It is soul searching work to recognize and confront racism in your workplace, community or country. Active allies are those who are not BIPOC (Black, Indigenous or Person of Color) but are committed to confronting racism and addressing white privilege to challenge issues and evoke change. For both active allies and BIPOC, working to undo dysfunctional systems requires getting comfortable with being uncomfortable. It demands patience and persistence, learning to address mistakes and move forward. Humility, active listening skills, empathy, and patience are important qualities to nurture as you navigate your way through disrupting the status quo. Moving towards hope and healing requires staying curious, open and engaged in dialogue.
Understanding trauma
During times of social change, there is the potential for people to be exposed to events that register in a person’s brain and body as trauma. To better understand this, let’s start with a basic definition of trauma. Simply stated: Fear + Immobilization = Trauma. If a person thinks “I’m afraid I will be a victim of police violence because of my race” (fear) and feels helpless to do anything about it (immobilization) then simply moving about the community as a BIPOC could be traumatizing to that individual.
Compound trauma
When this fear plus immobilization plays out over and over in multiple areas of life, the traumas compound on top of one another, and the negative effects can begin to accumulate.
Our current climate is full of repetitive, prolonged, and cumulative stressors creating compound trauma, especially for BIPOC. The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately impacted BIPOC, causing higher infection and death rates among African Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans. Nationwide protests against police brutality, police racism and lack of police accountability have at times erupted into conflict and unrest. The political climate is tense with Americans deeply divided on how to move forward. Workplace and economic inequities for BIPOC are pervasive.
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Furthermore, many BIPOC are faced with microaggressions on a daily basis. A microaggression is a statement, action or incident regarded as an instance of indirect, subtle, or unintentional discrimination against members of a marginalized group. Those who commit microaggressions often intend no harm and need to be educated about the impact of their behavior. The impact of comments and behaviors towards BIPOC have a cumulative and lasting effect. Some examples include:
- Color blindness: “I don’t see color.” When you say this, you are denying the BIPOC’s racial experiences and not really seeing that person.
- Denial of individual racism: “I am not racist. I have Black friends.” This sends a message that you are immune to racism simply because you have one or more friends of color.
- Alien in own land: “Your English is very good.” This can send the message that you are not American or you are a foreigner.
Unresolved issues from past traumas such as physical, sexual, emotional or verbal abuse, divorce, loss of loved ones, accidents, crime and other threats to one’s safety or wellbeing often are triggered when faced with new threats. With the rapid rate of change and high volume of triggers, many haven’t had time to adequately grieve personal losses in this demanding and disrupted environment.
Recognizing dysregulation
When people experience chronic, prolonged stress or trauma, they are at risk of becoming dysregulated. This can show up in many different ways.
- Behavioral warning signs: Hypervigilance, avoidance, withdrawal, comfort eating, substance use, arguing with others, becoming obsessed with the news
- Physical warning signs: Sleep disturbance, fatigue, headaches, upset stomach
- Emotional warning signs: Mood swings, anxiety, fear, anger, sadness, overwhelmed, numbness, helpless
- Cognitive warning signs: Difficulty concentrating, distracted, confusion, forgetfulness, intrusive thoughts
Resources to help
Employee assistance programs, community mental health agencies and private mental health counselors can provide support to those who are struggling. Consider whether group or individual support might be most helpful for you. Seek out a therapist with whom you can build a trusting relationship. Many therapeutic interventions can help facilitate healing from trauma and periods of chronic stress, grief and loss. Don’t hesitate to reach out. Hope and healing is possible.
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Write down your plan for restoring hope and healing through times of social change. Revisit your plan periodically and update it as needed to reflect what you are learning as you go.
- How do you know when you need to take a break?
- Who can you reach out to when you need support?
- What three things can you do when you are feeling stressed?
- What barriers to self-care have you encountered and how can you tackle them?
Physical wellbeing is an important foundation to mental and emotional well-being and it can be easy to slip up under increased stress. Take each moment of each day as a new opportunity to practice healthy habits.
