I have been reflecting how from the outside…

social justice-work,

work by creatives or

those who want to make change in the world,

…have become romanticized.

It's the work that drives us to go around what's been already mapped out.

It can be deeply healing and rewarding, and can also be gritty, hard work.

So, what does social justice-oriented care look like? It means that we are committed to providing care that is anti-oppressive and rooted in social justice principles. This means that we work to identify and challenge systems of oppression. We aim to practice being in accountability and collective care with one another. We know that social change is a slow and difficult process, but we are committed to the long haul.

Here are some justice-oriented practices we, as a group therapy practice and as therapists, are committed in doing:

1. We are committed to the unlearning, decolonizing and working with values rooted in the principles of anti-oppression/anti-capitalism, anti-imperialism, racial justice, gender justice, disability justice, and HAES alongside you. We are also committed to examining our relationships to whiteness, white supremacy, colonialism, patriarchy and cis-heteronormativity as we talk to folks who come across our practice.
   

2. We aim to organize and redistribute wealth as much as we can. We reflect and actively work through a scarcity and charity mindset to one that is in solidarity and in community. After all, this work is survival work.
   
   

3. We aim to uphold anti-carceral care towards nuanced experiences and mental health cases we work with. Aka fighting for a world free from policing. Consent is highly prioritized in our work with folks. We are continuously reflecting on what the therapy field does that may perpetuate harm and power dynamics in and out of the therapy room. 
   

4. The effort to flatten hierarchies in systems. We work from a horizontal decision making structure in our team where we have as many people and members make decisions as possible.
   

   
   Note: We get that many of the folks we work with are struggling with or don’t work in settings where they can advocate/speak up for their values, are acknowledged, and are feeling stuck. In therapy, we may be brainstorming ways to support you in these oppressive spaces and find ways to name out what is going on more clearly.
   

5. We aim to support people in most dire conditions and center in marginalized folks and voices that are most impacted first, always.
   

6. Generative conflict and communication. Dean Spade’s book Mutual Aid discusses how conflict can be reworked into something positive and generative rather than something to be avoided and left to fester. This can look like clear decision making everyone is trained in.
   

7. We are committed in our own healing. Because some of us have been through similar stuff like the folks we work with and part of their journey speaks to parts of us from different points in our life that we are still working on. This is probably a big reason why we want to do this work alongside you.

We want to work together with you to end oppression in all of its forms. When we say "with you", we mean it. Everyone has a role to play in social justice, whether it is big or small. Because social justice in therapy can support folks to be heard and felt.

I often think about the similarities of interweaving in different activism work I am part of.

Below are some thoughts that I've been reflecting on in the world and lens of social justice, environmental justice, animal rights justice, that I adopt and aim to pursue collective liberation for us all:

Disclaimer: below are current self-reflections, learnings from activists and colleagues away from an institution (some days I wish I had to chance to learn from a program in undergrad and other times I’m honoured to learn at my own pace) to work towards transformative justice. FYI, there is no guarantee I will stay with these same ideas in the future: I may shift or grow out of these thoughts and ideas, which is all part of the process! I also don't expect you as the reader to agree with all that I write below. However if you resonate with any of these thoughts, that's awesome! :-)

Punishment and censorship from activism work is totally a thing.

“People get pleasure, validation, and even build community out of punishment.” - Mariame Kaba

I am practicing acknowledging that punishment can be ‘rewarded’ and at times even ‘pleasurable’ in our humanity. And as justice-practicing folks, we are not exempt from this humanness. When someone or something hurts us, we may also want to hurt them back. We are not perfect beings.

Perfectionism and activism don't work well together.

I have been unlearning the harmful effects of perfectionism the long and hard way through first dipping into 'white veganism' when I turned vegan half a decade ago. I was experiencing constant shame and guilt from this space: like judgements if you aren't vegan for the ‘right reasons’ etc. (don't even get me started!).

'Cancel culture’ in the social justice space is something I witness often too. Spending our precious efforts and time judging and hating on others can be exhausting and unsettling.

This work is a WIP. People are all in different stages and come from very different spaces. It usually takes group improvisation and nurturing, not isolating and cornering. If you are hoping to steer away from ‘cancel culture’, check out what transformative justice is all about.

Transformative justice gives us opportunity to “transform” through learning, growing, which can help us even in healing through discussions. I aim to sprinkle in transformative justice praxis in different spaces I enter. Join me if you're up for this challenge too!

Failures helps us grow! Failures provide movement!

It’s not always your role to educate those who aren't in the collective.

