Coping During Confrontation
As I've said elsewhere, this website is primarily about emotional coping, not political change. However, it would be naïve to think that confronting an aggressor cannot be a part of coping. I cannot tell you how to handle a confrontation. I can however give you tips on how to make confrontations less stressful and anxiety-inducing.
This article is about the importance of goal-oriented thinking in any confrontation. Keeping focused on a single goal can keep you on track and grounded during a confrontation. Ultimately allowing you to expend less stress and energy than you need to.
Framing is the unspoken story of "what kind of interaction we're having." Microaggressions often happen under frames which disguise their harm and complicate any confrontation. Catcalling is framed as "a compliment." Asking where someone is from is framed as "friendy interest." Standing up for yourself gets reframed as "attacking free speech." This article is about how to take back the frame of the encounter and control the narrative of what is happening.
Emotional coping skills can only help with symptoms. Until systemic oppression is dismantled there will always continue to be microaggressions. If you want to take political action annd try to fight back, this page has some links to get you started.