Beyond the Riots: Addressing Racial Trauma and Finding Hope
Aug 06, 2024
10 Selfcare Techniques to Combat the Effects of Racism
“My son was upset with me because I cancelled our trip to Liverpool. I just don’t want to risk being attacked because of what we look like.”
“Before the riots, I felt invisible. People would ignore me. Now it feels like everyone is looking at me — and the stares are not accompanied by smiles or empathy.”
“I feel like a prisoner in my own skin.”
These are just some of the comments I have heard in recent days following the race riots in the UK. This blog is not about debating the racism definition or analysing why racism exists, there is already extensive material online exploring the systems, attitudes, behaviours, unconscious bias, and structural inequalities that have created this perfect storm of racial violence and terrorism.
What I do want to do is acknowledge the tragic loss of three innocent girls whose deaths have been misused as justification for violence: Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar. I am so sorry this has happened to you. To your families, I send my heartfelt condolences. This injustice is devastating on many levels.
Across the UK, many Black, Brown, Muslim, and racialised people currently do not feel safe due to random and targeted acts of violence. These experiences affect people not only in public spaces, but also spill into the workplace, education systems, and community settings, undermining any notion of an inclusive workplace or meaningful diversity and inclusion at work.
From my observations as an antiracism educator, the most urgent issue facing Black and Brown communities right now is racial trauma and its cumulative effects. Unfortunately, awareness of racial trauma remains alarmingly low. I have lost count of the number of times I have asked organisations about racial safeguarding policies, they simply do not exist in most UK workplaces, public services, or institutions. Despite growing conversations around equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) and inclusive leadership, there is little practical support for individuals navigating racism-related harm.
Equally concerning is that families and individuals at risk of racism are rarely taught self-care strategies to protect themselves from its psychological and physical toll.
That is what I am offering here: practical self-care techniques to help soothe racial trauma.
Through my work in anti-racism training, alongside my own lived experiences of trauma and illness, I have spent years studying self-compassion, somatic healing, and therapeutic practices. The techniques below are tools I have personally used or consistently seen help others cope with the effects of racism, racialised stress, and microaggressions.
Understanding How Racism Causes Harm
Before exploring these techniques, it’s important to understand the six ways racism harms Black and Brown people, as outlined by psychologist Dr Shelly Harrell:
- Race-related life events
Direct acts of racism, such as racial slurs, harassment, or physical attacks. - Vicarious racism
Indirect exposure, such as witnessing or hearing about racist violence or riots. - Daily racist micro-stressors (microaggressions)
Subtle, repeated harms — for example, being told “I don’t see colour,” which denies lived experience. - Chronic contextual stressors
The ongoing awareness of systemic racism and unequal access to resources. - Collective experiences of racism
Seeing racism directed at one’s own community or group. - Transgenerational transmission of trauma
Historical racial trauma passed down through family stories and experiences.¹
At present, many Black people and Muslims in particular (or those perceived to be) are experiencing multiple layers of this framework simultaneously. This level of exposure can lead to hypervigilance, chronic stress, physical illness, substance misuse, anxiety, depression, and burnout — both in daily life and at work.
So what can you do to protect yourself?
Below are 10 self-care techniques designed to help minimise the effects of racism and support healing.
1. Resist the Urge to Catastrophise
Catastrophising involves believing that a situation is worse or more permanent than it actually is. While current events are deeply distressing, constant exposure to news, social media, and conversations about racism can intensify fear.
Gently challenge your thoughts:
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Is this happening everywhere in my area?
- Is it true that all white people are dangerous or racist?
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Using logic alongside compassion helps regulate the nervous system and reduce the impact of racial trauma.
Recommended reading: Learned Optimism by Martin E. P. Seligman, PhD.
2. Take a Nap (Yes, Really)
Rest is often dismissed, yet it is essential. Sleep, naps, reading, or comforting television all help regulate stress hormones.
