Survivor Guilt, Regret Rumination and How to Cop it as an Activist
This session is part of The Wellbeing Monthly 2023, a monthly virtual workshop will be led by diverse mental health professionals, and will focus on psychoeducation and coping mechanisms on diverse topics including anxiety and fear, guilt and survivors guilt, defeat and hopelessness, trauma, and burnout and stress.
- Who: Mathero Michelle Nkhalamba
- Date: Tuesday, July 18
- Time: 9am EDT / 1pm UTC (What time is it in my city?)
- Language: English
- Location: Zoom
👉🏽 RSVP: https://digitalrights.formstack.com/forms/wellbeingmonthly2
Survivor Guilt, Regret Rumination and How to Cop it as an Activist
Activists are often faced with the challenge of fleeing their countries for their own safety. In addition to adjusting to a new environment and way of living, the decision is riddled with feelings of guilt and worry for those left behind while watching the distressing situation in their home countries deteriorate. The psychological impact of this is unbearable for some and robs them of a peace of mind. The talk will focus on:
- What does survivor guilt look like?
- Regret Rumination and hindsight bias: “I could have done more”
- Coping with survivor guilt as an activist
Mathero Michelle Nkhalamba is a Psychologist, Counsellor and a Researcher with over 17 years of professional experience based in Zomba, Malawi. Her approach to wellbeing is holistic and focuses on preventive mental health which involves delivering psychoeducational workshops, leading therapeutic groups that empower people to take control of their mental health. In this particular space, reminding activists that prioritizing self-care benefits them psychologically and physically and also helps sustain their work in activism longer. She encourages tapping into one’s inner resources, self-awareness, and building resilience by identifying elements that foster or hinder one’s psychological growth. Mathero appreciates the role of social-cultural context in framing clients’ challenges, having had an opportunity to experience different cultures through her work with clients from all over the globe.
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