By Alicia M Atteberry

The year 2025 has started with a stressful bang. The United States is facing some of the most politically divided and uncertain times in recent history. This uncertainty is especially relevant to the immigrant community, who have become the subject of intense public debate that is often degrading and scary. This community is already far more likely to deal with separation from their support networks, and those who have had to flee their homes for their own safety now fear being returned. If you are an immigrant struggling to carry on with your daily life, you are not alone.

Mental Health Challenges in Immigrant Communities

The immigrant community faces many mental health concerns specific to their circumstances. Leaving your home country, for whatever reason, is a stressful change. If you felt forced to leave, it can also be traumatic. In the new country, citizens treat you as an outsider. Language barriers can create stumbling blocks for employment, basic needs, and social inclusion. Even if you live in a community of immigrants who speak your language and know your customs, you may feel isolated from the larger society and denied access to its resources. You may be dealing with the complexities and complications of immigration processes or the daily risks of being undocumented. On top of all this, many immigrants and children of immigrants are working multiple jobs or long hours, caring for young children, or helping their older family members navigate a new culture and language. These added pressures can understandably lead to feeling overwhelmed.

Unfortunately, many of these same issues also create barriers for immigrants seeking mental health support. The cost, time, and effort to find help can simply be more than you have. Immigrant communities also often have stronger stigmas regarding mental health treatment than the U.S. population as a whole. In the Latino community, for example, a 2013 study showed a higher rate of “shame and embarrassment about having a mental illness” that translated to fewer Latinos seeking help. Fear of being labeled as “mentally ill” could be preventing many from getting help, even in dire circumstances.

The truth is that nearly everyone struggles at times. Mental health is a lot like physical health – it might require attention and practice to maintain, but it’s not always in our control. Mental health treatment can often be about simply getting a little coaching and advice for how to do things like manage your anger, express difficult emotions, create boundaries in relationships, or make whatever changes you want to make in your life. If more serious problems exist, wouldn’t it be better to face that problem and deal with it than let it take over your life?

There is nothing wrong with seeking help, and if you do, it will all be confidential. Therapeutic relationships, like those with any doctor, are bound by law to remain confidential except under extreme circumstances.

Everyday Approaches

There are some approaches to managing mental health that can be practiced on your own each day:

• Prioritize getting sleep and rest. It seems obvious, and is certainly easier said than done, but making sure you get enough sleep is a key ingredient to staying mentally (and physically!) healthy.
• Find community. One of the strongest indicators of mental health is if the person believes they have someone they can turn to, even if just to talk. Being part of a church, club, or any kind of social group can help reduce your stress and help you feel safe.
• Stop to breathe. There’s a reason “take a deep breath” is a common response when someone is upset! Research shows breath work can help prevent stress and overwhelm. Taking a breath won’t necessarily stop a full-fledged panic attack, but carving out time to just breathe can help reduce anxiety and give you a tool to help reset when you get upset.
  • The simplest breathing technique is simply counting while you breathe. Make yourself comfortable and close your eyes. Now count as you start breathing in through your nose and expanding your belly, up to 5 or as high as you can go. Then count to the same number again as you breathe out through your mouth. Do this for around five minutes.
  • Check out this article for more breathing exercises.
• Practice mindfulness. Another popular technique for finding your mental balance is mindfulness. The term originates in Buddhism, which encourages a mindfulness practice that can include meditation, but a simple way to start is to intentionally shift your focus to your senses. Running through this list can be another easy way to “keep your cool”:
  • What can you hear?
  • What can you feel?
  • What can you smell?
  • What can you feel?
  • What can you see?
• Exercise when you can in a way that you enjoy. Exercise isn’t always easy to make a part of your routine, but it can have tremendous benefits for mental health. There are simple ways to move your body that don’t require a lot of time or money.
  • If you already do difficult physical work, consider adding a short stretching routine to the beginning and end of your day.
  • If you sit all day, set a time every day that you (and someone else?) will play a favorite song and dance.
  • If you’re able, take the stairs instead of the elevator once a day, even if just for a couple of floors.
  • When you go to the store for just a couple of things, park far away from the entrance and consider it a chance to stroll and read bumper stickers.
  • If you’re calling someone to catch up, go for a walk while you talk!
• Protect your peace. It feels like an unavoidable part of our lives now, but social media is shown time and again to have a negative effect on mental health. It’s important to keep track of what’s going on in the world, but it’s just as important to recognize when you are too overwhelmed or upset to process the information you are taking in. Consider making small changes to protect yourself from the negative effects:
  • Communicate directly with friends. A text chat or phone call can be a more satisfying way of getting the “social” you might otherwise get from social media.
  • Limit yourself to a certain amount of time each day to spend scrolling. You can even set restrictions on how many hours a day you can use certain apps in the settings on iPhones or with .
  • Consider setting alerts for news you really need to know – use Google alerts to get an email any time a keyword you choose comes up in the news. This will

More Resources

These approaches can help in many cases, but not all. If you are in serious distress, please seek out a mental health professional. Below we have gathered some additional resources that cater to immigrant and Latino communities in the United States:

At Eagan, we always want the best for our community. We work with many clients who have been or are currently victims or abuse, domestic violence, and human trafficking, so we try to connect every client with organizations that can provide support beyond legal assistance. Check out this list of more national and local resources in the United States for the immigrant community. Whether you have legal status in the U.S. or not, there is probably an organization near you offering community, advice, or other resources.

If you are in crisis and need immediate assistance, call or text 988 to speak with a crisis counselor in Spanish or English. You can also chat with a counselor at 988lifeline.org