Are you a part of the BIPOC community and struggling with your mental health? Trying to incorporate more self-care into your daily or weekly routine? The following can give you some insight and helpful tips for starting your self-care journey.
Self-Care in BIPOC Communities
Many BIPOC (Black, indigenous, and people of color) communities center their culture around family, community, and the importance of caring for their loved ones. Although the importance of caring for others is deeply rooted in these communities, caring for oneself is often not a task that is given priority by these individuals. Self-care is crucial to mental health and should be a priority but is often a concept viewed as a privilege that can seem out of reach due to the way many BIPOC communities are affected by racism and systemic oppression making putting other’s needs before their own a common factor in life. Studies have suggested BIPOC communities can reduce the negative health outcomes that often are a product of racism, prejudice, and overall increased stress, with self-care.
Six Steps to Self-Care
1. Acknowledge how you’re feeling
Due to the systemic racism, oppression, and day-to-day struggles that many individuals can feel it is important to acknowledge how that is affecting you. Often in BIPOC communities, the idea of “pushing forward” and often ignoring how we feel has been normalized. This often leads to burnout which can cause stress, anxiety, reduced motivation, and lack of energy.
2. Set boundaries
It is okay to say “No.” Just because one wants to be helpful does not mean they have to be. Make sure that you are taking care of yourself and understanding that one person can only handle so much. Boundary setting can come in handy in all aspects of life and is a great tool to set expectations for not only yourself but for others in your community.
3. Choose your areas of importance
Self-care is meant to be individualized. We are not all the same, ensuring that you choose activities that are personalized is important. There are many different aspects of self-care to focus on but here are 4 common ones: emotional well-being, social well-being, spiritual well-being, and physical well-being.
4. Create a routine
A routine is key to self-care. Take some time to reflect on what space you have availability to incorporate activities of self-care. This may mean looking back at step 2 and setting some boundaries with others and yourself. Once you’ve found a routine that works for you, try to integrate these activities daily or weekly to relieve stress and have time for yourself.
5. Reduce time online
Although social media has brought a lot of good into society and how information travels throughout the world, it also increases stress. Social media, news outlets, etc. can cause many ups and downs throughout our day which makes it hard to find a healthy balance. Trying to reduce your time online is important for your mental health and allows more for activities that increase your well-being.
6. Choose you
Self-care is not selfish. As mentioned previously BIPOC often place themselves second whether it be with family, at work, or in relationships, it is important to prioritize yourself when needed to ensure you can work towards becoming the best version of who you want to be.
Avance Care has over 60 therapists who are ready to help you with any needs. Reach our Behavioral Health team by calling 919.237,1337 option 4, extension 2, or visit our website to learn more.
Resources
- https://adaa.org/learn-from-us/from-the-experts/blog-posts/consumer/importance-self-care-mental-health-bipoc-0
- https://www.csun.edu/eisner-education/self-care/news/self-care-black-indigenous-and-people-color
- https://www.happify.com/hd/self-care-guide-for-bipoc-community/
