Share your pain
Feeling like you can’t cope, can’t focus, or want to cry—these are all normal and valid responses to racial trauma. Holding in anger or painful feelings negatively affects our emotional well-being. Sharing difficult feelings with others—friends, family members, clergy, or mental health professionals—can help.
Acknowledge your anger
Anger and outrage are appropriate responses to injustice. The way we process and channel our pain can help protect us from long-term mental health effects and make us better citizens and advocates. While anger can sometimes turn volatile, it can also be useful. When channeled, anger and pain can spur meaningful action and effect change.