Therapy is often described as a personal journey. But for many people, especially those who are BIPOC and LGBTQ+, it can also be a form of resistance. Choosing to care for yourself, to rest, to feel, or to heal in a world that often asks you to push through, stay quiet, or disappear is not just personal. It can be political.
Many of the systems we move through every day were not designed with everyone in mind. Health care, education, housing, and employment systems often carry the weight of history and the resounding oppression. This can show up in the form of underdiagnosis, over-policing, bias, invisibility, and burnout. These systems can make it hard to feel safe. They can also make it hard to trust your own body, your emotions, or your needs. In addition, the constant gaslighting can cause many to question their intuition and valid responses to harm.
Therapy that recognizes this context is not about fixing you. It is about making space for what has always been true and worthy in you. That includes grief, joy, numbness, rage, and everything in between.
A Note About Who I Am
I am a white, cisgender, straight woman. I do not share all of the lived experiences of the people I work with. My work is not about speaking for anyone. It is about listening closely and offering care that centers your truth, not mine. I believe in creating space where people can be as they are. Where your identity is not something to work around, but something that is understood and respected.
What Caring for Yourself Can Look Like
Caring for yourself does not have to be expensive or elaborate. It does not need to be perfect. It can be as simple as pausing to notice your breath, naming what you are feeling, or choosing to rest instead of pushing through.
Here are a few gentle practices that may support your healing:
1. Grounding in the Present
When you feel activated, try to bring your attention to something physical. Place your feet flat on the floor. Press your palms together. Look around and name five things you can see. Notice what you hear. These small moments can help your nervous system feel more settled.
2. Name What You Are Carrying
Sometimes it helps to write down or say what is weighing on you. Not to fix it, but just to name it. You can try a sentence like, “Right now I feel…” or “A part of me is holding…” Writing and speaking without judgment can help you reconnect with yourself.
3. Rest Without Earning It
You do not need to be exhausted to deserve rest. You can lie down. You can take a walk. You can turn off your phone. These are simple acts, but they are not always easy. They go against what many have been taught. That is what makes them powerful.
4. Connect to Your Body with Curiosity
Instead of asking, “What’s wrong with me,” try asking, “What does my body need right now?” This shift in language can open a door. You might notice a need to stretch, to cry, to move, or to be still.
5. Honor History and Current Oppression Without Letting It Define You
Your experiences matter. So do your ancestors. So does your future. Healing can include all of it. You are allowed to hold grief and joy at the same time. You are allowed to let go of ways of coping that no longer serve you, even if they once kept you safe.
You Are Not Alone
You are not the only one carrying these feelings. Many people are holding stories that never had space to be told. Many are learning how to care for themselves in new ways, even when it feels unfamiliar or hard.
If you are reading this and trying to make sense of what healing looks like for you, I hope you find something here that helps.
Resources
These are some free and accessible resources that may support your journey. They are not a replacement for therapy or communal/healing spaces, but they can be a helpful starting point.
Grounding and Nervous System Support
- A Meditation for Grounding
- How to do Grounding Exercises for Anxiety and Overwhelm
- Deb Dana: What is a glimmer?
- Transgender Yoga Teacher Shares Grounding Practices for Anxiety & Gender Dysphoria
- Grounding Meditation for Black Women
Somatic and Body-Based Tools
Mental Health and Identity
- Asian Mental Health Collective
- Therapy for LatinX
- Healing in Action: Journal Prompts for BIPOC and LGBTQ+ folks
- The love foundation
- BIPOC mental heath resources
- Health resources for the LGBTQ community
Rest as Resistance
