Self-care and social justice

In my profession, Social Work, we hear a lot about self-care. When we get overwhelmed, get angry or cry about the slights, injustices and micro-aggressions and sometimes macro-aggressions at work we are reminded about self-care. It is like if we are not engaging in self-care we are not doing something right.

When I first heard of taking care of myself in this way in the 1990s, I thought of self-care as eating cookies and taking bubble baths which can still be a part of my self-care.  But, let me write about what self-care is not . . .for me.

My self-care is my self-care. . . not other people’s ideas for my self-care. My self-care is not going out to eat and drink in a crowded, noisy restaurant and either gossiping about work or trying to make conversation about things I am not interested in (I wonder if this will be easier now that I have a hearing aid)?

My self-care is not letting people down because I am doing these so-called self-care activities.

What is my self-care?

My self-care is eating, exercising, sleeping, resting, thinking and interacting in a way that serves my body, mind and spirit. My self-care is doing my jobs well, practicing and preparing before I go into something that I am either doing for work or that I’ve volunteered to do. My self-care is listening to myself and others, and being honest, but polite, respectful, patient and forgiving with myself and others when I just can not do something. . . and being polite, respectful, patient and forgiving when others can not fulfill their obligations.

My self-care is looking for justice, and thinking of care and self-care in the long term-not just the short term. Balancing the rights, needs and wants of myself, others and all my environment. To me self-care can feel hard and burdensome in the short-term.

My body, mind and spirit need a lot of care. My body, mind and spirit are like babies, and so are yours.

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