activism | The Badass Manifesto

With everything that’s happening in the news at the moment, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed, especially if you’re a survivor.

It’s hard not to relive every time you’ve been on the receiving end of unwanted attention and that takes a toll on our mental and physical health.

At times like these it’s so important to look after yourself, you need to choose who you spend your time with carefully and take some extra care of yourself.

There’s no one right way when it comes to self care, it’s all about you and you are unique. The things that bring you peace and calm may not be the same for someone else. It’s also not a one-time deal. Much like being more positive or confident self care is a daily practice. And if we don’t look after ourselves we can’t help others as effectively.

With that in mind, here are some small self care tips to help you out in times of need.

⭐ Find some ambient sounds
There’s an 8hr video on YouTube of rain in a forest and it’s so soothing. I like to stick in on when I’m reading, can’t sleep or just need something peaceful to listen to.

⭐ Scents
I’m a big fan of scented candles and their mood-enhancing abilities. Find a scent that relaxes you or perks you up and use it whenever you need a boost.

⭐ Try a mini-meditation
One minute of awareness of your thoughts, feelings, and sensations. Try one minute of focused attention on breathing. Take these 60 seconds and repeat a mantra of your choosing.

⭐ Try yogic breathing – it really helps to calm you down!
Put one hand on your chest and one hand on your stomach. Inhale through your nose and fill your stomach with that breath. You should feel the hand on your stomach move and the hand on your chest should have barely moved. Hold the breath inyour stomach for a few beats then slowly let it out through your mouth.
When we’re panicing our breaths tend to be short and quick, which means not enough oxygen is getting into our bloodstream. It feels like you can’t catch your breath.
Stomach or yogic breathing is slow and deep, taking longer to inhale and exhale and delivering a significantly larger amount of oxygen to the bloodstream.

⭐ 15 Min of sunshine
As much as my little black heart despises sunshine, I need it. We all do. So set aside 15 minutes to spend outside. If you can, go somewhere nice but it’s not essential, sunshine is sunshine whether it’s in a park surrounded by trees and wildlife or a back alley next to a wheely bin on your cigarette break at work.

⭐Check in with a friend
And reach out to anyone you know who might be feeling overwhelmed.

⭐Take a break from social media. A real break, not just a couple of hours. Constant updates are not necessary or helpful so step away from Twitter and Facebook for a couple of days.

⭐ Write it out
Get all the noise out of your head and onto paper. No one’s every going to see it so be honest and write it out, all of it. Then throw it away, burn it, spit on it – just get rid of it.
Then write a list of all your accomplishments, write a list of your positives and any compliments you’ve received. It’s a good way to remind yourself of how far you’ve come. Keep the piece of paper with your accomplishments and read it whenever you feel down.

⭐Got a pet? Give it some fuss
I love my dog, she lights up my life and it not only gives me a boost to play with my dog or stroke her while she sleeps but it’s good for her too.

⭐ Take a nap
A power nap of 20-30 minutes can do you good. Studies have shown that naps can improve memory, cognitive skills, creativity, and boost your energy levels.

⭐ Change your bedsheets
There’s something so comforting about clean sheets on your bed. It doesn’t take long and it’s a cheap way to give you that comfort feeling. Maybe buy some new bedsheets? or P.J’s? Cultivate an atmosphere of comfort.

I really hope these tips are helpful and I hope that the awareness from recent events evokes change within the industry.

Moxie McMurder
The Badass Manifesto

Your body positivity is still valid even if you have times when you struggle to apply it to yourself.

It can be hard to admit when you’re a body positive advocate because it sometimes feels like you’ll be disowned by the community, asked for your fat positivity card back.

But loving or even accepting your body can be difficult and it can take years to reach peace in your own skin. Think about it, if you’ve spent years hating your body, you’re not going to get over it overnight.

I liken this to championing mental health awareness while still struggling with it yourself. Whether you align yourself with the fat acceptance movement or body positive movement, it’s understandable that you’ll have days when you just don’t like what you see in the mirror.

I have days like that all the time. ALL. THE TIME. It’s horrible and I wish I didn’t have days like that. It’s something I hope to address in further posts.

Point being, I struggle with body image but that doesn’t stop me from supporting and championing bodies of all shapes, sizes and abilities.

I’ve seen articles and blog posts discussing whether you can be body positive but still want to lose weight – yes! Can you exercise and still be body positive? – Yes! Can you be skinny and still be body positive? – Of course! The whole point is to see ALL bodies in a positive light.

**It’s important to remember the distinction between the fat acceptance movement and the body positive movement it spawned. Fat acceptance is important to me and I align myself with both movements.**

But it can be hard to discuss the wobbles, the days where you feel down about your body for fear of triggering someone else’s body image issues. For fear of letting people down by admitting that we don’t always love our bodies.

I think it’s important that we share our struggles as well as our victories. Our journeys and our destinations. You have a voice, use it. You never know how many people feel the same way you do until you talk about it. And talking about our experiences brings us together.