by: Farrah Khan
A Note: Self-care is a Collective Responsibility
Self-care is not just a personal practice, but a collective responsibility, requiring commitment from institutions, colleagues, and the broader community. A part of ending gender-based violence is fostering a culture of care that prioritizes the well-being of campus GBV workers while acknowledging the efforts of those most affected by gender-based violence.
This is an Invitation to Take a Breath
To sustain ourselves and our movements, remain open to possibilities, cultivate our creativity, and have the most significant impact, we must invest in a vital resource: ourselves. Self-care is both a radical practice and necessary to create lasting social change. We hope the list below inspires you to cultivate and strengthen individual self-care practices for 2024.
It’s okay to grapple with what it means to take care of yourself when your communities continue to face challenging systemic issues, your family and friends need support, AND work demands pile up—however, our health and wellness MATTER. Taking care of ourselves is a radical and necessary part of social change. Yes, a lot is happening worldwide and there’s lots to do, but you matter, too.
The origins of self-care conversations are often glossed over and depoliticized. However, one of the most significant contributions was from Audre Lorde, a Black American writer, feminist, womanist, librarian, and civil rights activist. Check out her seminal book Burst of Light, which discusses the intersections of racism, sexism, homophobia, and cancer.
“Caring for myself is not self-indulgence. It is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.” Audre Lorde
Apps
- you feel like shit is an interactive self-care game that provides you with self-care prompts.
- Shine
- Mindshift
- Drivethru
- Thought Diary Pro
- Healthy Minds
- Calm App
- Headspace
- Insight Timer (20,000+ free meditations and meditation timer)
Websites, Articles, Videos
- Revisiting Vicarious Trauma in Gender-Based Violence Work: Opportunities for Fostering Vicarious Resilience & Collective Wellbeing. Learning Network Issue 36 | November 2021.
- Schulz, P., Kreft, K., Touquet, H., & Martin, S. (2022). Self-care for gender-based violence researchers – Beyond bubble baths and chocolate pralines. Qualitative Research.
- Trauma Informed: The Manitoba Trauma Information and Education Centre provides training and resources to service providers across the province to support trauma-informed care.
- Beyond the Cliff, Laura van Dernoot Lipsky, TEDx
- The Edge of Compassion, Françoise Mathieu, TEDxQueensU
- Guided Self-Compassion Exercises
Books
- Burst of Light by Audre Lorde
- Tarana Burke and Brene Brown
- Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle” by Emily Nagoski and Amelia Nagoski – Addresses burnout and provides strategies to manage and prevent it.
- Care Work, Dreaming Disability Justice by Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha
- Trauma Stewardship: An Everyday Guide to Caring for Self While Caring for Others by Connie Burk and Laura van Dernoot Lipsky
- The Body Is Not an Apology: The Power of Radical Self-Love by Sonya Renee Taylor
- Trauma and Recovery by Judith Herman
- Healing Sex: A Mind-Body Approach to Healing Sexual Trauma by Staci Haines
- Waking the Tiger by Peter Levine
- Caring for Yourself is A Radical Act: A Self-Care Guide for Youth Workers by Farrah Khan
- Mindfulness Skills for Trauma and PTSD by Rachel Goldsmith Turow
Podcasts
- 40 Practice: The Perfect Nap with Tricia Hersey of The Nap Ministry Irresistible (fka Healing Justice Podcast)
- Therapy for Black Girls: Addresses mental health topics and self-care within the Black community.
- The Trauma Therapist Podcast by Guy Macpherson, PhD – Interviews with trauma therapists discussing various aspects of trauma and healing.
- How to Survive the End of the World: Episode A Breathing Chorus with Alexis Pauline Gumbs
- Irresistible Podcast Episode: You’re invited to a Care Circle
- Healing Comes in Waves a podcast for survivors to explore healing after harm.
- Brené Brown Unlocking Us Podcast: Episodes: (1) Anxiety, Calm + Over/Under-Functioning (2) Dr. Marc Brackett and Brené on “Permission to Feel” (3) Comparative Suffering, the 50/50 Myth, and Settling the Ball (4) Tarana Burke and Brené on Being Heard and Seen
- Possibility Seeds Podcast
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Suggested Citation: Khan, Farrah. (2023, December). You Matter Too: Resources for Self Care for Campus Gender-Based Violence Workers. Possibility Seeds.