Radical Self-Care
Radical Self-care is the assertion that you have the responsibility to take care of yourself first before attempting to take care of others. It’s necessary to fill your cup first, then to give to others from the overflow. This is what gives you the capacity to heal and to move forward into your next chapter of life. Audre Lorde, bell hooks, and Gloria Anzuldúa wrote of the necessity of women of color to practice self-care and self-love in order to deal with the daily onslaught of racism, sexism, homophobia, and class oppression.
"Radical self-care was and is an imperative practice to resist pressures to comply, conform, and above all, to remain true to our authentic selves. Radical self-care involves embracing practices that keep us physically and psychologically healthy and fit, making time to reflect on what matters to us, challenging ourselves to grow, and checking ourselves to ensure that what we are doing aligns with what matters to us. We consider this self-care “radical” because it fundamentally alters how we make choices about allocating time, money, and energy for ourselves personally, at home, and at work and seeks to revolutionize our workplace practices. Practiced faithfully, radical self-care involves owning and directing our lives and choosing with whom, how, and how often we engage in our nested, interconnected worlds so that we can be unapologetically ourselves in the face of unrelenting pressure and expectations to be otherwise." (Nicol & Yee, 2017, p. 134)
Markham (2014) explained:
"Most of us live in constant stress, which means we're often running on empty. Many days we wake up wishing life could be different. ….And then we feel even worse.
Sadly, remorse and self-blame after we lose patience doesn't change anything. Actually, it makes things worse, because it's hard to act like a loving, happy person when you're feeling like a bad person.
What if, instead, you could find a way to stay in a positive state more often? You can. Not all the time, of course -- into every life some rain must fall. But most of us can find a way to be more positive more often. It starts with finding ways to nurture and nourish ourselves, so we can stay more centered.
Angela Davis explained that radical self-care involves the mind, body and spirit. This series of discussions, activities and workshops were designed to bring strength in a time of crisis. Black women have been viewed in various roles; the backbone, counselor, doctor, healer, negotiator, activist, advocate, and the list goes on.
Throughout our journey, we tend not to consider our well-being. This series is created to meet needs not seen. Radical Self-Care will embrace the concept of caring for yourself: mind, body, and spirit.
This year, a series of programs will be offered. Some will include panel discussions, open discussions, and/or activities. It is important that you pay attention to the email invitations that will be coming your way. All events will require pre-registration.
Pre-registration will soon open for Spring 2021 workshops.
All workshops will begin at 5:30pm via ZOOM. Please pre-register in order to be entered into drawings for great prizes.
Contact
Hulman Memorial Student Union
7th Floor
Indiana State University
Terre Haute, IN 47809
Phone: 812-237-2877
Fax: 812-237-8774
Office Hours
Monday-Friday
8:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Resource Center Hours
Monday-Thursday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday
8:00 AM - 4:30 PM