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Taking care of yourself is important for activism. The fight is long and will not be over quickly. If you do not take care of yourself first, then you will not be able to show up consistently for the causes that drive you.

What does self care mean? #

This will look different for every individual. It will help to take some time to journal and consider the things that bring you joy outside of your activism. The goal is to identify some activities that allow you to feel rested, accomplished and at peace. This could mean you spend dedicated hours reading books, playing video games, or spending time with family. It will be different for everyone which is why it is so difficult to prescribe how to achieve it. It may also change for yourself over time.

Resources #

• Beginner’s Guide to Self-Care for Activists from LiveYourDream.org.

• Self-Care and Sustaining Activism: Infographic from Global Fund for Women.

• 5 Self-Care Tips for Activists by Kim Tran

• Tips for Self-Care as an Activist from Direct Action Everywhere

• Self-Care for Activists by Upsana Barath

• Mapping Our Social Change Roles in a Time of Crisis by Deepa Iyer.

• Self-care workbook from Frontline AIDS et al.

• Personal ecology self-assessment kit from Mozilla.

• How Organizations and Leaders Can Support Community Self-Care from Network Weaver

• Organise Yourself Healthy by Holly Hammond

• Overcoming the Top 3 Challenges to Self Care by Bronwyn Gersham

• Sustaining Ourselves as Activists by Helen Cox

• Campaign Wellbeing Bingo by Holly Hammond

• Mindful on Purpose: Inner Work for Leaders by Paul T. Shattuck (TEDxPenn)