Healing from Discrimination

By Kristen Sohlman, HBA, RP

​What is Discrimination?
Discrimination occurs when an individual or a group of people are unfairly judged based upon race, gender, age, sexual orientation, etc.  Many individuals have experienced some form of discrimination throughout their lives, while others are targeted specifically based upon these characteristics. 

Discrimination, big and small
Discrimination can occur on a continuum, meaning that there are varying levels of discrimination.  This can range from ignorance, a lack of knowledge or a lack of information, to being a target of overt acts of bias such as racism. While there are laws that protect people from discrimination such as the Canadian Human Rights Act, Employment Act, the National Housing Act, etc., unfortunately discrimination still occurs. Less obvious examples of discrimination can also occur on a daily basis such as receiving poor customer service, being treated disrespectfully, microaggressions such as negative comments, insults, snubs, etc.
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The impacts upon health         
Those that experience discrimination in their lives have been found to have higher stress levels, which can lead to chronic stress if experienced over a long period of time.  Chronic stress has impacts upon both physical and mental health, including anxiety, depression, obesity, high blood pressure, and substance abuse. Some individuals are more often the target of discrimination, especially those that identify as being a minority group within their community. Such individuals might avoid situations where they might expect to be treated poorly by others, sometimes resulting in missed school or work. Living with this anticipated discrimination can even create its own chronic stress. 

Healing from discrimination:

1. Focus on your strengths.  Focus on your own personal strengths.  This can help to motivate you and may buffer any of the negative effects that you might experience from discrimination.  Remember that the ability to overcome challenges such as discrimination builds resiliency and strength, and as such you may be better equipped to handle difficult situations in the future. 
2. Learn about values and beliefs.  Focus on your own personal values and beliefs.  Consider what is important to you.  What you value and believe matters, but it does not matter more than anyone else’s values and beliefs.  Make a commitment to learn about other people’s values and beliefs.  Remember when you impose your values and beliefs onto others, you run the risk of discriminating.  Learn about how others view the world, consider why they have certain values and beliefs.  Treat others as you wish to be treated. 
3. Seek support systems.  One of the risks of experiencing discrimination is that you may begin to believe these hurtful things to be true and may internalize these negative beliefs.  As a result, it is important to seek out support from family, friends, peers, etc. as they can help remind you of your own self-worth, can provide you with a positive reality check on what is important, and may be a good sounding board for expressing the feelings that come up when experiencing discrimination. 
4. Get involved.  Get involved in groups or organizations that support a positive cause or that share similar beliefs and values similar to your own.  It can help to know that there are other likeminded people out there and can provide opportunities to make connections with others like you. 
5. Help yourself think clearly.  Since being the target of discrimination can bring up a number of feelings such as anger, sadness, or embarrassment, it may be helpful to check in with yourself.  Engage in deep belly breathing, a meditation, a relaxation exercise, or get out and exercise. 
6. Don’t dwell.  It is hard to shake off discrimination and you could feel stuck or feel unsure how to handle such situations.  When you find yourself ruminating and reliving the discrimination over and over in your mind, this poses more risks to your mental and physical health. Trying to come up with a plan in order to cope with this may help. 
7. Seek out professional help.  Discrimination is difficult and you do not have to deal with it alone.  Seek out help from your supports or get connected with a formal support like a therapist or counsellor in order to begin addressing the impacts and feelings connected with discrimination. 

 
American Psychological Association. (2018). Discrimination: What it is, and how to cope. [Web page] Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/discrimination.aspx