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.

Outlines

00:00

🌟 Personal Journey to Self-Care Awareness

The speaker begins by reflecting on her initial perception of self-care as a luxury, associating it with indulgences like massages and retreats. However, her perspective shifts drastically after experiencing two significant life events within a short period: earning her doctorate in public health and being diagnosed with chronic kidney disease. The physical toll of her condition and the stress from her demanding career lead to a blood clot in her leg, prompting a hospital visit and a realization of the importance of self-care. Despite her academic background, she initially resists the idea of prioritizing self-care until multiple health-related leaves force her to reconsider. She starts to redefine self-care, moving from a focus on external achievements to internal well-being, and explores how societal and cultural messages have influenced her approach to health and success.

05:01

🌱 Implementing a Holistic Self-Care Plan

The speaker details her self-care plan across six categories, each aimed at different aspects of well-being. Physical self-care includes regular walking or dancing and routine medical check-ups. Psychological self-care involves daily journaling for self-reflection, helping her to understand her needs and process stress. Emotional self-care is about showing compassion to herself daily. Spiritual self-care encompasses connecting with her faith, being part of a faith community, and spending time in nature. Relational self-care involves quality time with family and friends. Professional self-care includes pursuing invigorating work, setting boundaries, and seeking support from peers and mentors. She emphasizes that self-care is not a solo endeavor but was made possible with the support of family, friends, therapists, doctors, and trainers. Her health improved, leading to a significant weight loss and eventually entering remission. She also discusses her recent diagnosis of fibroids and her decision to undergo a hysterectomy, using her platform to share her story and connect with other women, reducing the sense of isolation.

10:02

🌐 The Communal Approach to Self-Care

The speaker advocates for a communal approach to self-care, arguing that it should not be solely an individual responsibility but supported by social structures and resources. She introduces the social ecological model to explain how self-care practices are influenced by multiple environmental levels, including individual, interpersonal, organizational, community, and policy levels. At the individual level, she suggests monitoring health indicators and engaging in healthy behaviors. Interpersonally, she encourages sharing personal stories and providing social support. Organizationally, she calls for leaders to foster a culture of self-care. Community-level actions involve creating environments that facilitate self-care. Policy-wise, she suggests advocating for changes that address systemic stressors. She concludes by urging the audience to develop a self-care action plan and to take action at any level they can, emphasizing that self-care is a collective effort where everyone has a role to play.

Keywords

💡Self-care

Self-care refers to the practices individuals engage in to maintain or improve their well-being, both physically and mentally. In the video, the speaker's initial perception of self-care as a luxury shifts after experiencing health challenges. The speaker redefines self-care as a daily practice essential for managing stress and promoting well-being, emphasizing its urgency given their medical conditions and demanding career.

💡Chronic kidney disease

Chronic kidney disease is a medical condition characterized by gradual loss of kidney function over time. The speaker was diagnosed with this disease, which became a pivotal moment leading to a reevaluation of their lifestyle and priorities. It's a critical part of the narrative that catalyzed the speaker's journey towards prioritizing self-care.

💡Blood clot

A blood clot is a凝固的血块 formed within a blood vessel, which can be life-threatening if not treated. The speaker discovered a blood clot in their leg, adding to their list of health challenges. This event further underscores the importance of self-care in managing and preventing health complications.

💡Public health

Public health encompasses the study and practice of preventing disease and promoting health through the organized efforts of society. The speaker earned a doctorate in public health, which initially influenced their career path. However, personal health crises led them to apply public health principles to their own life, highlighting the personal relevance of public health concepts.

💡Cultural messaging

Cultural messaging refers to the values, beliefs, and norms communicated within a culture that influence behavior. The speaker reflects on the cultural messaging they received, which prioritized hard work over self-care, contributing to their health issues. This concept is central to understanding how societal expectations can impact individual health practices.

💡Stress management

Stress management involves the strategies and techniques used to cope with stress. The speaker identifies stress management as a critical component of their self-care plan, incorporating activities like walking, dancing, and journaling to manage stress levels. This highlights the video's theme of proactive health management.

💡Social support

Social support refers to the assistance and encouragement provided by one's social network. The speaker mentions the importance of social support in their self-care journey, including the role of a peer mentor from the National Kidney Foundation. This keyword emphasizes the communal aspect of self-care and the role of community in individual well-being.

💡Professional self-care

Professional self-care pertains to practices that support one's well-being in a work context. The speaker discusses setting boundaries and seeking support from peers and mentors as part of their professional self-care. This concept ties into the video's broader message about the importance of balancing work and personal well-being.

💡Social ecological model

The social ecological model is a framework that recognizes the interplay between individuals and their environments. The speaker uses this model to illustrate how self-care practices are influenced by multiple levels, from individual behaviors to societal policies. This model is central to the video's argument for a multi-level approach to self-care.

💡Health disparities

Health disparities refer to the unfair and avoidable differences in health status experienced by different population groups. The speaker touches on health disparities, particularly in the context of their community, to highlight systemic issues that contribute to health inequities. This concept is integral to the video's call for systemic change to support self-care.

💡Hysterectomy

A hysterectomy is a surgical procedure to remove all or part of the uterus. The speaker's decision to undergo a hysterectomy due to fibroids adds another layer to their health journey. Sharing her experience publicly is part of the speaker's commitment to communal self-care and reducing the stigma around women's health issues.

Highlights

The speaker used to view self-care as a luxury, like massages and retreats.

Life-changing events led to a redefinition of self-care, including earning a doctorate and a chronic illness diagnosis.

The speaker's career in management consulting was stressful and affected their health.

A blood clot diagnosis was a wake-up call for the importance of self-care.

