The Missing Ingredient in Self Care | Portia Jackson-Preston | TEDxCrenshaw

Summary

The speaker recounts her journey from viewing self-care as a luxury to a necessity after facing chronic kidney disease and a blood clot. She redefines self-care as a holistic practice encompassing physical, psychological, emotional, spiritual, relational, and professional aspects. Sharing her personal transformation, she advocates for a communal approach to self-care, emphasizing the importance of social support and systemic changes to foster a culture of well-being. She challenges the audience to develop their self-care plans and take action at various levels of society to promote health and well-being for all.

Takeaways

• 🎓 The speaker's perspective on self-care evolved after earning a doctorate and being diagnosed with chronic kidney disease.
• 🚑 A blood clot in her leg led to an epiphany about the importance of self-care, despite her initial resistance to change.
• 🤔 The speaker's initial questions about pushing limits were met with patience but no direct answers, leading to a shift in her approach to self-care.
• 🏋️‍♀️ Self-care was redefined to include physical activities like walking or dancing, and regular medical check-ups.
• 📝 Psychological self-care involved daily journaling for self-reflection to understand needs and process stress.
• ❤️ Emotional self-care was about showing compassion to oneself.
• 🙏 Spiritual self-care included connecting with faith, being part of a community, and spending time in nature.
• 👪 Relational self-care emphasized the importance of spending quality time with family and friends.
• 💼 Professional self-care involved pursuing invigorating work, setting boundaries, and seeking support from peers and mentors.
• 🌟 The speaker's recovery journey included reducing stress, improving nutrition, and losing weight, leading to remission.
• 🗣️ Sharing her story on social media during recovery helped the speaker feel less alone and connected with others facing similar challenges.
• 🌐 The speaker advocates for a communal approach to self-care, supported by social, organizational, community, and policy levels.
• 🔄 Self-care should be practical, holistic, inclusive, and adaptable, evolving with the individual over time.
• 💡 The speaker encourages the audience to develop a self-care action plan and take action at their level, whether individual, interpersonal, organizational, community, or policy.

Q & A

What significant events occurred in the speaker's life seven years ago?

Seven years ago, the speaker earned her doctorate in public health and was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease within two months of each other.

What was the speaker's initial reaction to her health diagnosis?

Initially, the speaker did not listen to her doctors' advice about the urgency of self-care and continued with her stressful career, leading to multiple periods of disability leave.

How did the speaker redefine self-care for herself?

The speaker defined self-care as any practice that helped her manage stress and promote well-being, which included physical, psychological, emotional, spiritual, relational, and professional self-care.

What are the six categories of self-care mentioned by the speaker?

The six categories of self-care mentioned are physical, psychological, emotional, spiritual, relational, and professional self-care.

What specific actions did the speaker take for her physical self-care?

For physical self-care, the speaker included walking or dancing for at least thirty minutes five days a week and accessing routine medical and dental care.

How did the speaker's perspective on success and work ethic influence her self-care practices?

The speaker realized that societal messages about success, such as 'work hard play hard' and 'burn the midnight oil,' led her to prioritize work over self-care, which she later recognized as flawed and needed to change.

What role did the speaker's cultural background play in her approach to self-care?

The speaker's cultural background, growing up in South Central LA and being surrounded by strong female role models, influenced her initial approach to self-care by instilling a survival mechanism where personal needs often came last.

How did the speaker's experience with a blood clot and chronic kidney disease change her perspective on self-care?

The speaker's experience with a blood clot and chronic kidney disease led her to an epiphany about the urgency of self-care, but it was after multiple periods of disability leave that she was ready to redefine and prioritize self-care.

What was the speaker's larger vision for self-care as presented in the script?

The speaker's larger vision for self-care is communal, where individuals benefit from the lived experiences of others, social support, and accountability, rather than the individualistic approach that is currently prevalent.

How does the speaker suggest we can support self-care on multiple levels?

The speaker suggests supporting self-care at the individual, interpersonal, organizational, community, and policy levels, using the social ecological model to explain the multi-dimensional influences on self-care practices.

What actionable steps does the speaker recommend for the audience to engage in self-care?

The speaker recommends developing a personal self-care action plan, prioritizing one's own self-care, and taking action at any level, such as sharing stories, advocating for policy changes, or using leadership positions to promote self-care.