Rise & Thrive: Dealing With Discrimination At Work

In this introductory session we will talk about stigma and discrimination with the aim to create understanding on some important concepts that will help us better deal with the effects they have on us.

When experiencing pain it is just natural to want to get rid of it as soon as possible, the problem is that this response does not help reduce the pain. On the contrary, it makes it bigger because our body and mind shrink, limiting our capacity to find solutions. The first step to start a change for the better is to acknowledge what is happening as a way to open space for things to flow.

Very often we do not know what path to follow, because we are not aware of what is really important for us, what makes our heart sing and our mind shine. We also ignore what our limits are. Not having this clear, open space creates unwanted behaviours from ourselves and those around us. During this session we will be talking about our core values and what can we do to reconnect with them.

Many of us may not know that our painful emotions are strongly linked to our thoughts and beliefs. Once a loop is triggered, each element in the loop keeps the others alive, feeding them and creating a lot of suffering. During this session we will talk about these loops and explore how we can learn to identify them.

We miss many things that happen throughout our day because more often than not we live separated from the present moment. During moments of difficulty, of course we connect with the moment, but get stuck in our judgment, negativities, and the approval of others. This does not allow us to connect with that part of ourselves that can provide support. Being present and mindful is essential to solving our problems in a healthy way and achieving the life we want.

During this session we will talk about a fundamental step we can take to break free from the effects discrimination has on us. This happens not because others are changing their behaviour towards us, but because we are. We may not be able to control the weather, but we can learn to be ready for rainy days.

Going through a difficult situation always brings with it a series of equally difficult emotions, in the case of discrimination, one of these emotions that arise is resentment. Being able to recognize and understand what we feel will minimize our struggle, because we know how to handle it. We will explore this topic during this session.

Being confident, saying “No” or expressing our needs, ideas, likes, and dislikes may be difficult at times. But, lack of assertiveness creates immediate discomfort and long-term resentment. Thus, strengthening our assertive skills is vital for our mental and emotional health. This helps us to attend to our needs and live according to our values, which is the direct path to keeping our general well-being in check.

How well are you implementing healthy lifestyle interventions in your daily life? We will explore this during this session. We will talk about how making plans and having strategies (or rituals as some people like to call it), ready to use during hard times, will minimize the negative impact they have on us.

We will dedicate our last session to celebrate our capacity to heal ourselves through our ability to self-generate positive states. We will do this through a beautiful meditation practice based on loving kindness and self-compassion.