Navigating high school is hard enough on its own. You’re transitioning from leaving your youth and becoming an adult. You’re working to earn good grades, plan your future, and maintain social connections.
When faced with discrimination, all of that gets to be exponentially harder. Sadly, while progress has been made, the current state of the world still needs some work on the equality front.
If you’re facing discrimination as a member of the LGBTQ+ community, you’re not alone. Here are some ways to cope with discrimination.
Watch Your Emotional Reactivity
Being the victim of discrimination can elicit strong emotions, especially when you’re in high school and already on emotional overdrive. For starters, remember that it is okay to feel these emotions. What you do with them is what matters.
Emotions drive action. When you’re overly emotional, as in the heat of the moment, the action that follows may not have the best outcomes. If you’re finding yourself in a situation where you're being discriminated against or witness to such an event, take some time to sit with your emotions.
Feel them and give yourself time to return to a calm state before acting. Be mindful of what you are feeling and where you feel it. This will allow you to more effectively describe what you're going through and how to direct it.
Get Support
Social support is a helpful tool when faced with discrimination. Find people who share your struggles or who understand what you may be going through. Keep them in your circle to lean on when you need extra support.
This support can be your family or friends. Some schools are not as diverse, and your peers may not be the most understanding or accepting. That’s okay. This support can be a group of individuals who identify as LGBTQ+. There are groups around the country and many available virtually that would be more than welcoming. You are not alone, and being able to share your experiences with others can provide you with the reassurance you need during a difficult time.
Get Involved
When faced with discrimination, it’s natural to want to change it so you don’t have to experience it any longer. Creating a change of your own can be a great outlet for the negative emotions you may be having.
Get involved with an LGBTQ+ group if your school has one or one local. If neither option exists, explore your options for starting an organization of your own. On a safe and non-violent level, activism is a great way to have a positive impact.
Have meetings with your school administrators or leaders. Organize volunteer opportunities. Write letters to your local political leaders or government legislators. High school is a great time to start making your voice heard. You are the future and your voices matter, especially regarding things like race and sexual orientation.
Don’t Dwell, Plan
After you’ve had one, let alone multiple, experiences with discrimination, you may find yourself having a hard time shaking it off. After all, why should you just ignore it? What you don’t want to do with your feelings is dwell on them.
It’s easy to be hung up on a situation that happened and what you did (or didn’t do) as a response. Part of that happens because you don’t know what the right way to handle it is. The other part may be limited understanding of how to go about it.
Don’t let your feelings spin on a hamster wheel in your head. After the immediate feelings settle, think about what the most logical way of responding could be. What can you do differently next time? What went well, if anything, this time with your response?
Don’t carry each burden with you. Create a plan for the next time this happens and let this instance sit in the past.
If you’re facing discrimination at school and are unsure how to cope, we can help with that. Contact us today for further discussion for teen counselling.