Finding Hope and Meaning During Uncertainty: Coping with ICE-Related Stress in Chicago

When immigration enforcement touches your community or family, the emotional impact can be profound. Fear, disrupted sleep, irritability, and sadness are normal responses to ongoing stress and uncertainty. This can impact the mental health of people living in Chicago. For many Chicago residents, these events can bring up trauma or deep anxiety—even if they are not directly involved.

At TriWellness, we understand that mental health and safety go hand in hand. Our clinicians provide trauma-informed, culturally sensitive care for individuals and families navigating fear, instability, or loss of control and stress in Chicago. One therapeutic approach we often draw upon is logotherapy—a meaning-centered method developed by psychiatrist Viktor Frankl to help people cope during life’s most difficult times.

Logotherapy is grounded in the idea that humans are motivated by a “will to meaning.” Even when external circumstances cannot be changed, people can find strength and purpose in how they respond to suffering (Frankl, 2006). This framework can be deeply empowering for individuals facing uncertainty due to immigration stress or enforcement activity.

In therapy, we often explore:

• Creative meaning – finding purpose through action, work, or helping others.
• Experiential meaning – experiencing love, connection, beauty, or spirituality.
• Attitudinal meaning – choosing your attitude when you can’t change your situation.

Frankl wrote, 

“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.” 

At TriWellness, we use this philosophy to help clients our clients in Chicago on their journey in mental health to rebuild hope and resilience.

When uncertainty looms large, focusing on small, practical steps can restore a sense of agency:

• Create a safety plan with trusted family or community members.
• Know your rights. Organizations like the National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC) and Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) offer free information and legal referrals.
• Prepare important documents and emergency contacts.

Taking proactive steps—even small ones—can reduce anxiety and strengthen your sense of control, a key part of meaning-centered coping (Southwick et al., 2016) and stress relief.

Stress activates the body’s “fight or flight” system, and this can really impact the mental health of Chicago residents. You can use grounding tools to calm your nervous system and reconnect to the present:

• Grounding:
  • Notice:
  •  5 things you can see, 
  • 4 you can touch, 
  • 3 you can hear, 
  • 2 you can smell, 
  • 1 you can taste.
• Try box breathing: inhale for 4 counts, hold for 4, exhale for 4, hold for 4.

Once calmer, reflect using meaning-focused questions:

• What matters most to me right now?
• What kind of person do I want to be in this situation?

This blend of grounding and reflection helps transform fear into purposeful action.

Children sense adult stress but often express it through behavior—clinginess, irritability, or sleep regression. Protecting their sense of safety through consistent routines, simple explanations, and reassurance is key (NCTSN, 2021).

Encourage small purposeful acts: helping set the table, drawing thank-you cards, or caring for a pet. These actions give children a sense of meaning and control, buffering them from emotional distress.

You are not alone. Chicago is home to supportive organizations providing safe, confidential services regardless of immigration status:

• Heartland Alliance – Refugee & Immigrant Community Services (RICS): trauma-informed mental health and case management.
• Community Counseling Centers of Chicago (C4): bilingual counseling and family therapy.
• ICIRR: healthcare and community resource listings for immigrants.

Social connection is vital to healing. Logotherapy teaches that relationships and love give life enduring meaning—especially during hardship.

TriWellness clinicians integrate trauma-informed care (safety, trust, collaboration, empowerment) with meaning-centered therapy. This approach helps clients:

• Rebuild identity after traumatic change
• Reconnect to values and purpose
• Develop inner resilience through reflection and mindfulness

By blending cognitive, existential, and relational interventions, therapy becomes both practical and deeply human—a space to rediscover strength and meaning even in uncertainty.

If anxiety, depression, or trauma symptoms (flashbacks, nightmares, avoidance) persist, professional help can make a difference. Seek support if you experience:

• Persistent fear or panic
• Trouble sleeping or eating
• Thoughts of hopelessness or self-harm

Call or text 988 for immediate crisis support, or contact our team at TriWellness, PC for compassionate, confidential counseling.

In times of fear and instability, it can be easy to lose sight of meaning. But as Frankl taught, meaning is not found in circumstances—it’s discovered in how we choose to live, love, and persevere.

At TriWellness, our Chicago-based therapists help individuals and families find grounding, meaning, and healing through trauma-informed and integrative approaches. Whether you are coping with anxiety, adjustment stress, or grief, we are here to walk with you toward peace and purpose.

You can’t always change what’s happening—but you can change what it means to you.

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References

Frankl, V. E. (2006). Man’s search for meaning. Beacon Press. (Original work published 1946)
Marshall, S. L., & Marshall, R. (2012). Meaning in life and its relationship to well-being in adults facing adversity. Journal of Positive Psychology, 7(3), 198–208.
Pinedo, M., et al. (2020). Immigration enforcement policies and the mental health of US residents: A review. Social Science & Medicine, 262, 113274.
Southwick, S. M., et al. (2016). Resilience: The science of mastering life’s greatest challenges (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press.
National Child Traumatic Stress Network. (2021). Children, youth, and families who experience migration-related trauma and family separation. https://www.nctsn.org

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