How do you take care of yourself in a world that constantly demands energy of you and when you constantly have to put up a fight to get even tiniest bit of anything done as a woman? When you are constantly in a state of dealing with misogyny, patriarchy and sexism, like all women have to deal with in one form or the other, self-care becomes almost impossible to achieve.
You are either in a state of burnout, or you are too weary to act.
So, how do you then make time for yourself, choose yourself as a human and practice self-care?
1. Decide what part of the fight for equality you are standing for the most.
You need to pick an angle you are fighting from, to be able to address a very small part and make a good impact in that space. If not, you’ll throw a lot of energy around and get sapped in the process without any tangible result to show for yourself.
One of the best ways to pick an angle is to look at organisations fighting for equality that interest you the most and volunteer with them, work with them and make a concerted impact together.
2. Switch off from time to time.
If you’re like me, your mood probably switches from “Yay internet” to “bummer, someone did this?” every single day, especially if you are on Twitter.
So, learn to take time off. Once in a while, uninstall the most morbidly obsessive apps that drag you into the cesspool of sexism, and just turn on the TV. Seriously, it works. This helps you recoup, gather your energy for the real work that makes an impact.
3. In the middle of any meltdown, choose to stop.
Telling myself to stop in the middle of a meltdown has become a beautiful thing for my mental health. When you feel yourself entering a mental minefield, yell stop it and go do something soothing for yourself – get icecream, cook something weird (cooking calms my nerves) etc.
4. Indulge in Yoga and Meditation
Yoga is very relaxing for the body and the mind. Adriene Misher recommends it for Activists in particular – “Yoga is so great for young women who want to be leaders, who want to make a positive change in the world and who do not want to be shut down or oppressed.
If you already have an established relationship with yourself, the confidence of knowing why you’re in the room, then you can stay graceful, you can stay on topic, you can stay poised.”
In all, practicing self-care is a deliberate decision, what other tips do you have for practice?