During times of racial stress and trauma, self-care can help you heal and offer some relief. Self-care is self-defined and includes these areas: enjoyable activities, healthy lifestyles, supportive communities, personal relationships, mental stimulation and creative expression. Here are some ways that you can engage in self-care right now:
- Check-in with yourself daily
- Set your own boundaries
- Give yourself time to process how you’re feeling
- Reach out to the people who make you feel loved
- Consider scheduling an appointment with a mental health provider and know that you have the ability to request a counselor who shares your identity
- Connect with your African Diaspora community
- Nourish your body by eating food that makes you feel good and stay hydrated
- Get enough sleep to feel rested and take a power nap if you need it
- Connect with your spirituality through faith, meditation or simply by being in nature
- Consider mindfulness or yoga for healing racial trauma
- Do something physical whether it’s dancing, walking, stretching or another form of movement
- Read mental health books on racialized trauma, self-help and healing by African Diaspora authors
- Be mindful of your time spent on social media and other news outlets
For more self-care resources, please visit our Each Aggie Matters website at eachaggiematters.ucdavis.edu/selfcare
For more resources on racial trauma, visit diversity.ucdavis.edu/resources-racial-trauma
If you have any suggestions for improving this page, please email us at hep@shcs.ucdavis.edu.