The War + Peace of Self-Care
Writing and illustrations by Sheree Brand
Originally published by LUMXN
““CARING FOR MYSELF IS NOT SELF-INDULGENCE, IT IS SELF-PRESERVATION AND THAT IS AN ACT OF POLITICAL WARFARE.” -AUDRE LORDE”
WHEN I THINK OF SELF-CARE, I DON’T THINK OF BUBBLE BATHS AND SCENTED CANDLES. I DON’T IMAGINE FACE MASKS AND NEARLY FULL GLASSES OF WINE. And while those things are completely valid forms of self-care, I think they’re just the surface, the tip of the iceberg. Self-care, for me, is anything that pushes the proverbial reset button. It’s any action or task you complete that makes you breathe a little easier, relax your shoulders a little more, and unclench your jaw the slightest amount. Self-care isn’t rest. Self-care is work. You have to make an intentional choice to do something that’s going to make you feel lighter, more settled. Self-care is an, “act of political warfare,” as Audre Lorde proclaimed; it’s part of your arsenal against the patriarchy, capitalism, and grind culture. But for you, self-care is a declaration of peace.
LUMXN is…
a print publication where the light of fully being yourself is allowed to shine. We take the good with the bad; the healing with the hurting; the struggle with the strength. We’re a place for you to just breathe <3
