Prioritize Self Care by Esnaider Ortega

Prioritize Self Care

Illustration by Katarina Samohin

    A major social issue that affects me is the importance of self care within a time of crisis. The start of a new decade has shaken the entire world. With the outbreak of the Coronavirus, many individuals were heavily affected by this pandemic. Whenever you turned on the television, news channels only talked about COVID-19 and spread fear not knowing what was reality. Former President Donald Trump neglected to truly state how crucial this illness was by comparing it to the common flu within the start of 2020 and not enforcing usage of face masks or coverings. Businesses were closed down for several months and eventually that lead to a permanent closure for small shop businesses. According to California All website, “As of November 9, California has 971,851 confirmed cases of COVID-19, resulting in 17,977 deaths. The number of COVID-related deaths increased by 0.1 percent from the prior day total of 17,963. Updated November 9, 2020, with data from November 8, 2020” (COVID19.CA.GOV). On November 3, 2020 the United States sat anxiously awaiting the results of the presidential election. This was the most nerve wrecking experience that many Americans were anticipating awaiting the results. Due to the pandemic, mail-in ballots were offered to registered voters and in some states like California were sent without having to apply for a mail-in ballot. Instead of every voter being able to cast their vote on Election day they were given from October 30 - November 3 to drop off their ballots if they had not mailed or dropped off prior to October 30 as well as having access to a variety of voting center locations to visit. This year was filled with high levels of stress from issues like police brutality, climate change, racial and gender inequality. This 2020 year has brought to light that as a country we are more divided than united. Most schools resorted to online or hybrid learning making students like me who have always avoided online classes feel anxiety and stress of how I would be able to learn without physically being in a classroom in order to be able to ask questions in person with my Professors and peers. In a world that seems chaotic, I did not want to make my world chaotic if I could prevent it.

    

Illustration by Mary Long

    Thinking of the term "Self Care", I used to believe it was a trip to the spa, salon or even a retreat. Self care has always been depicted as a reward and deemed last within our priorities. No one takes the time to check their own well-being. Ultimately, mental health is an important issue that can be overlooked especially during a pandemic. After conducting research I found that their are different categories of self care. Physical self care include activities like walking, dancing, running, and yoga to name a few. Psychological self care could include activities like journal writing on self reflection and gratitude entries that allows an individual to set realistic expectations and be able to process problematic situations had throughout the day. Emotional self care emphasizes on how we talk to ourselves. Spiritual self care identifies with connecting with the universe and nature whether it is participating in a certain religion or believing in a source that brings hope. Relational self care is spending quality time with family or friends. This type of self care may seem difficult to do during a pandemic but can be achieved through scheduled computer screen time Zoom meetings or socially distanced events. Finally, professional self care involves pursuing stimulating work, setting boundaries around that work and establishing a system on how to work within a group setting learning from the support of peers and mentors.

                                                                    

Illustration by Abbey Lossing

Self care is a critical conversation that should be addressed. Self care is a form of social support. It should evolve as you evolve overtime. Here, is an image of Bronfenbrenner’s social ecological model that is used to explain behaviors like self care that are influenced by multiple levels of environmental factors.

   Self care practice is influenced by individuals that one interact with on a daily basis such as an emphasis in healthy behavior like physical activities and obtaining a healthy sustainable diet. At the interpersonal level, shared experience within a work society. In the community, organizations can create safe environments or provide resources to facilitate self care like accessible and affordable food. At the organizational level, defining healthy norms among peers and colleagues can be addressed by providing a support group. The establishment of self care culture within leaders in a workplace can model performance behaviors like asking for help, not rewarding overworked employees and encouraging them to take time off to recharge. Lastly in the policy level, consider becoming an advocate for policy change in stressors like racism and income inequality.

                                                                                        

VIA Freepik.com

Reflection

    I believe self care is practical, holistic and inclusive. The idea of self care was not something I had known for a long time. For instance, it was in this year that I began to feel high levels of fatigue, stress, depression, sleep deprivation and anxiety. There were days that I would cry and would not understand the reason for it. I felt scared for the unknown future to come. Would I be able to sign up for the classes I need in order to graduate in Spring 2021? Would my professors be understanding if there was something wrong since these days are not like any normal days? What if I contract the coronavirus? Would I be able to finish my classes? What if my loved ones get this infectious disease? Will the United States have 4 more years of Donald Trump as President? Will people realize its important to wear a mask? Will there be no end to policy brutality? When could I breathe clean air without worrying about the fires down the street of my home? So many questions I asked and did not know how to release these negative and fearful thoughts. My mental health was at an all time low for me this year. Social media began to address the issue of self love and self care that I decided to prioritize my own self care and quickly learned that it is vital to sustaining my purpose and work over time. Self care is a practical reality that people should take the time to learn about and practice.

Works Cited

California, S. (n.d.). Tracking COVID-19 in California. Retrieved November 10, 2020, from https://covid19.ca.gov/state-dashboard/

Jackson-Preston, P. (n.d.). The Missing Ingredient in Self Care. Retrieved November 10, 2020, from https://www.ted.com/talks/portia_jackson_preston_the_missing_ingredient_in_self_care

Winters, S. (n.d.). Self Care: What It Really Is. Retrieved November 10, 2020, from https://www.ted.com/talks/susannah_winters_self_care_what_it_really_is

Aston, H., N. Atzaba-Poria, A., Baum, F., AO. Behnke, S., Bronfenbrenner, U., U. Bronfenbrenner, S., . . . O. Yakushko, K. (1970, January 01). Different uses of Bronfenbrenner's ecological theory in public mental health research: What is their value for guiding public mental health policy and practice? Retrieved November 10, 2020, from https://link.springer.com/article/10.1057/s41285-018-0065-6

Elizabeth Scott, M. (n.d.). How Proper Self Care Can Reduce Your Stress Levels. Retrieved November 10, 2020, from https://www.verywellmind.com/importance-of-self-care-for-health-stress-management-3144704