And along with it come others:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Who is going to pick up my kids? And who is going to stay with them if I need to go to the hospital?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Will someone help me if I feel sick? And what if I can't work?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Or what if I need help and there's no one around?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These thoughts may seem exaggerated. But there is a reason why they can become so present.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because when we leave our country, we often lose more than just the physical proximity of our family. We lose an important part of our safety net.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And our body also perceives this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Human beings were not made to handle everything alone<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Throughout our history as a species, survival has never depended exclusively on one person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because caring for children, feeding the family, protecting the most vulnerable, and facing dangerous situations has always been, in large part, a shared responsibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Grandparents, siblings, uncles and aunts, neighbors, as well as other community members, participated in daily life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When a mother needed to rest, someone could help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And when a child got sick, someone could stay with them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Or else, when an adult fell ill, other people could temporarily take over some responsibilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This means that the feeling of human security is also related to the perception that we are not alone.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n When we immigrate, this structure can change completely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Suddenly, that person who lived ten minutes away is thousands of kilometers away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The grandmother cannot simply show up to pick up the child.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Or the sister cannot show up to prepare a meal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A childhood friend cannot accompany you to an appointment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And you start to realize that, in many situations, it's you for yourself.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Our organism has extremely sophisticated systems to identify threats and prepare us to deal with them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When we perceive danger, the autonomic nervous system can increase the body's state of alertness<\/a>. Hormones and neurotransmitters associated with the stress response help the body become more prepared to act.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is the well-known answer of fight<\/em><\/strong> or flight<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The heart can race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Respiration can change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Muscles become better prepared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Attention increases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Brain starts looking for solutions and potential threats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All of this is extremely useful when there is an immediate danger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The problem arises when the feeling of threat is no longer occasional and becomes part of daily life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For an immigrant mother, for example, perhaps there is no lion chasing the family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But there can be a persistent feeling of:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI cannot get sick\u201d or \u201cI need to be available\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI can't just stop\u201d or \u201cIf something happens, I don't know who will take over\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The body does not necessarily need to be facing immediate physical danger to experience stress. The perception of a lack of safety, excessive responsibilities, and an absence of resources to deal with a situation can also contribute to keeping the organism on high alert.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is where something very common in the immigration experience comes in: hypervigilance<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You start thinking in advance about everything that can go wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There's always a plan B.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And sometimes, a plan C.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Do you know where the nearest hospital is?<\/p>\n\n\n\n There is a list of phone numbers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She thinks about who could pick up the kids.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She keeps her commitments even when she is tired.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Avoids missing work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Postpones that appointment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ignores some of the body signals because \u201cnow isn't the time.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And, little by little, a dangerous belief can emerge:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI don't have the right to get sick.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Not because you really don't have that right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But because, in your perception, getting sick seems to represent too big of a risk for the whole structure that depends on you.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n There is a change in perspective that can be very important for those who live this reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Taking care of health shouldn't just be something we do when a problem arises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After all, for those who have a great responsibility for other people, self-care can also be a form of prevention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It doesn't mean living obsessed with illnesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It doesn't mean trying to control everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat happens when the brain realizes there is no network nearby?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The invisible burden of those who \u201cneed to have it all together\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
When self-care becomes a matter of survival<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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