Self-care often gets a bad rap - it somehow feels indulgent or something to do "later, when there is time." Making time for work, volunteering, parenting, friends, partners etc all feels somehow more important. But when you find yourself stretched to the limit, in the middle of, oh I don’t know, a global pandemic or something, you stop functioning as well. Your brain diverts resources and you go into fight or flight mode. The very things you are trying to do – be supportive of friends, and family, bring your most creative self to work, or work hard toward something that is important to you, suffer when you are not tending to your well-being.
The roots of self-care are deep, originating with the very basics of tending to one’s personal needs. But the definition of self-care has grown and really gained root in the activist movements of the 60’s, including the Black Panthers.
There is a great article about the radical history of self-care. In it, Angela Davis is quoted as saying: said: “Anyone who is interested in making change in the world, also needs to understand how to take care of herself, himself, themselves”
In this week’s podcast, Sherry and I invite you to turn Valentine’s Day on its head and focus more on taking care of yourself. Ultimately taking care of yourself IS caring for others, being your most innovative self, and it enhances your ability to make change in the world. We also quote some of our favorite people including, Peter Guinosso, jill sockman Mike Robbins, Aisha K. Ponds, and ya know, the #buddah who said:
If your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete.
Please take a listen and let us know what you think - how do you practice self-care?
