Follow Up: Reporting, Taking Care of Yourself, Finding Resources | UMatter at UMass

If you or someone you know has experienced an act of hate, please report it and get support. Reporting hateful acts enables us to track incidents, observe patterns, and take corrective steps. Hate hurts and we all need to be mindful about self-care in its wake. After experiencing or witnessing an act of hate or bias, you may experience a range of emotions, including anger, fear, isolation, stress, uncertainty and concern for your and other’s personal safety. During this time, support from friends, community, and counselors are important. These are some other things that can help:

Participation in support groups (transgender support group, POC support group)
Getting together with a small group of close friends
Dancing or working out to get out extra energy
Alone time to think, meditate, or engage in mindfulness practices
Being in nature
Keeping away from people, places, or things that make you feel drained
Making art, playing music, writing in a journal
Sharing cultural foods with friends and family
Taking a break from news, digital and social media
Spiritual practices that ground you, whatever your higher power may be

Support Resources

There are a number of on campus support resources including:

National Resources

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