A Call for Healing and Wellness
Today, as the video footage of the killing of Patrick Lyoya is released, collectively we will most likely feel shock, sadness and outrage. An act like this inflicts trauma on our entire community.
As proponents of health and wellness, GRAAHI invites you to practice ultimate self care during these times. This includes the following:
- Prayer
- Meditation
- Spending quality time with family and friends
- Turning off social media, and whatever else you need to assist in protecting your overall mental health and wellness.
It also means making choices about what actions you need to take to support yourself and your family. Some may choose to watch the video and some may NOT choose to watch the video; both are your ultimate choice. What we ask is for you to truly protect your mental health and if you choose NOT to watch the video, It’s okay as this is your personal choice. If you do choose to watch, please do the following:
- Make sure you set healthy boundaries around the viewing.
- Don’t watch it alone.
- Ensure you have support to help you process the video.
- Don’t watch it repetitively, further challenging your self care and wellness.
This is not just a Black problem, it’s a community problem and will affect everyone in different ways. That being said, we encourage employers to acknowledge the potential impact of this event on your employees and what you can do to honor and protect them. Please allow them grace and flexibility as they navigate this traumatic event that happened in our city.
Violence, racism and systemic bias are not new issues, they are ongoing crises and at times like this, they become flashpoints for change. We encourage you to take this opportunity to practice self-care, self-empowerment and to stand with us as we fight for a better and safer community.
