Showing Support for SAAM: Three ways to practice daily wellness

Written by Kaitlynne Rainne, Graphic by Ana Vergara

Content warning: This article discusses topics of sexual assault, violence, and abuse. 

April 1 marked the beginning of Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM), marking a time to show support for loved ones and friends. While it is a difficult topic to navigate, it is also important to keep that conversation going and to find ways to educate yourself because it’s through education that you can begin to truly empower and uplift survivors of sexual assault, harassment and abuse. This installment of District’s SAAM coverage covers ways to protect your mental health and practice daily wellness.  

Talking about and educating yourself on SAAM can be taxing and as a survivor, friend or loved one of a survivor, it can be even more difficult. First, if you need immediate resources, please do not hesitate to reach out to a professional. The Bee Well office is here for you as well as the 24/7 emergency counseling hotline. But for more things you can do on your own, here are three things you can incorporate into your routine. 

Journaling

Journaling has been a proven method to help not only SA survivors but anyone struggling with trauma to connect with their thoughts and process them. Sometimes writing about difficult things and moments can be easier than talking through or can help you gain the strength to vocalize them. Wherever you are in your healing journey, your feelings are valid and deserve a safe space to exist. As a writer, I can tell you that if you find a way to let the stories that have always existed internally, exist externally (on the page), it will be one of the most liberating things you can do. 

If you’re wondering where to even start, don’t worry. Here are some prompts you can follow. 

How am I reconnecting with myself this month? 

Get intentional with it. 

What are ways I can take care of myself and practice self-care? 

Spend a night practicing self-care, journaling, binge watching your favorite comfort movie/show. This is totally up to you! Just make sure it’s dedicated time to take care of yourself. 

My intentions to protect my peace for the day are  

Setting daily intentions for each day can help start your day off on a positive note. You deserve to be at peace and these can give you mini goals to achieve and ways to check in with yourself. 

Where and what is safety? 

Defining what safety means to you and where you feel most safe can help you identify places and/or people who can be there for you. This could come in handy if you need to develop a safety plan. 

Write 10 good things that happened this week 

You deserve to highlight the good things in your life! Gratitude and shifting your mindset to the positive can be so helpful. 

Write about what happened

This is going to be hard and by no means do you have to do this. But if you feel safe and are in a mental space to do it, writing down what happened could be a great step towards healing. You may not know everything, but trusting your feelings and allowing those to exist and be recorded can help as you process everything with a professional source or trusted loved ones and friends. 

Affirmations 

Hand in hand with journaling, affirmations are a good way to help remind yourself that you are okay and everything will be okay. Whether you write these down in a journal, a sticky note to put on your laptop, or write them on a mirror where you’ll see them, affirmations are a great wellness activity to practice. Here are some affirmations to practice mindfulness and wellness: 

My feelings and thoughts are valid. 

Today, I will celebrate all the small wins. 

I am enough. 

I am capable. 

My peace is mine; I will not allow anyone the power to take that away.

Growth comes at different moments for everyone. 

Tomorrow is a new day. 

I am not my past, I am creating my future. 

I give myself permission to move forward.

Grounding Techniques 

Working through and healing from trauma can often be ungrounding. And trust me, I know how unsettling the flashbacks can be. One way to help is to follow grounding techniques. These techniques are a way to reconnect with your surroundings and divert your attention from thoughts that lead to anxiety and emotional distress. Apps like Headspace and Calm can be a great avenue to find grounding techniques. This detailed guide from Calm offers mental and physical grounding techniques that you can try.

The most important thing to remember during this month is to be patient with yourself. You deserve to follow your journey your way. Take care of yourself. 

For more mental health support, don’t hesitate to contact Bee Well or the SCAD Savannah emergency hotline at (877) 959-3620. And remember, while April is the nationally recognized month for SAAM, every month should be dedicated to sexual assault awareness, education and support. This month is a time to uplift survivors, create safe spaces, start conversations, and work towards a better future. 

Take some extra time this month to research or showcase your support for SAAM and your community. The more we speak up about these topics, the safer and more informed we can all be.