You don’t have to care about opinions from voices that are not in the collective. I experience exhaustion and insecurity around spaces dominated by white fragility, folks who shame and punish others for making mistakes and the like. Give yourself the permission to distance and disengage so you can spend your energy in spaces that make you feel empowered and sustained.

Deepa Iyer’s work on The Social Change Ecosystem Map helped me find that I don’t have to do and be everything; that I can take on roles for social change that sustains my energy while doing important, charged work.

Where does your passion lie?

My activism work is currently leaning towards healing justice work, connecting with folks who are hearing about these ideas for the first time (in their ‘awakening’ stage or contemplating on pursuing this kind of practice). I imagine adopting play, creativity, art into spaces I enter. I hope to create digestible content for those who are thinking of coming closer and maybe joining this community!

"Hope is a discipline” - Mariame Kaba

Hope in this context is not an emotion or something we hold onto. Hope is something we do. Hope sustains us in this work. Your role no matter how ‘small’ it seems is valuable. Instead of narrowing in on the dread of the current system and the state of the world, I am practicing on choosing to commit to something else that is possible.

Accountability in community.

There is deep yearning for a space that gets me and these values I care about. That provides me with a vision of where we can go. I have been reading and reaching to books, articles, podcasts by transformative justice advocates and learning from the roots, from BIPOC folks, from stories, from family, searching for communal care that have been passed down and ideas on liberation.

I am currently helping out on a really exciting project with a fellow therapist friend. ROJ will be an offering for justice-oriented practitioners (students, therapists, coaches, social workers, HR or DEI workers, SJ activists etc.) or those who are curious in adopting justice into their practice. If you are in need of an accountability community when pursuing collective liberation and would like to unlearn together, ROJ may be the community for you!

PS. I will be posting on @reflectingonjustice on IG, you are welcome to follow us if you are interested!

I don't know about you, but I've been searching and dreaming for a space like this for quite awhile now. I can’t wait to share the launch with you folks in the near future!

Healing and activism work is and will always be interwoven.

The symbiotic relationship of stories, emotions, feels that oscillate in and out of the humans we get the chance to witness and connect with. Collective healing and mutual aid can shift difficult and unbearable moments.

During my clinical practicum in grad school, I was working with folks who were concerned about their relationship towards their bodies and food. I started to research the compounding effects of diet culture, the history of fatphobia, how industries uphold this discriminatory practice - like how invasive it can be in healthcare - and all the intersections in between.

It can be exhausting healing from something that's been with you for so long.

Healing from disordered eating and body image issues requires stepping outside of the mainstream diet culture that tells us we need to be thinner, prettier, and perfect. It may take winding down similar roads, witnessing yourself straddle with diet culture-y behaviours that are both comforting and unsupportive.

Let’s get vulnerable and transparent. Because I also struggle with my body image, with food and self-esteem (it's been a love-hate relationship) so I really relate to folks I have been working with. I feel a sense of mission to advocate for inclusivity (aka real human care) in the healthcare field where Health at Every Size and intuitive eating is the BASELINE for respect when we are working within this area.

I see a huge gap in searching for a POC therapist working in this perspective. I also wish to find a HAES therapist who could understand and help me find a spot for care in my intersection of practicing intuitive eating, veganism and environmentalism after I made an ethical decision to adopt this lifestyle years ago. (the only account I have seen talking about this intersection is @greengirlleah - bless you!)

I believe there are MANY more intersections that folks like myself haven’t been able to find help and who don’t share this concern publicly— because of potentially receiving shame-infused reactions and assumptions.

Here are my favourite picks on books and podcasts that I recommend for anybody wanting to start reflecting on their own relationship with their body and food. I think that we all can use some more acceptance, compassion and embodiment in the body and the world we live in.

Books

1. Befriending Your Body written by Ann Saffi Biasetti

2. 10 Principles of Intuitive Eating written by Evenlyn Tribole and Elyse Resch

3. The Body is Not an Apology written by Sonya Renee Taylor

4. The Art of Body Acceptance written by Ashlee Bennett

5. Bodyfulness written by Christine Calwell

Podcasts

1. Food Psychology hosted by Christy Harrison

2. Body Kindness hosted by Rebecca Scritchfield

3. The Body Grievers Club by Bri

What other resources have you found helpful on your journey to body acceptance? Let us know in the comments below!

So there you go: my favourite resources I always go back to when I need it. Your relationship with your food and body will always be a journey and not a destination.

If you're ready to embark on this journey, we'd love to come along with you! Working with an anti-oppressive, HAES (health at every size) therapist can help you notice when you are self-policing, work through alongside you and these learnt behaviours of taking up less space. Maryam and I (Linda) from the team offers support, resources, and community for those healing from disordered eating and body image issues.

