Self-Care: A Slow Living Deep-Dive
"The roots of self-care was born in underserved communities that recognised that no-one else was going to care for them."
Today's episode is another one we recorded PP (pre-pandemic - more on that below), but just like last week's chat about technology, it's a pretty timely conversation. Ben and I dive deep in to self-care, a movement that's been commodified and stripped of its true intention over recent years, but that is going to prove incredibly powerful for all of us over the coming months of uncertainty and challenge.
Slow living and self-care have kind of become synonymous in the mainstream, featuring a lot on Instagram and in books and blogs and magazines. There is undoubtedly a lot of crossover between the two, but there is also a lot of consumerism and privilege tied up in the modern-day vision of self-care. We kick today's show off with my thoughts on that, as well as a brief look at the roots of the self-care movement and why it has very little to do with face masks.
Ben and I then talk about what we each think self-care is, how it applies in our lives and why it's so important. We also talk about:
- The origins of self-care as a movement and how society defines self-care now
- What it means to advocate for yourself
- How we each manage self-care
- Where the words ‘want’ versus ‘need’ fit into self-care
- How important exercise is within our own self-care
- The enemies of self-care
- What self-care looks like for us in practical terms
The second half of the episode features our Season 4 friend of the show, Amy, and we follow up on her waste-reduction efforts in beautiful rural Maine. Amy shares how she's taken on board a lot of the changes and experiments we discussed in our last chat, including some composting ideas (and what she learnt attending a composting conference!), and the ways she's finding balance between working from home and spending time with her family.
I really hope you enjoy this episode, as I think there's a lot in it that will be helpful in our current challenges.
Also just wanted to let you know that following lots of listener requests, the final couple of episodes of Season 5 will feature more discussion about the Coronavirus pandemic as well as a lot of practical talk about home schooling, working from home and managing anxiety amidst massive disruptions to normal life. We're also working on a few other projects, as well as Season 6, which I hope will bring some more light and practical advice to your ears over the coming weeks and months.
Head over to iTunes to subscribe to the show and play the episode.
Or you can listen to the show directly, simply by hitting the Play button above. Enjoy!
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Things to Check Out After Today’s Episode:
- Season 4 Episode 6: The imperfect reality of low-waste living
- The History of Self-Care - Slate
- Gippsland Unwrapped
As always, thank you for listening.