A
Awareness to get Active
Become aware of the warning signs of burn-out and take the first step towards being active.
Warning signs: mental and physical fatigue, trouble sleeping, irritability, feeling detached or unlike yourself.
Take a moment and breathe.
Commit yourself to taking a step back.
Listen to your body and your mind.
Do yoga, work out, ride a bike, rollerskate, skateboard, go on a run, play a sport, walk your dog, have a dance party, get your body active in some way that brings you joy.
B
Boldly Believe in Balance
Recognize that burn-out is caused by imbalance and remedy it, whether it is work, family, friends, school or your activism work that you need to take a step back from.
Identify the stressor and take a moment away from it.
Find your own balance between work and play, family and friends, school and sports, physical and spiritual, being alone and being surrounded by people.
Do not be afraid to say “no”.
C
Create with Courage and Confidence
Take part in creating something that will bring you confidence and peace.
Use creative expression through writing, photography, drawing, painting, sculpture, music, acting, dance or anything in between.
Bring compassion to everything you create, and if you feel called to share that joy with others.
Make courage your best friend. Do not fear the unknown, embrace it.
Use your creative expression to bring a sense of community to those around you in times of feeling lonely or sad.
Defining Self-Care
Self-care: Anything we do deliberately to take care of our individual and collective mental or physical health.
Burn-out: Physical or mental exhaustive collapse caused by overwork or stress.
D
Disconnect then Detach to Discover
Let go of any burden holding you back or telling you that you can not do something. You will accomplish what you set your mind to.
Disconnect from people, groups or events that bring up trauma.
Set a time at night on your phone that you will not indulge in social media and stick to it. Take a step back all together if you feel the need to. Social media can be used as a tool if used correctly, but it can also turn into an anchor.
Detach from feelings of disappointment, frustration and neglect.
Discover yourself through showing love and kindness to your physical and mental being.
E
Expand to Empower and Enlighten
Branch out of your comfort zone to empower yourself first, so that you can enlighten others.
Take part in an adventure that may scare you and try to push yourself, which can be anything from skydiving to trying a new food you thought you would never eat.
Embody empowerment through approaching your self-care with an open heart.
Find new hobbies or take part in old ones outside of your work.
Expand the way you approach situations. If something has not worked in the past, take a step back, evaluate and try again.
F
Forgiveness to Find Freedom
Release the feeling of guilt for taking time to build yourself up and any lingering anger, frustration or hatred you hold in your heart.
Take an inventory of your spirit: Do you have left over feelings or emotions? Are you holding onto anything that is holding you back from your fullest potential? Are you at peace with yourself?
Start a note in your phone and keep track of all the things you have actively had to let go. Look back at this to see your progress and the recurring aspects in your life that you can focus your energy on identifying early and then actively respond to it.
Forgive yourself for mistakes you think you’ve made. Mistakes are just learning experiences that help us grow.
Changing the world is a marathon, not a sprint.
If we want to bring about real change, we have to avoid burn-out.
This is accomplished through continuous active self-care.
G
Grounded Gratitude creating Growth
Have gratitude in your life for the small things and people who have been introduced to you through your work, they can help keep you grounded.
End each day before you head to sleep with at least one thing you are thankful for, small or big. It can be the fact that you got out of bed that morning, that both your legs kept you standing all day, or that you had an awesome ice cream sundae for dessert.
Stay grounded through reminding yourself that your self-care is about you, your activism work is not.
Continue to invite growth into your life and recognize the growth that has already taken place.
H
Heal to Help Harmony
Healing is the last step to self-care and it makes us better at approaching whatever cause has called us. We need to help individually and as a larger community.
Encourage those around you to heal and bring your peace to the communities that surround you. There is a lot of healing that needs to be done in this world, and it only gets accomplished if we take part in it together.
Seek out a mentor who can connect with your cause, struggle, lifestyle or healing process and create a mutually beneficial personal and professional relationship.
After forgiveness comes healing.
Forgive yourself and others and then take the time to recognize your own healing process. There is no right or wrong way to heal.
I
Ignite your Inner Intuition
Institute daily self-care practices and check-ins to ensure you maintain the peace you have found.
Hold yourself accountable to at least one emotional wellness task every day, whether it is small like making tea in the morning while you focus on your breathing or doing an hour of yoga every night.
Listen to your body and your mind when they are asking for help.
Take an inventory before bed of what your inner being needs.
When you ignite your own flame, it will spark the fire in others all around you. You can not start a fire without a spark, so be that ignition for others who have not yet found theirs.
Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare
Audre Lorde, Writer and Civil Rights Activist