The Importance of Self-Care for Immigrants
Self-care is essential for everyone. It doesn’t have to be extravagant, expensive, or time-consuming. Taking some time every day to focus solely on your well-being can make a big difference in your mental and physical health.
But, these practices are even more important for immigrants.
Whether you’re a first-, second-, or third-generation immigrant, there’s no denying that there are still challenges you might face in this country on a daily basis. Those challenges can create extra stress and anxiety, and the desire to fit in and work hard can sometimes keep you from taking care of yourself the way you should.
With that in mind, let’s dig a little deeper into why self-care is so important for immigrants and what you can do to prioritize it.
The Stress of Constant Questions
Even if you’re a third-generation immigrant, you’re bound to face questions and stereotypes almost every day. Most people mean well, but it can be exhausting and stressful to constantly hear things like, “Where are you from?” or “What accent do you have?” Even if you say you were born here, hearing follow-up questions like, “But where are you really from?” can be hurtful.
At the very least, it can be annoying. More often than not, it’s ignorant, racist, and microaggressive.
While it’s important to educate people in your inner circle on your background and culture, these questions can sometimes be grating, especially if you’re the only one in your friend group, class, or workplace who has to deal with them. Learning how to manage the stress of always having to field these questions and comments is important, and daily self-care practices can help.
Customs, Cultures, and Confusion
As an immigrant, you might have customs, cultures, and traditions you still like to practice that aren’t necessarily the societal norms here. You might also want to keep some aspects of your background while adapting to more common traditions of the dominant culture. Your cultural values can sometimes butt heads with your core values, creating internal stress and a potential rift in your family.
It’s important to understand that you are your own person. You have to discover what you truly want and the way you want to live your life. That might mean maintaining the traditional values of your family’s culture or adopting new ideas based on where you live now.
Choose things like mindfulness to help you combat these stresses and tap into who you really are and what you want. Mindfulness is a wonderful self-care practice in which the goal is to focus on the present. It can help you feel more grounded in who you are, so you’re not as heavily focused on the past or worrying about the future.
Incorporating Self-Care Into Your Routine
Self-care looks different for everyone. Again, incorporating practices like mindfulness into your routine is a great way to start caring for your well-being. But it’s just as important to find things you can do each day to boost your emotional and physical health.
That might include exercising every morning, cooking a healthy dinner, or writing your thoughts and feelings in a journal. Self-care can also include spending time with the people you love—those who care about you without judgment and are willing to listen to your thoughts and ideas.
Unfortunately, the challenges that immigrants have to face aren’t going away any time soon. Finding ways to bolster your well-being through small acts of self-care can make a big difference in how you feel and can give you the confidence you need to be more comfortable in your own skin, no matter where you are.
If you are struggling to navigate cultural identity, mental health, or ways to incorporate self-care into your routine, give us a call. We are here to guide you and support you on your journey. Reach out to learn more about life transitions therapy.