Rest, Renew, Resist
a feminist how-to for taking care of yourself and others
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I saw Gloria Steinem speak earlier this month at UCLA’s Royce Hall. When asked what she would change about her early feminist activism, she said she wished she had known that she would be fighting for equality her entire life. The idea that the fight for women’s rights would be won easily, she said, led to burnout. Burnout is a common complaint among activists. In Jane Barry’s “What’s the Point of Revolution if We Can’t Dance?,” she writes that the idea that the personal is political has led to a “powerful and growing realization in women’s rights movements that the time has come to make well-being and sustainability a priority” (4). Marginalized communities are subject to structural violence — a form of oppression too often overlooked by those studying security (and insecurity) in the US and abroad. According to the American Psychological Association’s report Stress in America, “women are more likely than men to say their already high stress levels are on the rise and they are less likely to believe they are doing a good job of managing their stress.” Similarly, according to a study
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published in Child Development in 2014, “Adolescents who experienced frequent racial discrimination without emotional support from parents and peers” were at a “greater risk for chronic disease as they get older.” Self-care is thus vitally important, both for an individual’s mental and physical health, as well as for subverting cultural values that equate productivity with self-worth. Taking care of oneself is also necessary to the feminist goal of unlearning internalized racism, sexism, and homophobia. Unfortunately, self-care has become somewhat of a buzzword and is often coopted by capitalist interests (i.e. treat yourself and buy those Lush bath bombs). I wanted to create a zine that shared information about ways to take care of yourself that resist the corporatization of self-care practices and recognize the communal aspects of self-care. Self-care is, however, culturally dependent. I tried my best to be inclusive, but as a cis white woman in America I’m sure my examples of self-care are incredibly limited. In order to account for this, I included self-care resources by other organizations and left space at the end of the zine for people to write down their own practices.
.Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.
Audre Lordes
Bullet Journal Keeping track of your mental health is an important part of self-care and bullet journals can help. Bullet journals are kind of like a mix between a to-do list and a diary. Try the below format as a start. Wednesday 12/7 Tasks Turn in paper Work 1-3 Gym at 5:30 Emotional/mental Stressed about school Felt happy when I called Mom
Physical Got 7 hours of sleep Took multivitamin
Notes:
Journaling Activity Write down three body parts Take five minutes for each prompt. For the first prompt, use the first body part you wrote down. For the second prompt, the second body part, etc. No cheating! Even if it seems like it doesn’t apply. 1. Write about what you like to do with this body part. 2. Write about how you felt about this body part as a child. 3. Write a letter to someone that has this body part that you particularly like (especially if you know they’re insecure about that body part)
Loving yourself is not antithetical to health, it is intrinsic to health. You can't take good care of a thing you hate.
Lindy West, Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman.
May I live conscious of my debt to all the people who make life. possible..
. Audre Lorde, Zami.
Source: Bikini Kill – a color and activity book, 1991
Gratitude Activity Self-care cannot happen in isolation. Take 5 minutes every morning (or when you remember) to write down the people and things that you’re thankful for!
from What Kind of Times Are These By Adrienne Rich
I won't tell you where the place is, the dark mesh of the woods / meeting the unmarked strip of light— / ghost-ridden crossroads, leafmold paradise: / I know already who wants to buy it, sell it, make it disappear. And I won't tell you where it is, so why do I tell you /anything? Because you still listen, because in times like these / to have you listen at all, it's necessary / to talk about trees.
Knowing how to be solitary is central to the art of loving. When we can be. alone, we can be with others without. using them as a means of escape.
― bell hooks, All About Love: New Visions
Confrontation Tip Sometimes self-care means standing up for yourself. Has your roommate been bugging you? Your partner isn’t treating you right? Friend keeps messing up your pronouns? Try sitting this person down and using “I” statements. Instead of “You bailed on me last week” say “I was hurt when you cancelled on plans last minute” Change these sentences: You never take out the trash. You’re so inconsiderate!
Source: flavorwire.com/128822/a-briefvisual-history-of-riot-grrrl-zines
Other ideas for selfcare - Make a home cooked meal with or for friends - Go for a walk - Copy down some of your favorite quotes - Draw - Scream into a pillow - Take a hot shower - Reach out to a friend you haven’t talked to in a while - Play a sport
- Volunteer at an animal shelter - Make some tea and put on your favorite sweater - Braid your hair - Read a Wikipedia article about something you know nothing about - Go to your local library - Meet your neighbors - Go with a friend or by yourself to a religious - Take a day off social media
Mindfulness Activity Sit in a comfortable position. It could be on the ground or on a chair, but make sure it’s somewhere you can sit without fidgeting. If you’d like, set a timer for as long as you want. Five minutes is a good place to start. Breathe in for six seconds, hold for 3, then breathe out. Try to let your mind go blank. This can be difficult at first, so don’t get discouraged! Try to notice your breath — how it feels in your body. If you get distracted by your day-to-day life try to go back to your breathing. Play around. See if you like mindful breathing with music in the background or maybe guided meditation is more your thing!
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DIY Face Masks Self-care doesn’t have to cost a lot. These face masks only require things probably already in your kitchen. Coffee & Egg Mask 1 whole egg 1 tbsp of fine coffee grounds wait to dry, rub for extra exfoliation
Honey Face Mask 1 tbsp of honey put all over your face avoiding the eye area wash off after 5-10 minutes
Turmeric Face Mask 1 tsp ground turmeric 2 tsp ground oats 3 tablespoons of plain yogurt rinse after 20 minutes
Add your own self-care ideas here:
Other resources: Self-Care and Self-Defense Manual for Feminist Activists by Marina Bernal: http://www.genderit.org/sites/default/upload/self-carebrochure.pdf Travesías Para Pensar y Actuar: https://www.scribd.com/document/223570458/travesias-parapensar-y-actuar-experiencias-de-autocuidado-de-defensorasde-derechos-humanos-en-mesoamerica Subversive Self-Care: Centering Black Women’s Wellness http://www.thefeministwire.com/2012/11/subversive-selfcare-centering-black-womens-wellness/ 4 Simple, But Effective New Year’s Self-Care Tips for Adult Children of Abusive Parents http://everydayfeminism.com/2016/01/self-care-adultchildren/
“I have chosen to no longer be apologetic for my femaleness and my femininity. And I want to be respected in all of my femaleness because I deserve to be.”
― Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, We Should All Be Feminists