5.7 Self-Care and Resiliency

For advocates to continue their important work in the long-term, self-care is essential.

By creating a self-care plan, you identify activities and practices to engage in regularly to maintain your health and well-being.

The most effective self-care plan is personalized for your unique needs. It includes stress management because although being an advocate is rewarding, it can be stressful at times.

The stress management techniques discussed below can help prevent the stressful aspects of advocacy work from becoming overwhelming.

Time management: If we often feel time pressure to get our work done, or we feel behind or overwhelmed by tasks and responsibilities. It’s easy to feel stressed. Over time, stress becomes chronic and negatively affects our mental, emotional and physical health. It’s important to consider how we manage our time as an element of self-care.

Maintaining boundaries: Setting and maintaining healthy boundaries with survivors is essential. Overstepping these boundaries can lead to over-involvement with the survivor, which is unhealthy and unsustainable for your work as an advocate.

Eating right: Diet has a profound effect on our ability to tolerate and respond to stress. Good nutrition can increase your stamina and strengthen your immune system. Eating a variety of fresh, whole foods as close to their natural state as possible is ideal.

Rest and relaxation: Our physical, emotional and mental health require us to get enough sleep and time for relaxation. Often, when we feel time pressure, we sacrifice this aspect of our self-care first, nevertheless it’s extremely important.

Exercising: Movement allows our bodies to release built-up stress and strengthens our immune system. Exercise regularly by doing an activity that you enjoy.