BIPOC and Anxious: A Six Week Holistic Wellness Program for Women
CLOSED WINTER 2024
You're not alone. Being a woman of color in this town and this big world can sometimes feel like a constant uphill climb, right? Stress and anxiety sneak into every nook of your life – relationships, work, school, parenting – you name it. It's like they're these uninvited guests messing with your vibe. It might seem like you're just trying to make it through the day without breaking down. You might put on a happy face for friends, family, and coworkers, but inside, you're wrestling with self-doubt, criticism, and fears of failure. It's a tiring act that leaves you drained by the end of the day, leaving little time or energy for the things and people that bring you joy.
Now, here's the deal: how you deal with stress is like a dance your body and mind do. If you've been in this chronic stress mode without a clue how to handle it, your system might be shouting 'unsafe' all the time. If you're a woman of color going through life's unique rollercoaster, we totally get it. Your well-being deserves some serious love, and that's exactly what we're here for.
This program can give you some relief. By connecting with other people who are experiencing similar issues, you will feel understood, supported, and less isolated by your experience. Join us on this six-week journey. We're diving into some real talk and empowering methods to navigate stress and anxiety. It's time to give your well-being the attention it deserves.
Sessions Overview:
1. 1/21/24: 6-8:00pm --Introduction to The Four R's
2. 1/28/24: 6-8:00pm --Breathwork & Sound Bath Class
3. 2/4/24: 6-8:00pm --Compassion Focused Mindfulness Practices
4. 2/11/24: 6-8:00pm --Internal World Exploration with Expressive Arts
5. 2/18/24: 6-8:00pm --Somatic Self-Soothing
6. 2/25/24: 6-8:00pm-- Creating a Plan of Wellness
Each session is designed in four parts-->
1) Group check in, guided meditation or exercise
2) A bit of teaching/psychoeducation
2) Healing Activities, Tools, and Experiences
3) Whole group discussion and reflective journaling
You Should Attend This Program If You…
Were Told Stress Is Normal and to Get Over It:
Many of us Black women grew up thinking stress is just part of life. Being strong and tough is expected, so you might not even realize when your stress and anxiety is getting out of hand .That can make it tough for you to see that stress is a real thing on its own, not just something you push through.
Forget About Yourself Alot:
Many women of color often put others first the majority of the time. Women of color are usually the ones looking out for everyone, family, friends, community. Oftentimes, putting ourselves last. You may forget to check in on yourself and see how you're really doing. This can lead to feeling totally worn out and not being able to handle stress well. It affects your personal and work life.
Feel Pressured to Do It All:
Trying to meet everyone's expectations—work, society, family—it's a lot for marginalized women of color. This juggling act between constant oppression can be dysregulating to points of debilitating worry, self doubt, negative self-image, and more.
Have Nowhere Safe to Let It Out:
Because we live in a white male dominated society, women of color might not find many places where they can just be real about their stress without worrying about what people will say.Holding all that in can make us feel alone and make our mental health worse. We need spaces where it's safe enough to talk about how we are really feeling.
Learning Outcome
Joining this program is an opportunity to alleviate anxiety for lasting change. We're diving into a practical wellness framework that'll guide you through the whole journey.
First up, we'll unravel the mystery of recognizing your anxiety – you'll get a handle on what's going on and why. Then, we're getting into the nitty-gritty of regulating that anxiety. No worries if this sounds a bit technical – we'll break it down in a way that makes total sense for you. Next, we're talking about resourcing. Think of it like building up your own personal toolkit filled with strategies that actually work for you. It's all about finding what clicks and feels good. And finally, we're getting to the core of it – revisiting the source of that anxiety. But here's the magic part – we're doing it with an eye on resilience. You'll learn how to bounce back, stronger and more in control.
Once you’ve learned these outcomes, you’ll gain:
How to Find Safety Inside:
Dive into the cool art of making your body a safe haven. We'll give you the lowdown on cultivating a sense of safety within, so you're not just riding the stress wave all the time.
Holistic Tools:
Time to load up your toolkit with holistic tricks that work for you. These tools are like your secret weapons, ready to optimize how you deal with stress and let go of all that built-up tension.
Creating A Hero Within You:
We're all about creating a vibe where you're your own best friend. Get ready to nurture a relationship with yourself on purpose – it's like having a personal cheerleader at your side.
So, after this journey, you're not just learning about stress; you're becoming your own hero. Let's make this adventure one where you come out feeling empowered and in control.
Group settings are powerful experiences and insights may occur. This is why it is encouraged to attend the entire series of workshops to develop comfort, ease, and relationships with others in the group. However, attendance is open for drop in if one topic calls to you.
About the facilitator
Ruth Tessema, NCC, LPC (she/her), Black, Ethiopian American ethnic background.
Holistic wellness practitioner, Ruth Tessema, cultivates and facilitates experiences for individuals to discover alignment within their physical, mental, and spiritual bodies. Her style of teaching is founded in her experience as a licensed professional counselor and educator. Ruth founded Rising Self Wellness to address the disparities and inequities within mental health and holistic wellness for marginalized communities.
