Morris Let's Thrive

From Morris Let's Thrive and adapted with permission from Minnesota State University, Mankato.

Racial trauma, or race-based stress, refers to the physical and psychological symptoms that Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) experience after exposure to particularly distressing and/or life-threatening racist experiences by white supremacist people, policies, and systems. Traumatic experiences can be real or perceived, directly experienced or witnessed, interpersonal or systemic.(1,2,3) The effects of racial trauma can be passed down within communities and across generations.(4)

Racial battle fatigue (RBF) is the cumulative psychological, social, physiological, and emotional impacts of racial micro and macro aggressions and racist abuse on racially marginalized groups – particularly Black individuals. Attempting to cope with these persistent hostile, violent, demeaning, dismissive, and toxic race-based stressors completely depletes one’s physical, emotional, and mental energy. (5,6,7)

• Academic Disruptions
• Anger
• Anxiety
• Apathy
• Defensiveness
• Depression
• Detachment
• Emotional numbness
• Escapism
• Exhaustion
• Frustration
• Helplessness
• Hopelessness
• Hypersensitivity
• Hypervigilance
• Internalization of racist attributions
• Irritability
• Low Motivation
• Muscle tension
• Physical avoidance
• Psychological or emotional withdrawal
• Resistance
• Sadness
• Shock
• Sleep disturbance
• Social isolation
• Verbal, non verbal or physical combativeness

Continue to take action and engage in social justice and advocacy, but implement calming practices before, during, and after.(8) Traumatic events and trauma triggers activate our threat response (fight-flight-freeze). Centering and grounding practices help to settle the nervous system.

• Learn the 4-7-8 breathing technique to engage our body’s calming response. Inhale through the nose for the count of 4, hold the breath for the count of 7, and exhale slowly through the mouth for the count of 8. Doing 5 sets can quickly help you feel more relaxed.
• Try the “box breathing” method. While you imagine drawing the lines of a box, inhale through the nose to the count of 4, hold for the count of 4, exhale through the mouth to the count of 4, and hold again for the count of 4. Repeat for 5 sets.
• Practice the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique to help anchor yourself into the present moment. In your immediate surroundings, identify 5 things you can see, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell, and 1 thing you can taste.
• Practice intentional self-care.(2,9,1)
• Engage in activities that attend to your “four bodies” – your mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual self.(11)
• Learn healthy relaxation and coping strategies like yoga, mindfulness, journaling,
  movement, and creative and expressive arts to help restore emotional balance and
  well-being. Download some mindfulness and mental health apps to help establish a daily practice.
• Engage in spiritual or meditative practices: attend a religious or faithbased event.
• Take pauses from social media.(8,12) It is important to stay informed, yet we all need to take regular breaks from the 24-hour news cycle and social media posts. Give yourself permission to periodically disengage and set digital boundaries when you return.
• Develop a positive racial and cultural identity and improve your self-worth. Read,
  listen to, watch, or go to events that help you regain a sense of pride in your identity. (10 )
• Make a list of and celebrate your positive attributes, talents, and accomplishments. Enhance your social support system and regain a sense of community. (8,12)
• Now more than ever is the time to lean on trusted others for support, validation,
  allyship, and encouragement – and a reminder that you are not alone.
• Remember you do not have to fight every fight or battle it alone. Step back when you need to, take care of your own wellbeing, and enlist the help of others.
• Learn more. Understanding racial trauma and racial battle fatigue and how it is
  impacting your life can be the key to knowing how to address it. See the References
  and Additional Resources listed below.
• Seek professional help. Trauma-informed individual therapy and/or group counseling are beneficial avenues to exploring these concerns, processing your experiences, and taking steps toward healing.

1. Comas-Diaz, L., Hall. G. N., & Neville, H. A. (2019). Racial Trauma: Theory, Research,
   and Healing: Introduction to the Special Issue. American Psychologist, 74 (1), pp. 1-5
2. Institute for the Study and Promotion of Race and Culture. #racialtraumaisreal:
   https://www.bc.edu/content/dam/files/schools/lsoe_sites/isprc/pdf/racialtraumaisreal
   Manuscript.pdf
3. Carter, R. T. (2007). Racism and Psychological and Emotional Injury: Recognizing and
   Assessing Race-Based Traumatic Stress. Counseling Psychologist, 35 (1), pp. 13-105.
4. DeAngelis, T. (2019). The Legacy of Trauma. Monitor on Psychology, 50 (2), p. 36.
   https://www.apa.org/monitor/2019/02/legacy-trauma
5. Smith, W. A., Allen, W. R., & Danley, L. L. (2007). “Assume the Position . . . You Fit the
   Description” Psychosocial Experiences and Racial Battle Fatigue Among African
   American Male College Students. American Behavioral Scientist, 51 (4), pp. 551-578.
6. Smith, W. A., Mustaffa, J. B., Jones, C. M., Curry, T. J., & Allen, W. R. (2016). ‘You make
   me wanna holler and throw up both my hands!’: campus culture, Black misandric
   microaggressions, and racial battle fatigue. International Journal of Qualitative
   Studies in Education, 29 (9), pp. 1189-1209.
7. Solarte-Erlacher, M. (2020). Racial Battle Fatigue, Microaggressions, and your
   Wellbeing: http://www.marisolerlacher.com/blog/racialbattlefatigue
8. Healing in Action: A Toolkit for Black Lives Matter Healing Justice & Direct Action:
   https://blacklivesmatter.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/BLM_HealinginAction-1-
   1.pdf
9. Self-Care in the Face of Racial Injustice: https://therapyforblackgirls.com/2020/01/09/selfcare-racial-injustice/
10. Black Emotional and Mental Health Initiative (BEAM). https://www.beam.community/tool-kitseducation
11. The Four Bodies: A Holistic Toolkit for Coping With Racial Trauma: https://medium.com/nappy-head-club/the-four-bodies-a-holistic-toolkit-for-coping-
    withracial-trauma-8d15aa55ae06
12. Quaye, S. J., Karikari, S. N., Okello, W. K., & Carter, K. D. (2019). Strategies for
    Practicing Self-Care from Racial Battle Fatigue. Journal Committed to Social Change
    on Race and Ethnicity, 5 (2), pp. 95-131.
13. 5 (Digital) Self-Care Practices Black People Can Use While Coping With Trauma: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/self-care-black-coping-withtrauma_n_577e76a9e4b0c590f7e839ed

