Anxiety Over Racial Profiling

Maybe you’ve been dealing with anxiety around racial profiling, and it’s hard to go about your daily routines with these fears hanging over your head. For BIPOC, you know that ignoring your intuition could carry real risks. But at the same time, you don’t want your anxiety to hold you back from living a full life and achieving your goals.

Coping with anxiety about racial profiling can be tricky, especially if you’ve been profiled before. Racism can chip away at your emotional well-being. You might be tempted to avoid situations because you’re concerned about being profiled. Here’s how to balance preparing for real risks and building your confidence so that you can feel confident no matter where you go.

Acknowledge Your Anger

If you feel angry about racial profiling, you don’t have to try to suppress those feelings. It’s natural to feel angry over blatant injustice. Whether you’re frustrated with your own experiences of being profiled, or you’re angry on behalf of other people, acknowledging these valid emotions is critical. While dwelling on your anxiety day in and day out can be unhelpful, internalizing the idea that you do have the right to be angry about this form of discrimination actually affirms your inherent self-worth as a human being.

Know Your Rights

You do not have to live with the burden of anxiety in order to stay safe. Taking some basic steps to determine how you would handle racial profiling can help you feel more grounded. It’s crucial to know your rights when it comes to engaging with law enforcement or dealing with discrimination at work. Spend some time researching your rights, and remember that knowledge is power.

Dealing with Avoidance

Take a moment to reflect on places or situations that you might be avoiding due to fears about racial profiling. Avoidance can seem like an easy solution to anxiety. By dodging scenarios that make you feel anxious, your nervous feelings will simply disappear.

But in the long run, avoidance significantly worsens anxiety. When you avoid situations, the fear builds up in your mind. Yet the idea of engaging in these situations seems far worse than the reality. By approaching situations that make you feel anxious, you’ll be able to increase your confidence. Each time will feel a little less nerve-wracking.

Take Breaks From Scrolling

It’s smart to stay informed about current events. However, spending hours scrolling through negative news, day in and day out, can damage your mental health. If you’re constantly reading about racial profiling incidents, your anxiety might be on high alert at all times, even when you’re perfectly safe.

You may want to pick one or two trustworthy news sources and designate a specific time of day to catch up on what’s happening in the world. It’s possible to stay on top of important events without fueling your anxiety.

Talk to a Supportive Therapist

Perhaps you’ve thought about reaching out to a therapist to cope with your anxiety, but you’re hesitant to open up to someone who hasn’t walked in your shoes. You may be worried that your fears will be dismissed, or that you’ll end up in the position of educating your therapist. As a result, you might have delayed contacting therapists, despite your struggles.

By reaching out to a practice with experience in BIPOC therapy, with therapists who have been trained in culturally competent therapy, you can share your feelings openly with people who understand you.

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If you’re struggling with anxiety over racial profiling, our culturally responsive therapists are here to help you navigate these challenging issues. We encourage you to contact us to learn more about our counseling services.