Race-Based Traumatic Stress Is A Real Response To Racism
HERE’S WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE AND HOW TO LIMIT YOUR RESPONSE TO IT
By Dr. Mariel Buquè
@dr.marielbuque
Jurien Huggins / Unsplash
Race-Based Traumatic Stress is a real response to the disease known as racism. Disease creates dis-ease in us and produces a number of stress responses. Race-based traumatic stress looks like:
Unending intrusive thoughts about racial justice
Hypervigilance and an increased feeling of being threatened
Lack of sleep and appetite because you’re literally “sick to your stomach”
Having an out-of-body experience (aka dissociation)
Low self-esteem because of how poorly you’re treated
Righteous anger about the inequities that plague Black people’s lives
Black wellness means that we find avenues toward healing while we seek to dismantle the systems that created un-wellness in us in the first place. Remember that we need to heal as we rise! There are a few ways for you to limit the racial trauma response you’re feeling.
Limiting the racial trauma response
REMIND YOURSELF IT’S NOT YOU
The first way to limit your response to racial trauma is to remind yourself that the disease is in racism, not in you! This is worth saying again: it’s racism, not you.
TRY A MENTAL HEALTH CHECK IN
Do a daily mental health check in by asking yourself:
How am I feeling?
Where is my rage most felt?
What do I need right now?
What can I deposit to the movement today?
SET LIMITS FOR YOURSELF
Another way to lessen the racial trauma response is to limit your exposure to triggering images and sounds. Recognize your limits, and take in only what you can.
PRACTICE SOME GROUNDING
Engage in grounding ancestral meditative practices to help you feel planted and rooted again. Try one of these sound bath meditations.
BUILD A STRONG SUPPORT SYSTEM
Surround yourself with people that help you feel safe, validated, and are open to talking about your experiences. That includes therapists too!
TAKE CARE OF THE BASICS
Remember the basics of simply nourishing every part of your body. Hydrate, eat full meals, take long showers, drink soothing teas, or try aromatherapy.