Tricia Hersey of The Nap Ministry reminds us that rest is an act of resistance against capitalism and racism. Her book Rest Is Resistance reframes rest as radical self-preservation for racialised people
3. Let Your Body Feel the Stress
Suppressing emotions linked to racism may feel protective, but it causes harm over time.
In The Myth of Normal, Gabor Maté explains how racial stress elevates blood pressure and stress hormones particularly for Black women.
Healthy release options include:
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Therapy (including somatic therapy)
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Journaling
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Talking with trusted people
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Gentle movement or breathwork
Whatever you choose, do not hold it in.
4. Take Responsibility for Your Wellbeing
This concept, inspired by bell hooks, is not about blaming yourself for racism. It is about reclaiming agency.
As hooks writes in All About Love:
“Taking responsibility means that in the face of barriers, we still have the capacity to invent our lives.”
You get to choose how you respond. Bake a cake. Call a friend. Play football with your children. These choices matter.
5. Practice Meditation
Meditation helps calm the nervous system and counter the effects of trauma.
There are many free resources available, including guided meditations specifically for racial trauma. Try:
BIPOC Meditation: Racial Trauma Guided Meditation for Discussions Around Race and Racism
You may also find value in our antiracism reading list and resources linked to our DEI training and CPD-accredited courses.
6. Educate Yourself — Gently
Racism is complex. Even with lived experience, there is always more to learn — about unconscious bias, cultural humility, and workplace inclusion and diversity.
When you feel emotionally ready, learning can empower you to advocate for yourself in the workplace and beyond. Listen to Strawberry Words’ podcast Compassionate Cultures to deepen your understanding.
7. Remember Your Ancestors
Many of our ancestors endured racism and oppression — and also demonstrated resilience, leadership, and power.
Figures such as Tariq Ibn Ziyad and Queen Nzinga of Ndongo and Matamba remind us that we come from strength, not deficit. Reclaiming these histories counters harmful narratives and supports healing.
8. Repeat Positive Affirmations
Around 95% of our thinking is unconscious. Affirmations help rewire harmful internal narratives created by racism.
From Decolonising Wellness by Dalia Kinsey, RD, LD:
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I shower myself in kindness
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I trust my body
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I am valuable
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I am safe
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I am worthy of love
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I take care of myself
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I nurture myself
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I love myself
Repeat these daily and notice how your internal world shifts.
9. Connect With Loved Ones
Strong social connections improve mental health, physical recovery, and emotional resilience. Evidence shows they even support healing from illness.
Spend time with people who validate your experiences. If that feels difficult, consider online communities, Facebook groups, or Meetup spaces centred on shared values. Read the article here.
10. Remember: This Too Shall Pass
Our ancestors lived through periods of racial violence in the 1960s–80s — and survived.
Catastrophising can convince us that things will never change. History shows otherwise. This moment will pass.
A Final Reflection
When the riots began, I felt paralysed, shocked, hopeless, and exhausted. Now, I feel renewed purpose.
Moments like this awaken people to the reality of racism. I am encouraged when I see allies speaking up, organisations reconsidering policies, and racialised communities protecting one another with compassion.
Change is rarely comfortable. But meaningful change is worth the discomfort.
I choose hope.
Rebbecca Hemmings
Director, Strawberry Words Training Consultancy
www.strawberrywords.co.uk
I choose hope.
Rebbecca Hemmings
Director Strawberry Words Training Consultancy
[1] Headings taken from: Harrell, S. P. (2000). A multidimensional conceptualization of racism-related stress: Implications for the well-being of people of color. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 70(1), 42–57. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0087722
Photo credit: Lensi Photography
Talking about racism can seem difficult and uncomfortable. This CPD accredited course provides a foundational education on racism to help to increase racial literacy which includes building confidence to speak about and deal with issues concerning race. It provides a language through which meaningful conversation can take place (particularly in the workplace).
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