As a woman of colour living in times where the lines of belonging are drawn too often by the colour of one’s skin, I have found myself walking through the world with a quiet but constant hum of anxiety. A question echoes beneath daily interactions: Will I be accepted here? Am I safe here? Sometimes, it is hard to hear. Other times, it is loud and very present, especially when someone looks at me and says, or implies, “Go back to where you came from.” As though the land I have lived in all my life, contributed to, and loved isn’t my home as well.

This fear is not always loud. It can show up in the way I hesitate before entering a room or how I scan the room to see if anyone else looks like me. In my youth, I used to hide away, shrinking myself. Not wanting to take up too much space, just in case someone reminded me I didn’t belong.

Living in this state for too long brings an emotional weight one of distrust, hypervigilance, and, at times, isolation. But in the quiet moments, when the overwhelm starts to expose itself, I have leaned into mindful photography.

The Healing Power of Seeing

Mindful photography is not about perfect images or filters. It’s about pausing. It is the practice of slowing down and truly seeing what is around me, such as the curve of a petal, the groves in a tree bark, and ripples of light on water. When I look through my lens, I am reminded that nature does not ask for permission to belong. The tree does not question whether the soil accepts its roots. It simply is.

Photographing nature, especially during seasonal changes, has taught me about cycles. Just as the earth shifts from bloom to decay and back again, so too does society move through seasons. Sometimes, we are in winter when division feels harsh, and connection feels scarce. But spring does come. New life returns. And just like in nature, change is inevitable.

This practice has helped me come back to myself. It offers a reminder that there is beauty in this world, and more importantly, beauty in me, no matter how society may try to tell me otherwise.

Pairing photography with journaling allows me to process the emotions of anger, fear, and exhaustion but also to name the joy, the resilience, and the moments of belonging I find.

I wanted to share my practice of keeping grounded during times of uncertainty when it comes to my identity as a black woman. To reconnect with feelings of safety, grounding, and belonging through my surroundings.

A Mindful Photography Activity: Finding Safe Spaces.

1. Set your intention: Before you head out, sit quietly and take three deep breaths. Say to yourself: Today, I seek the places where I feel rooted. Where I feel whole.

2. Go for a walk (even around your neighbourhood or in your home) and create photos of spaces or subjects that make you feel safe, seen, or connected, however small. This could be a tree that has stood in your neighbourhood for years. Sunlight cascading across a chair.

3. Move slowly: Spend a few extra seconds just looking and exploring your subject before creating a photograph. Notice textures, light, movement. What feelings do you notice? In your body?

4. Reflect: After your walk, look through your photos. Choose one that speaks to you the most.

5. Journal: Explore what belonging means to you. Not as others define it, but as you feel it in your bones.Where and when have you felt a deep sense of rootedness? What parts of yourself are you reclaiming unapologetically?

There is no pressure to arrive at answers but explore. The purpose is simply to honour your truth and keep your inner voice alive.

In times when the world feels harsh, mindful photography and journaling have become a soft, compassionate space to stay connected, not just to the beauty around me, but to the unshakable truth of who I am.

I belong. My story belongs. My joy, my pain, my love,  they are all part of this world. No one can take that away.

Please do let me know if you have used the mindful photography and journaling practice I shared.

Keep shining and thriving in your own way,

Annette X