If you are struggling with an eating disorder or body image issues, please reach out for help. You are not alone. Help is available.

In this blog post we will be discussing about the most common mental health concern in North America and possibly in the world: Anxiety. 

Almost one out of five Americans suffer from Anxiety. People who are struggling with Depression and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder also experience symptoms of Anxiety. 

I went through a little epiphany a couple of weeks ago when I described a stressful situation with a client interchangeably between Anxiety and stress. I realized that even as a therapist, “Stress” and “Anxiety” can be hard to differentiate from one another.

Anxiety can be so easily undermined when explaining this mental health concern to others, which led me to think how hard must it be for people going through it to explain what they are experiencing — especially during the hardest moments.

Here are some crucial points you need to know about Anxiety:

Stress ≠ Anxiety

Let me tell you why…

Stress is something that we all experience whether we are at work, school, at home. Stress is your body’s reaction to a trigger and is generally a short-term experience

Anxiety is a sustained mental health concern that could be triggered by stress. Anxiety is excessive worry and fear and is strong enough to affect daily life. The intensity of the Anxiety or worry is out of proportion to the actual likelihood or impact of the anticipated situation. 

Anxiety is crippling and a daily challenge. 

Please try to understand that people with Anxiety are handling life in an extraordinary way.

People with Anxiety are handling a lot at once as they are continuously managing their Anxiety as they go. 

They need to be very mindful, not only taking on the responsibility of being the human they are, but handling something additional on their plate.

It would be so great if that effort was validated, celebrated, and congratulated.

Because that is worth giving recognition for!

Fact: Emotions feel 10x stronger during the peak of an Anxiety episode.

How to support someone who is struggling with Anxiety:

• Notice what is coming up for you: Pay attention to countertransference. Countertransference is when someone is struggling with Anxiety, another person around them can “pick up” the symptoms through something called countertransference. When big emotions like anger, frustration or sadness come up for you, learn to set your boundaries: for example maybe you would rather practice some self-soothing or would prefer talking to them later. And vice versa, please respect their boundaries—even when it comes across as annoying, hurtful or when it seems unreasonable. No means no.

• Dealing with the feeling of uncertainty (on what it takes to help the person): When someone is struggling with Anxiety or when anyone is going through a vulnerable time, they can easily feel isolated and alone in their suffering. People with Anxiety need to feel safe enough to attend and experience the big emotions: sadness, anger, or fear—to feel the feelings. Don’t be afraid to ask them what is going on and bring more opportunities for them to speak up about what they are going through.

• Notice their signs of ‘overwhelm’: Try to understand that when someone is suffering, they may push others away even though they don’t mean to. This is because when someone is going through the experience of Anxiety, they cannot take anything else on—that experience alone is overwhelming! Try not to take their overwhelm personally.

• Talk openly about what is happening. Feeling ashamed is often what prevents people from seeking professional help and support. It may also cause some people to deny that they are struggling or experiencing Anxiety altogether.

• Reflect on your role as a supporter: Something really important that I see a lot in my clients is the attempt to FIX or SOLVE the other’s experience of Anxiety. Remind yourself that it is not your job to be the fixer.

• Instead be an empathetic listener and make it a goal to show up. Supporting someone with Anxiety can look like making sure their experiences are heard—that itself can be very reassuring. Reflect what it could look like if you could make a commitment to show up even when and especially when things are difficult.

“Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor.”—Thich Nhat Hanh 

Here are two Anxiety management coping strategies I practice when I experience Anxiety:

The 4-7-8 breathing technique 

Practiced with the yoga tongue placement (tip of your tongue on the gum between the roof of your mouth and your front teeth). This tongue placement relaxes your neck and head by preventing you from clenching. 

Here’s how to practice this breathing exercise:

1. Exhale completely through your mouth to prepare for the exercise

2. Breathe in 2, 3, 4

3. Hold your breath 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

4. Exhale 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

5. Repeat for 4 cycles

Practice this breathing exercise wherever you are.

Art as Therapy: Breathing mandala

Take a few moments to notice and visualize your current breath. 

Create a mandala of what your breath looks like right now (center of mandala) and how your breath can blossom (outer portion of the mandala).

One of the reasons why it is hard to “manage” Anxiety is that an individual with Anxiety can seem different from someone else with Anxiety.

As a therapist, I am never looking at a “one size fits all” coping strategies package when dealing with Anxiety. Learning coping strategies to help with Anxiety needs to be individualized to fit the person going through it. Which is why aligning your goals and working with a therapist can be so helpful in your healing journey.

Disclaimer: Everything posted here is for educational purposes only and is not a replacement for individualized medical or mental health treatment. If you are in need a therapist, book a free consultation with me via this link.