04/11/2022
Words of wisdom from 💚
"When we build love for ourselves we are also building community. I feel comfortable saying that it will be a life long battle to find self love for myself but that does not mean that there are days that I don’t appreciate myself.
In trying to fight for the planet's future, I felt like my inner spirit was decaying and had adopted a survival mindset of scarcity, not abundance. This whole last year has made me reflect on how I can further extend myself to love myself sustainably. When Mother Earth feels pain, we feel it too. So how can we build everlasting relationships of love in the work of environmentalism? It depends on the specific individual, but here are some ways that have helped me along my journey.
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1.) Moving: When we enter outside spaces, whether it be walking, running, sitting, our creative energies are interwoven in the environment that allows us to build stronger relationships with our work.
2.) Investing in sleep: To sleep a total of eight hours is sometimes a privilege. I know some people who have children, in college, or work multiple jobs that sleep is not always guaranteed in this extractive system.
3.) Be intentional in your positionality. Recognize the Indigenous land you are currently residing on, thinking about how we can be better advocates for communities.
4.) Normalize different emotions: In no way does love mean perfection. This means that we don't always have bright, happy, and joyful days. We sometimes have days that can be confusing, angry, sad, grief, shy — these are all valid emotions and you can still love yourself.
5.) Circular relationship: Love isn't a one-way-streak. It works both ways. Our roles in fighting for a healthier planet mean that we will fight to protect the environment, community, and self.
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So yes, love yourself sustainably in a way that isn't focused on obsession to find self-love, but a compassionate view that ensures a sustainable relationship to build that inner love with yourself."
