Summer should be a time for cookouts, catching up with friends and dancing to the oldies. However, in recent memory, the summer has been troubling for the marginalized person. The marginalized person is generally a being who has been placed on the edge of society. Laws are made to physically, geographically, emotionally and financially hold these people back. Marginalized people are deemed less than a white land owning male and are meant to never hold complete freedom. It is sadly inevitable that another police involve shooting or Rape allegation will break the airways in the coming months. When you combine these acts of injustice with a faulty government, one's hopes for a greater tomorrow can quickly turn into learned hopelessness. Such tragedies typically cause a hyper sense of angst and sadness. PR^2 is a model based of the theory of self-care. We are powered by a binary society that demands us to put others first before our own emotional wellness. PR^2 helps one Process said event, Release anxieties and Recharge the soul.                     

                                               

 Pre-Setting

1. Silence your phone.

2. Take a deep breath (Inhale through your nose, fill the stomach, exhale through your mouth and slightly collapse the shoulders). Repeat this step three times.

 Touch to Touch

1. Hold both hands in front of you with your palms facing each other but not touching.

2. Take a regular breath while simultaneously pressing both thumbs together.

3. Continue with each fingertip until your hands make the shape of a spade.

4. Reverse the process by releasing your pinky finger first, then ring…and so on.

5. Repeat the activity 2 to 3 times or as needed.

Process – The Event

Processing is your time, it can be done alone or with others. When processing a traumatic event with others make sure you are around people who can empathize with your emotions. This is not a time where you should feel defensive or combative.

1) Golden Processing Rule: If it takes longer than five minutes to explain your emotions to a person that doesn't understand, you should not process with them.

2) You should always end processing with a small sense of increased stability.

3) Do not be afraid to cry, laugh or yell.

4) There is no time limit; you can take ten minutes or three hours.

Release-Social Media

Clear your social media of people who do not understand or care to understand your emotions, (Remember ignorance is their problem, not yours).

1) If the videos are causing anxiety go to settings and disable auto-play.

2) Be careful reposting the actual incident. This can create and turn into a trigger which, could on set an anxiety attack. If you have seen it, there's a good chance everyone else has too.

3) Follow stock pages that provided daily encouragement.

4) Find your tribe of like-minded individuals who carry the same sentiment.

5) Use social media to keep yourself informed of current events, however, do not barter your emotional homeostasis.  

Recharge- The Body

Picture the body as 100%. When a traumatic event happens the body may decrease to 90 80, 70% etc. So, essentially you need to get that body back to 100%! Find out what makes you happy and separate it into these categories (Alone, With Friends, With Family)

1) Alone- Coloring, Reading, Writing, Excising and Painting.

2) Friends- Bowling, Mini Golf, Card Games, and Dancing.

3) Family – Embarrassing story time, Game night, watch your favorite childhood movie and add your own commentary or Act out your favorite TV family.

Go to sleep understanding that you may not know what will happen the next day but, your life is worth waking up and finding out.