CARE WITHOUT CARRYING
A new conversation about the future of care, healing, and sustainable service.
We know more about trauma than ever before.
We understand the impact of chronic stress, disconnection, grief, and adversity on our bodies, relationships, and communities. But for those of us who spend our lives caring for others, another question remains:
How do we care deeply without losing ourselves in the process?
I’m Nicole Steward—social worker, author, educator, and longtime advocate for the people who do the work of caring. For more than 25 years, I have worked alongside students, families, educators, social workers, foster youth, caregivers, and community leaders.
I have seen the cost of caring up close: Burnout, Compassion Fatigue, Moral Injury, Disenfranchised Grief, etc. Helpers are leaving the profession(s) at alarming rates and we're still having the debates about self-care...
I believe there is another way.
Radical Self-Care is what we need.
We can care without carrying.
Join me for an ongoing conversation in a series of podcasts. We'll delve deeper into the questions about Care Work and Radical Self-Care.
Self-care is a RADICAL act of self-preservation.
Audre Lorde, Poet
Radical Self-Care
RADICAL: affecting the fundamental nature of something; far-reaching or thorough; forming the root.
Those of us in the human services fields (social workers, nurses, therapists, educators, etc.) often tend to disregard our own care or minimize it in relation to those we serve. Sometimes we care so much about other people that we sacrifice our own needs without even noticing. And we can do this for quite some time, until the lack of care we've given ourselves shows up negatively in our health, well-being, or professional choices. This is called burn-out. The antidote is SELF-CARE. By cultivating deep, courageous self-care practices, what I call RADICAL TENDENCIES, we can stay in this challenging work long enough to see our efforts make a positive impact in the world.
BASIC: forming an essential foundation or starting point; fundamental.
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Survival needs
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Food
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Hydration
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Sleep
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Movement
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Emotional regulation
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Reptilian brain functions
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Root & Sacral chakras
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Physiological & Safety (Maslow's)
DEEP: extending or situated far in or down from the outer edge or surface; profound awareness and understanding.
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Relational needs
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Connection w/sentient beings
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Understanding of past traumas
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Attachment cycles
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Limbic system funcitoning
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Emotional authenticity
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Mammalian brain functions
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Solar Plexus, Heart & Throat chakras
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Love & Belonging (Maslow's)
COURAGE: the ability to do something that frightens one; strength in the face of pain or grief.
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Intellectual/Spiritual needs
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Identification of identity/passion
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Clearing of obstacles
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Conscious exploration
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Solidarity between ideas & action
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Emotional intelligence
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Cognitive brain functions
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3rd Eye & Crown chakras
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Esteem & Self-Actualization (Maslow's)