Self Care and Love
Trauma is not exclusive to any particular person. It happens to everyone in any shape or form. Trauma can be mental, physical, emotional, and even environmental and it can range in severity as well. People handle trauma in many different ways but one thing that people should all have and I encourage them to practice is self-care when dealing with trauma. What is self-care one might ask? Well depending on whom you are it can mean a lot of different things however; ultimately it is the practice of having a positive and healthy mind, body, and soul.
The greatest thing about self-care is that it’s not a one size fits all kind of deal. There are many different ways a person can partake in self-care which include but are not limited to meditation, yoga, support groups, breathing exercises, physical exercise/hobbies, talk therapy, and engaging in artistic hobbies like cooking for example to name a few. Being involved in such activities as I described allows for one to get in tune with themselves which thus allows for greater connection with others among so many other great things.
Feminist and online personality Shelah Marie uses her online platform to promote meditation among other things. She uses her own traumatic stories to educate others about self-care and self-love. One thing meditation has taught her is that you need to take care of yourself first. She states in one her blog posts about mediation is that “no one is coming to save you. You will not get anything you need/want that you first don’t give yourself.” I think that this is very powerful statement because it could mean that you’re finally putting yourself first despite all the problems you might face. It’s similar to being on a plane. They always say put on your own oxygen mask before anyone else’s. I interpret that as meaning how effective can you be in a traumatic situation if you can’t take care of yourself to help the next person.
I myself participate in cross fit as a form of self-care although lately with the demands of school and an even more demanding full time job it has been extremely difficult to participate in it the way I would like to. However, it is definitely something I anticipate getting back to. When I did go to classes, I felt great mentally, emotionally, and physically. I was motivated to do more things in my day to day life and I got great sleep. I was able to think more clearly and if I was going through a stressful time I found that I was more motivated and determined to seek a positive outcome of any situation. I didn’t hold onto to negative energy and cross fit did all of that for me. I also wrote poems which, helped just as much as cross fit did. When I wrote down what I was thinking it became something real that I couldn’t suppress which, allowed for me to deal with things and not let them linger and turn into something bigger.
In the end, everyone in one way or another has experienced trauma in some form or fashion. In order to not lose oneself and have have a healthy mind, body, and soul I encourage self-care and self-love.
(Shelah Marie)