Heart In Mind Blog• San Francisco Bay Area• California• Online
Reflections on recent and recurrent news regarding the Palestinian genocide and Hamas Attack: Part 2- Survivor’s Guilt
If you come from an immigrant family, you may be especially vulnerable to survivor’s guilt as you may have been taught to grit your teeth and bear any emotional (and physical distress) as a way— the only way, to cope with emotions that become overwhelming. To spend any time “being with” or “processing” your emotions not only sounds out of reach, but it can also sound selfish.
What depression can look and feel like; Considerations for Asian Americans, immigrants, and children of immigrants
Holding onto these conceptualizations of depression can help protect us in some ways from the shame/stigma associated with admitting that we’re struggling; that we need help. This shame/stigma can be especially pronounce among certain communities such as the Asian American community where bringing attention to ourselves alone is often discouraged; what’s more bringing attention to anything that can sever our family’s/community’s otherwise “good” reputation is unspeakable/strongly denounced.
Reflections on recent and recurrent news regarding the Palestinian genocide and Hamas attack: Part 1- Trauma Stewardship
We do not have to choose between ourselves or others. If we find ourselves doing that, this is likely a sign that we are experiencing a trauma exposure response. When we take care of ourselves with the intention of resuming taking care of others at a later time, this is different than taking care of ourselves to no end/to avoid problems that we actually care about addressing.
Hi, I’m Gina. It’s an honor to meet you.
Gina Li, Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)/ Therapist, California
I am a licensed mental health therapist based in the Bay Area, who specializes in helping young adults, Asian Americans, and caregivers throughout California, break the cycles of intergenerational and relational trauma so that they can live truly more fulfilling lives. This can look like being more gentle with ourselves and others, while also setting boundaries as needed. It can also look like gaining greater self-awareness and true confidence. In summary, this looks like learning how to stay grounded in who we genuinely are and who we genuinely want to be.
