MINNEAPOLIS — Emotion is rising to the surface and, for many, it's a familiar feeling.
"For Black and brown folks we have a history of this experience of stress, and this particular experience of stress due to structural racism," Marlee Dorsey says.
Dorsey is a therapist and the owner of Reviving Roots Therapy and Wellness in south Minneapolis.
She says that right now it's not about a right or a wrong way to experience what people are feeling.
"Allowing people and kind of giving people the permission to feel whatever they feel. If they feel angry, if they feel sad, if they feel frustrated or like nothing is going to change - just kind of offering that space," she says.
Stephanie Jensen is also a therapist and the owner of St. Paul Therapy.
"It's ok not to be ok," Jensen says.
She says boundaries are important when it comes to consuming all the information right now.
"Can you consume in increments? Are you part of a circle of folks who are willing to maybe take on consuming for a day or two and giving you an update?" she asks.
As you maneuver the day, Dorsey says regular check-ins with yourself are really important.
"I sometimes recommend that people set a timer on their phone, you know, every hour just kind of ask yourself like, 'How am I doing right now? What does my body feel like?'" Dorsey says.
Some movement, she says, can help shift the energy.
Jensen says staying connected with your people is super key if you're feeling overwhelmed, which might take a little more work in the midst of COVID. When you have those conversations, she reminds us, it's not about trying to fix things for people.
"Make sure there's some intentional space held for those feelings and if that's all that happens in that interaction that's still incredibly helpful," Jensen says.
Jensen has been offering free mental health consultations to people in the BIPOC community since the death of George Floyd. To learn more about that visit her website.