Self-Care…In This Economy?!

Mental health and abortion care has been a topic of discussion for a long time, but with the overturning of Roe V. Wade, the issue became more timely, and many individuals, organizations, and corporations were unprepared.

The elimination of the constitutional right to have an abortion and the lack of access to reproductive health care has already impacted mental health across the nation, and the future scope of that impact is harrowing.

In addition to compromising abortion access, and the impact on the mental health of the women directly effected, the overturning of Roe sets a legal precedent for controlling women's bodies which has created a host of anxieties for women.

However, the fact that the legal ruling is out of your control, doesn't mean that the way you react has to be. There are things you can do to be a part of fighting for your beliefs and contributing to change, but there are also tangible steps you can take to manage stress about the decision.

First of all, it's important to validate that the overturning of a nearly 50-year legal precedent protecting the right for a woman to make choices about her body is traumatic. The uncertainty about the future on both a micro and macro level that accompany that loss comes not long after similar feelings of uncertainty brought on by the pandemic.

Secondly, identifying the feelings you're having is key to learning the best ways to manage related stress. This is especially important as it relates to processing preexisting trauma that may be key to confronting the present events (i.e., past traumas relating to bodily autonomy, pregnancy, motherhood, previous abortions or obstacles to abortions).

Below are specific strategies to identify specific feelings you may be having, and to partake in practices that restore a sense of control over them.

1.     Identify What You’re Feeling

This may take more emotional bandwidth and time than you’re able to give if you get overwhelmed during a workday. It’s worth asking your boss for a day off. You don’t have to disclose that it’s for a mental health day; although, if you think that’s something that would be received well, you definitely can. Once you’ve given more time to identifying the origin of the feeling, you will have a better roadmap for how to cope and/or what resources (therapy, a friend, family member, support group, or organization) will be helpful in aiding this process.

2.     Address How and Where The Feeling Shows Up In Your Body

Intense emotions don’t solely occur in our minds. In fact, emotional unrest often first shows up in the body. This knowledge can be harnessed to seek appropriate treatment, and identify ways to self-soothe. A Trauma-informed therapist can be especially helpful with this. For more information, the book, The Body Keeps The Score by Bessel van der Kolk, is a good start.

3.     Practice Trauma-informed Mindfulness Exercises

An example of this is the “five fingers, five senses” exercise. This exercise, and others like this, are aimed to prevent disassociation. In this exercise, the goal is to Identify five things you can see, four things you can touch, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste, in as much detail as possible.  

4.     Movement

Stressful emotions are better processed while in motion because they manifest and are held in our bodies. Remaining idle, which is tempting when overwhelmed, can cause the emotions to fester or turn into unrelated fixations for distraction. Finding the right type of movement that best helps you to process emotions may take some trial and error.

5.     Identify an Adaptive Way to Channel Intense Emotions (Anger/Rage)

While emotions like anger and rage can be a catalyst to working towards change, it is important that these emotions are first expressed safely, without risking harm to yourself or others. Anger often requires a lot of energy. An outlet for this might look like screaming into a pillow, or a cardiovascular activity like sprints, to channel that energy in a safe way, that allows you to be present with the emotion and process it thoughtfully instead of impulsively.

6.     Use Your Voice

The overturning of Roe V. Wade highlights feelings of powerlessness and loss of agency. This can take many forms: peacefully protesting, making a donation to an abortion access fund, or volunteering at a local women’s shelter, or even sharing information to resources on social media. All of these acts are ways to regain a sense of agency, which can have a positive impact on your mental health.