Let’s Join the Revolution- Practise Self Care!

Hi all,

I thought I would share something for this WBW that I am really passionate about (albeit not always very good at it) and that is Self Care. It’s definitely something that I think DnA will be campaigning about over the next couple of years.

Ok…so Self Care sounds good but what does it really mean? Well, it’s all about being aware of our own well-being but more importantly taking active measures to make sure we actually look after ourselves.This sounds easy doesn't it? But how many of us actually practice Self Care? I think that the way society is set up, it’s so easy to get caught up in the day to day crap, and looking after everyone else, that it’s so easy to forget about looking after ourselves. I know this will be particularly true to everyone in DnA, as we have such an amazing community of individuals who are providing life changing support to students everyday.

I've struggled with this at times, and in all honesty, still do! Even with things that I really enjoy, I sometimes need to remember to stop and think about my energy and my well-being. I think people struggle to do this because we worry that it will come across as a bit selfish and self important. As Audre Lorde once said “Caring for my-self is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare” (no, I’ve not used Zotero to cite or reference correctly!). So as an example, one of my favourite bits of my role is going around the country telling people how bloody brilliant you guys are! Sometimes when we have lots of meetings, back-to-back, often at different ends of the country, it can be mentally and physically exhausting. Therefore, I have tried to learn to plan my journeys better and not feel bad about staying over the night before to save energy, and cut down on stress in terms of remembering what I need to take with me, travelling, finding the right venue, setting up, then having a clear mind and good energy to deliver the workshops/speech before travelling all the way home in one day. This then means I’m looking after me and delivering a better workshop/speech for DnA.

Here is a short video clip about Self Care.The reason I have included it is because it includes a point that I hope I have just illustrated above. By practising Self Care, we will actually in a better emotional and physical state ourselves, thus meaning that we can actually support the people who we care about and work with in our lives much better!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUKKJapwUXc

Really hope this encourages us all to think about how changing small things to practise Self Care can make a big difference. Here are some questions that we can ask ourselves to start moving from simply recognising the theory of Self Care and making it a daily practise:

• Have I slept enough in the past few days?
• Did I eat enough food?
• Is an excess of sugar or caffeine affecting my mood?
• Have I taken time to simply eat — without driving, watching television, or doing work at the same time?
• Am I hydrated?
• Have I spoken to someone I love today?
• Have I communicated my needs to somebody, or am I bottling everything up?
• Have I spent too much time doing/thinking about work?
• Have I been outside, seen daylight or done any exercise?

Here’s a quiz, that also might help you identify how caring you’re being towards yourself, and the changes that might make a difference :-)

Lets Join the Revolution of Self Care!

Adam, out!