You Matter Too: Resources for Self-Care by Farrah Khan

You Matter Too: Resources for Self-Care

Developed by: Farrah Khan

Resources for Self-Care (2).png

To sustain ourselves and our movements, remain open to possibilities, cultivate our creativity and have the greatest impact, we need to invest in a vital resource: ourselves. Self-care is both a radical practice and a necessary part of creating lasting social change. We hope this list inspires you to create and commit to some individual and collective self-care practices for the rest of the year. 

It’s ok to grapple with what it means to take care of yourself when your communities are continuing to face challenging systemic issues, your family and friends are in need of support AND work demands continue to pile up. However our health and wellness MATTER. Taking care of ourselves is a radical and necessary part of social change. Yes, there's lots happening in the world and lots to do, but you matter too.

It’s important to remember the origins of self-care conversations as they are easily glossed over. For us, the most important contributions have been from Audre Lorde, Black American writer, feminist, womanist, librarian, and civil rights activist. She saw self-care as a radical act, one that could help her community survive oppression. If you have not already I highly recommend reading her seminal book Burst of Light.

Apps 

Books

  • Burst of Light by Audre Lorde

  • Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Emily Nagoski,

  • 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

  • The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk

  • 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

Compassion Fatigue, Burnout and Trauma Exposure 

Podcasts

 __________

Suggested Citation: Khan, Farrah. (2020, October). You Matter Too: Resources for Self Care. Courage to Act. www.couragetoact.ca/blog/selfcareresources

Farrah+Headshot.jpg

Farrah Khan

Farrah Safia Khan has spent two decades raising awareness about the intersections of gender-based violence and equity through education, policy, art creation and advocacy. She is the founder of Possibility Seeds, a member of the Government of Canada's Federal Strategy Against Gender-based Violence Advisory Council, board member of Girl Guides of Canada and the Manager of Consent Comes First at Ryerson University. Farrah is co-founder of innovative community projects including Use The Right Words: Media Reporting on Sexual Violence and co-director of Courage to Act, the first national project of its kind to address and prevent gender-based violence on post-secondary campuses in Canada. She regularly contributes to national media with her expertise in addressing gender-based violence and is the recipient of numerous awards including the Toronto Community Foundation’s Vital People Award. In 2018 Farrah was appointed to the Gender Equality Advisory Council for the G7 Summit. At the Summit, Farrah addressed an audience of world leaders insisting that any discussion about a thriving, sustainable and peaceful world is not possible without taking concrete action on gender equity.