HEALTH AND WELLBEING
The Art of Self Care. Self| The self is not defined by the boundaries of our skin- Daniel Siegel.
Care| Noun: The provision of what is necessary for the health. welfare, maintenance or protection of someone or something. The provision of what something or someone needs.
Care| Verb. To feel interest, concern or attach importance to something.
In contemporary times the notion of self care has become popularised and commercialised, a deviation far from its origins. Self care arose to prominence in the 1960’s and 1970’s as a political act against racial discrimination where marginalised populations where segregated from accessing healthcare. The principle highlights “systematic inequalities around who gets cared for in societies” and in its practice democratises care. It is not a matter of privilege but one of necessity. When we understand ourselves and what we need, change happens. The concept of self care begins with inquiry, -“If you do not know what your body needs you cannot take care of it ”writes Bessel Van Der Kolk. May we ask ourselves what is it that we need? When we consider the definition of self, as explored by Dr Dan Siegel, we maybe prompted to see that the concept of self is both internal and relational, thus care and the self has multiple layers- and the pursuit of caring for ourselves and for others may indeed be an art.
References and Further Reading
Siegel Dan Dr, 2014 The Self is Not Defined by the Boundaries of Our Skin. Dr Dan Siegel, Accessed 1st Sept, 2023, < https://drdansiegel.com/the-self-is-not-defined-by-the-boundaries-of-our-skin/>
Bari Shahidha, The Radical History of Self Care. BBC, Accessed online 1st Sept 2023, <https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/5GwXsvJp6q8PM2RLL2Dgc00/the-radical-history-of-self-care>
Van der Kolk, Bessel A. "The body keeps the score : brain, mind, and body in the healing of trauma." New York, New York : Viking, 2014.
1st Sept 2023
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