Dear College of Education Community,
This week all attention is on the political climate of our world. How can we contribute as an act of self-care? In article in The New Social Worker, entitled “ Self-Care A-Z: Political Engagement as Self-Care,” author Erline Grise-Owens states, “ At heart, self-care is about power. Politics is a form of power. Engaging in politics is a way of accessing power, ergo, self-care “ Dr. Grise-Owens recommends the following as acts of self-care and taking power for ourselves in this political time.
- Provide productive focus Use frustration over current political activities as motivation to take action. Focusing on a specific campaign helps direct that energy in productive and tangible ways.
- Connect with a larger community and cause Being involved in political campaigns in positive, proactive ways connects us with a larger group and cause. None of us can do everything, but each of us can do something.
- Frame success as contribution, not necessarily outcome As with many things, we cannot frame political success only as “winning.” Think of success as contribution.
- Maintain balance Politics can be consuming. With election deadlines and urgent causes, it’s tempting to over-commit and become over-invested emotionally. As always, self-care is about balance. Regardless of the importance of the cause, sacrificing self-care in other areas is counter-productive.
Above all, the best way to engage in self-care this week is to VOTE!
For more information, please go to https://www.socialworker.com/feature-articles/self-care/political-engagement-self-care/
For a list of other self-care options, you can also go to our COE self-care website for resources for faculty, staff, students, and the community at https://www.csun.edu/eisner-education/self-care/articles-information-self-care
May this be a good week for all of us as we watch politics in our world.
Warmly,
Shari