We hold silence as survivors come forward for the first time and tell their stories. We are experts at celebrating healing milestones and holding silence and grief together. We do this work with great honor and respect as we understand that healing work hurts, but not healing hurts more.
During this time of uncertainty, we are impacted by our struggles and the collective fear of the world. We must learn how to take care of ourselves. When we take care of ourselves, there is more space for us to deepen our understanding of who we are, what we stand for, and how we show up in the world. This week we are offering some resources on self-care practices, including meditation, art, creativity, and online classes. The world needs us all to be more of who we are as who we are is the greatest gift we can ever give to others. We hope these resources are supportive to you in navigating stressors this week.
This week as the Rape Recovery Center staff met (virtually, of course!), we realized that this new normal of socially distancing adds a sense of uncertainty and heightens our anxieties in a way that we haven’t had to navigate before. We know that now more than ever, self-care and connection are critical. As we continue to explore ways to support survivors and the community, we asked our staff to share how they are coping and practicing self-care. It takes a collective and communal approach to heal. We hope these ideas, reflections, and resources are helpful to you.
Starting a new year -a new decade, for many can spark a degree of hope, inspiration and a calling to grow and deepen personal wisdom. As we are inundated by messages of wellness, healing, growth, and challenges our wish is to spend a little time talking about intentions and the purpose intentions serve in the healing process.
Do you ever feel like you aren’t good enough? That you’re not talented enough, creative enough, or smart enough? Well I’ve got good news for you! Creativity is for everyone. That’s right- everyone! You don’t have to be a trained professional to enjoy drawing, painting, cooking, sewing, baking, making music, singing, dancing, writing, or any other form of creativity.
Less so now that in the past, but services for sexual violence have historically been gendered, with minimization or outright exclusion of services for males. Many of the laws were also gendered and not applicable to males. Luckily, these areas of barriers have diminished – although not yet fully overcome.
There’s a lot to be said about making art. There are classes and rule books and critics that will tell you where you rank and how to be better. How to relate to an audience. How to be marketable. What we never talk about is the desire to create something. What drives us to imagine something new and then offer it up to the world?
Many times when we experience trauma in our lives, parts of ourselves including our passions and creativity can be impacted. We may experience a loss of drive, passion, and inspiration in our lives. Part of the healing process is to awaken the creative life that has been hidden, untapped, or masked.
It is up to us to show up for our inner child to nurture, love, offer compassion, and kindness. But most of all to bring the inner child to the present moment, nurture, protect, and ultimately heal them. You more than anyone has the power to do that.