I was honored to participate in the Montgomery County, Maryland, Caribbean American Advisory Group’s Community Conversation on March 25, 2025. The panel focused on Immigration, Houses of Worship, and Stress Management, and I appreciated the opportunity to engage in such an important discussion.
Highlights of my panel discussion included:
Signs of stress:
Changes in appetite
Fear
Persistent worries
Fatigue
Insomnia or sleeping too much
Irritability
HOW DO WE COPE?
Seeking out community in whatever form accessible
To get connected
To get information
To find comfort
To strategize
To get validation
In community we can NAME and acknowledge our experiences and reasserts our collective strengths and our resilience. In community we can acknowledge our long history of confronting challenges and managing insurmountable obstacles that have threatened our very existence.
ENGAGE IN DAILY PRACTICES
— Holding on to as many healthy habits as possible
–Getting some form of physical exercise daily
–Reaching out and maintaining contact with people we care about and who love us;
–Engaging in prayers and spiritual practices
–Engaging in MINDDFUL PRACTICES which also help us to feel more grounded.
The more grounded we are, the more likely we will be able to identify possible solutions to meet the current challenges!
EXAMPLES OF GROUNDING EXERCISES
The Five Sense Exercise:
Stop! Pause! Breathe in deeply and look around.
Name: 5 things you can see
Touch 4 things and feel the different textures
Listen and identify 3 sounds,
Smell and name two different odors, and
Identify 1 thing you can taste.
(The DBT Skills Training Manual by Marsha Linehan
The Butterfly Hug
Position your hands:
Cross your arms over your chest, as if you’re hugging yourself. Place your hands on your upper arms, or slightly below your collarbone.
Tap rhythmically:
Alternate tapping or gently patting your upper arms with your hands, mimicking the gentle fluttering of butterfly wings.
Breathe deeply:
As you tap, take slow, deep breaths, inhaling through your nose and exhaling through your mouth.
(Lucina Artigas and Ignacio Jarero)
