What does self-care mean to you? Where did you learn how to do this? How do you effectively practice self-care? How does your community provide care, or how do you provide care for your community?
These are all great questions I got to explore this weekend with a group of fellow young feminist activists at the FemFuture Retreat at the Omega Institute. FemFuture defines itself as "an
experiment in movement-building that develops solutions for
sustainability and impact in 21st century feminism." FemFuture is led
by young women Courtney Martin,
Samhita
Mukhopadhyay, Vanessa Valenti, and Jamia Wilson. I encourage you to check out their report about The Future of Online Feminism and their recommendations for building a more sustainable feminist movement. Also, read this great article about self-care by the weekend's amazingly talented facilitator Adrienne Maree.
I can't agree more with FemFuture about the need to insert the topic of self-care into conversations about the evolution of the feminist movement. Activist burnout is real. Sadly, so many "feminist" and "women's organizations" are notorious for underpaying and overworking their staff. In the world of online feminism, even behind the layer of the Internet, activists are brutally attacked. When the world is rapidly moving towards further discrimination and oppression, feminists activists need to be strong and supported, not burnout and abandoned.
Below are some of my main takeaways from the weekend. Please add your ideas about what works best for you. Stay tuned as FemFuture continues to evolve and follow the conversation online via #FemFuture. I'm very grateful to the organizers, my fellow participants, and the Omega Institute for the amazing opportunity to have participated in such a transformative event! Cheers to self-care (that may or may not include a glass of wine)!
Best Practices for Self-Care
-
Regular Exercise
-
Healthy Eating and Proper Hydration
- Deep Breathing
- Getting Enough Proper Sleep
-
Meditation
- Overcome Any Fear in Asking for Help
- Visit a Wellness Center
- Talk to Your Resident Assistant or Professor
-
Give Yourself Daily Validation, "What am I most proud of from today?"
-
Give Support to Others
-
Active Listening
-
Spending Time in Nature
-
Have a Self-Care Buddy to Hold Each Other Accountable (daily text each other about how you practiced or did not practice self-care, do this for a week/month/six-months/etc)
-
Going on a Walk
-
Journal Writing
-
Therapy (The Women's Center in DC offers affordable counseling services)
-
Take a Landmark Education class
-
Spending Time with Friends
-
Checking in with a Mentor or Coach
-
Learning a New Hobby
-
Use Vacation Time
-
Going to the Movies or Shopping
-
Read a Book
-
Create a Self-Care Fund for Yourself
-
Art Projects
-
Articulating Your Needs for Yourself and Others
- Incorporating Play into Your Day
- Do Whatever were some of your Favorite Things from Childhood
- Establishing Do-able Time Management Scheduling
-
Unplug from your Phone and Computer
-
Get Grounded through your Senses (smell, touch, sounds, texture, etc)
-
Bubble Baths, Massages, Mani/Pedi
- Maintaining a Spiritual Practice
- Schedule Regular Time for Reflection
- Sit in a Quiet Room Alone and Do Nothing
-
Get Rid of Habits, Structures, or People that No Longer Serve You
-
Find Healthy Ways to Get Rid of Your Anger Such as Boxing
- Consider Alternative Healing Options
- Take a Self Assessment (Strength Finders 2.0)
-
Create Daily, Weekly, Monthly, and Annual Strategies and Practices and Ways to Hold Yourself Accountable
YOU CAN DO THIS!
TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE OURSELVES, AND OUR COMMUNITIES MORE POWERFUL FORCES TO DO GOOD IN THE WORLD!
TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE OURSELVES, AND OUR COMMUNITIES MORE POWERFUL FORCES TO DO GOOD IN THE WORLD!
Samhita Mukhopadhyay
Samhita Mukhopadhyay
Courtney E. Martin
an
experiment in movement-building that develops solutions for
sustainability and impact in 21st century feminism. - See more at:
http://femfuture.com/about/#sthash.xFNa0rxx.dpuf
an
experiment in movement-building that develops solutions for
sustainability and impact in 21st century feminism. - See more at:
http://femfuture.com/about/#sthash.xFNa0rxx.dpuf
an
experiment in movement-building that develops solutions for
sustainability and impact in 21st century feminism. - See more at:
http://femfuture.com/about/#sthash.xFNa0rxx.dpuf
an
experiment in movement-building that develops solutions for
sustainability and impact in 21st century feminism. - See more at:
http://femfuture.com/about/#sthash.xFNa0rxx.dpuf
an
experiment in movement-building that develops solutions for
sustainability and impact in 21st century feminism. - See more at:
http://femfuture.com/about/#sthash.xFNa0rxx.dpuf
an
experiment in movement-building that develops solutions for
sustainability and impact in 21st century feminism. - See more at:
http://femfuture.com/about/#sthash.xFNa0rxx.dpuf
an
experiment in movement-building that develops solutions for
sustainability and impact in 21st century feminism. - See more at:
http://femfuture.com/about/#sthash.xFNa0rxx.dpuf
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