Student Counseling

Multi-ethnic Student Programs

1. Include a wellbeing practice in your day. Choose something you enjoy—it’ll help you better manage life’s stresses.
   1. Spend meaningful time with friends.
   2. Enjoy a hobby.
   3. Focus on your breathing and try meditation.

2. Got 5 minutes? Spend it outside! Being in nature gives your wellbeing a boost.

3. Move your body. Exercise benefits all aspects of your health and wellbeing! Even a 15-minute walk makes a difference. Check out the Regional Fitness Center’s yoga and other great mind/body options.
4. Build a gratitude positive psychology practice into your daily routine. It can take as little as 2 minutes a day. Check out the Grateful App to learn how!
5. Build new skills and understanding to address depression, stress, social anxiety, and healthy sleep. Complete an assessment, explore learning modules, or work with a coach via the confidential UMN Learn to Live online program. (code: UMN)
6. Take a little time to eat well. Try focusing on eating fruits and veggies every day, and invite a floor-or class-mate to join you. Connect with Morris Healthy Eating, the Native Student Garden, and the Organic Garden. Reach out for food resources—many options are available on campus and in the community.
7. Access free, confidential campus health and wellbeing resources like Student Counseling, Health Service, and the Disability Resource Center.
8. Worried? Procrastinating? Take one small positive first step. It could be as simple as reaching out to someone who can share the journey.
9. Talk to someone! Talk to your friends, faculty, your adviser, a success coach, or another staff member. Swing by and chat with a Let’s Talk counselor.

10. Get enough sleep! It’s a good use of time: 8–10 hours of sleep each night make academics as well as life better. Browse the Mayo Clinic website for sleep tips.

Faculty and staff have asked, "What can I do to help my students better survive and thrive in college?" Here are a few ideas drawing on wellbeing research and emerging best practices.

1. Build wellbeing and stress management strategies into your syllabus. Giving an extra assignment/exam and letting students drop their lowest score promotes learning and reduces anxiety. Include wellbeing and stress management information and resources on your syllabus. (See UMN Syllabus Requirements Policy, B.8)
2. Offer “conversation cards” with prompts for a first office visit with your new students. You might include topics like academic interests, hobbies, learning styles, or concerns. Some students, especially first-generation college students, aren’t sure what “office hours” are. Introduce the concept—you could even use the term “student hours”—so they know this is a time when they can talk with you outside of class.
3. Begin class with two minutes of focused breathing. Or include another mindfulness practice. Breathing Bubbles are a great resource for focused breathing.
4. Build a gratitude positive psychology practice into class—two to five minutes. The Grateful app is one tool you can use with your students.
5. Promote healthy sleep and its academic and life benefits. Avoid midnight deadlines and aim for daytime course communications. Discuss or incentivize students’ pursuit of a week of good sleep.
6. Add a course assignment researching an evidenced-based practice that fosters mental health and wellbeing. Discuss or incentivize exercising at the Regional Fitness Center, walking for 15 minutes, or spending 30 minutes in nature.
7. Use the Don’t Cancel That Class initiative when out of town. Schedule workshops via the Office of Academic Success webpage: Mindfulness 101, Strategies for Everyday Wellness, Stress Management 101, and Healthy Relationships.
8. Embed a UMN Learn to Live module on depression, stress, social anxiety, or sleep
   in your course. Students can complete assessments, learning modules, and work with a coach via the confidential online program. (code: UMN)
9. Let students know how to access free, confidential campus mental health and physical health resources. Make students aware of the Makeup Work for Legitimate Absences policy and how to access support and verification.
10. Model good health and wellbeing practices. Talk about ways that you manage stress, take breaks, pursue hobbies, enjoy life, and recharge.