Camille Lester, MHC

There is no denying that there is a chronic, deep, and pervasive problem in the U.S. Not only have we been surviving a global pandemic we have also been surviving the unpredictable and detrimental reality of day-to-day racism. If you identify as a person of color/BIPOC/ AAPI/non-white and the past few months have been unbearably hard, I ask that you in this moment take a deep breath, unclench your jaw, and rest into wherever this article finds you. You are seen, your fear is valid, and your uneasiness is not exaggerative. This blog is for you: 

I am a clinician but I am also called to the beautiful world of birth work, specifically for Black and Brown women. I find the statistics of maternal health, death, and birthing outcomes and how it ebbs and contorts across racial lines maddening. While unpackaging this, I came across the term Racial Weathering coined by Dr. Arline Geronimus in 1992. In a nutshell, racial weathering is a term that encompasses the weighted nature of allostatic load…or rather, the cost of chronic, repeated, and incessant exposure to stress. There are very real physiological effects of racism. 1) In response to stress/trauma our bodies respond accordingly, often with the stress hormone cortisol and the neurotransmitters norepinephrine and epinephrine. 2) The repeated and chronic release of these hormones + neurotransmitters into our bloodstreams can cause secondary physiological effects. These effects range from higher blood pressure, cholesterol, cellular degeneration, cognitive decline, to the cyclical damage of intergenerational trauma to children and family systems. How can I put this… enduring racism takes a very real toll on our bodies and health. Weathering is a public health issue. Look, I didn’t say all of this to deepen any trauma further, I said all of this as a call to collective individual action. While holding space for and working through the various dimensions of racial trauma with clients I want to share a few commitments I urge us all to make: 

1.Divesting from “push through” culture

I have sat in session with clients and I like them, have had to reckon with the nature to just “push through” a work day/week. Amidst the senseless acts of racial violence in the AAPI community, alongside the Derek Chauvin trial, and the killing of Daunte Wright… here we all are, logging into work, engaging with our jam-packed schedule as if… all is emotionally and normal. I understand the importance of work and showing up as best as we can in-spite of and despite of, but I also honor the immense flattening this does to our souls… I see you because I see myself! You aren’t alone. As we honor the weight of allostatic load and it’s decaying effect, we can no longer simply “push through.” I urgently ask that we divest from pushing through our pain and rather uniquely honor our emotional experience as we travel through this world. Which leads me to my second point.. 

2. Intentionally check-in with self (“I think” “I feel” “I need”)

 Being a Black woman and a clinician I am eternally grateful for the role I occupy in my community and see it as a privilege to hold healing spaces. I enjoy the moments in sessions with clients when I can sense the energetic sigh and spirit release when they finally honor the accumulated emotions they’ve been carrying as they have journeyed through the world. Many often remark, “I didn’t realize how much I was carrying until we started talking.” When I notice this drifting from the emotional-self, I always recommend intentional time either in the morning or evening where one gets still and answers these 3 questions… 1) What is one thought you have in this moment? (e.g., work, list of things to complete, awareness of tension in body) 2) What is one feeling you have in this moment? (e.g., anxious, hopeful, etc.) and 3) as a result of the thought and feeling, what is one need you have in this moment? (e.g., a moment to call my grandmother, more sleep, saying no to extra tasks today, asking for help with…). These moments of daily intention to make time for and tend to our emotional-self lessens the weight of allostatic load by allowing us to identify where we are, what we need for support, and rightfully acting on it. 

3. Exploring and nourishing our full selves 

The flattening nature of “push through” culture creates a soul/spirit that is not only weathering through the weight of chronic stress but is also unmoored from the self. What brings you joy? What makes your heart flutter? What makes you feel safe and secure? What acts feel anchoring? Whether that is: the sun in the morning, the blossoming trees in the spring time, phone calls with a certain family member, or the feel of your nighttime face cream before bed… we all have daily often “mundane” acts that elicit feelings of safety and security. Make a tangible list and engage with it often as you honor and assess your emotional needs during those intentional check-ins. 

While I do not know when this nation will ever reckon and fully be free from racism… I do certainly hope this blog elicits a personal reckoning and call to action. We are enduring and surviving multiple sources of chronic stress. How do we weather, better?

Remember, you are not alone. 

Divest from the urge to “push through.” 

Honor your spirit in nourishing ways 

Dare to be fully human

Take good care,

C