive impacts on mental wellness will come as no surprise. Let’s talk about them anyway.

You do not always need to be a Strong Black Woman, but you might feel like you do. It’s a shitty and unfair expectation that’s been put on us through societal pressure and an expectation that we bear the burden of discomfort, so others don’t have to. When that pressure manifests itself as anxiety, the feeling of being alone and utterly lost can become isolating.