When the World Feels Heavy: Finding Comfort and Showing Up as an Ally
With the inauguration last week, it’s important to check in with how we are feeling. I know for me, there is a lot of worry and fear surrounding the impact the next four years will have on friends and family who identify as underrecognized individuals.
As a woman, I am nervous about the access to healthcare and the impact these decisions will have on fatality rates. As a fellow ESOL teacher, I worry about students and their families, specifically refugee families who make up a lot of the Baltimore City student population. As a member of the queer community, I worry about the rights of trans and LGBTQ+ rights being stripped away for the sake of “Christian Nationalism.” It is often easier to ignore those feelings because facing them invites vulnerability, but when we take a moment to face the music, we realize the power we have in our voice.
I want to encourage you to stand tall, invite difficult conversations, and validate every emotion and feeling that comes up for you. You are allowed to feel scared, violated, apathetic, hopeless, sad, despair, and anger. Of course, this is not an exhaustive list, but the sentiment remains the same, feel your feelings, acknowledge the hurt, and make change.
If you are someone who identifies as one of these groups, take comfort in knowing you are not alone. There are individuals who love and support you; there are spaces that will protect you and fight for you. Community is an amazing and powerful tool. Finding likeminded individuals who will support one another regardless of sexual orientation, gender, economic status or race is one of the best ways to spread awareness and develop life changing and life giving relationships.
You may not identify with any of these groups, but you can support them by being an ally. Whether that means volunteering at a women’s health facility or simply stopping a harmful conversation from continuing on social media or in person, you have the power to become an ally, you have the power to initiate change.
How it could look in action:
Research discrimination and racism and the impact they have on marginalized communities. How to Be Anti-Racist by Kendi is a great resource!
Volunteer to work within the community (women’s health centers, schools, soup kitchens etc)
Spread awareness through conversations within your network of people, challenge opposing views and speak up
Listen to understand and learn from minority voices
Read books written by marginalized individuals who may have a different experience and perspective than you
Advocate for change through local, state and federal government
Support organizations that promote safety and protection for minorities
Build community with those around you, allowing everyone to feel welcome, heard and understood
Be gracious to yourself and others as you learn to be an ally. There will be mistakes made along the way, but use them as a learning opportunity
Show up. Make your actions match your words.
Talk to your therapist about opportunities in the Baltimore community to get involved
If you need a place to work through the thoughts and feelings that are showing up in response to all of the things that are happening right now, therapy is a great place to start. Take time to explore some of our amazing therapists here at LifeSpring and let’s start a conversation. Since LifeSpring was founded, we have been committed to creating a welcoming space for people of all backgrounds.
Looking for Inclusive Support at LifeSpring Counseling Services in Maryland?
Since opening its doors in 2014, LifeSpring Counseling Services has openly communicated its commitment to welcoming individuals from all different backgrounds, regardless of their race, ethnicity, documentation status, gender, or sexual orientation. We believe that everybody deserves to feel welcomed and cared for when they enter a room. Our hope is that the individuals who trust us with their most personal information in therapy will feel seen and heard and that the healing process of therapy allows them to find their voice and speak their truth.
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Interested in Online & In-person Counseling Services for LGBTQIA+ affirming services?
If you’re a Marylander who knows that counseling is the direction you need to take, the therapists at LifeSpring Counseling Services are here to help. We offer online counseling services for mindfulness, depression, anxiety, trauma, and grief and loss. We also offer Brainspotting as a specialized service, and Brainspotting can be done online, too!
Here’s how you can get started! Counseling for LGBTQIA+ affirming services aren’t the only services offered at our Maryland office.
The counselors and social workers at our Maryland office also offer counseling services for trauma, grief and loss, boundary setting, communication skills, and difficult life transitions. We also offer specialized counseling services including Brainspotting and spiritually-integrated counseling. Because we are located next to several local universities, we also work with college students and international students.
Written by: Ali Miller, Counseling Intern
Ali Miller is a Masters-level counseling intern from McDaniel College who is passionate about providing individual therapy to members of the LGBTQ+ community and those who have been impacted by religious trauma. Ali sees clients in-person at our Baltimore office or online via telehealth.