The speaker's peer mentor from the National Kidney Foundation helped them navigate their health journey.

The realization that success doesn't require neglecting self-care was a turning point.

The speaker's cultural background and societal messages influenced their approach to work and health.

Self-care was redefined as any practice that manages stress and promotes well-being.

Six categories of self-care were introduced: physical, psychological, emotional, spiritual, relational, and professional.

The speaker's self-care plan includes daily journaling, regular medical care, and time with loved ones.

With support, the speaker improved their health, lost weight, and entered remission.

The speaker advocates for a communal approach to self-care, sharing experiences, and supporting others.

The social ecological model is used to explain how self-care is influenced by multiple environmental factors.

At the individual level, self-care involves monitoring health and engaging in healthy behaviors.

Interpersonal self-care includes sharing stories and providing social support.

Organizational self-care can be fostered by leaders who model sustainable work behaviors.

Community-level self-care involves creating environments that support health and well-being.

Policy-level changes can help dismantle systemic stressors that affect health.

The speaker encourages developing a personal self-care action plan and taking action at various levels of society.

Self-care should be practical, holistic, inclusive, and supported by resources at every level.

Transcripts

[Applause]

what do you think of when you hear the

term self-care I used to think self-care

met massages pedicures and retreats it

was a reward a luxury of time and

resources so what changed seven years

ago I experienced two life defining

moments within two months of each other

the first was earning my doctorate in

public health

the second was being diagnosed with

chronic kidney disease as I prepared to

enter a career in management consulting

I was bursting at the seams

literally the medications that I was

taking were leading to uncontrolled

weight gain still I wanted to make a

good impression

my first client required four days of

travel per week I worked long hours

without complaint and that I barely

noticed when each day walking from my

office building to my rental car became

more and more of a struggle and my legs

were beginning to feel like they were

tightly packed into my skin like

sausages it wasn't until I was in my

hotel room that night and I couldn't

sleep from the pain that I began to

realize something might really be wrong

so I did what anyone might do in that

situation

I turned to Google for answers

when it failed to provide me with a

clear diagnosis I reluctantly asked my

manager to meet me in the hotel lobby

and drop me off at the emergency room on

her way to work the next morning there I

found out that a blood clot had formed

in my lower right leg if you're keeping

track

I was now dealing with chronic kidney

disease and a blood clot and if you

think that because I have a doctorate in

public health I listen to my doctors

when they told me that two medical

conditions and a stressful career were a

bad combination and that this led me to

an epiphany on the urgency of self-care

you'd be mistaken I was paired up with a

peer mentor from the National Kidney

Foundation to help me wade through my

diagnosis I can remember asking her

several times early on exactly how hard

can I push without getting sick she

listened and she was patient but she

would never answer my question it wasn't

until I went through multiple periods of

disability leave related to my condition

that I was ready to change

and my question shifted instead I asked

how can I best take care of myself

I had to redefine my identity outside of

what I did for a living I thought about

what first ignited my passion for public

health I wanted to understand how

cultural and social factors shaped the

health of black women growing up in

South Central LA I had experienced

firsthand how preventable medical

conditions like high blood pressure and

diabetes were ravaging the lives not

only of black women in my community but

in my own family I reflected on my

cultural messaging I had grown up

surrounded by strong female role models

many of them were the first in their

families to attend college they worked

in environments where they weren't

always treated fairly or with respect

and I now realized the same strength I

saw as admirable was also a burden a

survival mechanism that often meant

their own needs came last health

problems often took their lives

prematurely or compromised our quality

of life

next I reflected on broader societal

messages that I received around success

phrases such as work hard play hard or

burn the midnight oil or worse you can

sleep when you're dead

rang through my head I realized I

believe that the roadmap to success

required me to prioritize work and study

over less important tasks including

South care and that I've been rewarded

all along for neglecting to care for

myself and now my recovery depended on

me disrupting that cycle I decided to

define self-care for myself as any

practice that helped me to manage my

stress and promote my well-being I'd

like to use a self-care assessment that

has been widely adopted by researchers

and practitioners to walk you through

six categories of self-care that I

applied in developing my own plan my

physical self care includes walking or

dancing for a minimum of thirty minutes

five days per week and accessing routine

medical and dental care my psychological

self-care involves writing in a journal

daily for self-reflection this allows me

to better understand my needs set

realistic expectations and process

stressful situations

my emotional self-care means having

compassion for myself every day of my

life my spiritual self care involves

connecting regularly with my source of

faith in hope being part of a faith

community and spending time in nature my

a relational self-care involves

regularly scheduled down time with my

husband and other family as well as my

friends and finally my professional

self-care involves pursuing work that is

invigorating for me setting boundaries

around that work and establishing

mechanisms for support from peers and

mentors I didn't figure this all out

alone I had help from family from

friends from therapists with the help of

my doctors and trainers I decreased my

stress improved my nutrition and

physical activity regimen found

effective medications and shed 40 pounds

for my highest weight over time

eventually entering remission today I

feel better and stronger than before the

self-care practice I shared with you

continues to evolve as I go through new

challenges I still struggle occasionally

with anxiety and

yeah and I still go through sudden

unexpected health events this past year

I was diagnosed with fibroids benign

tumors growing in my uterus just four

months ago I made the decision to

undergo a hysterectomy at the time I

knew a few women who'd been through that

there were my age and I often felt alone

I knew I wanted to change that for the

woman who came after me during my

recovery I became vocal about my story

posting regularly on social media as I

did this a tribe of women began to form

around me women who were willing to

honor my decision and share their own as

we shared each other's experiences I

felt less alone the platform that I'm

standing on today is a privilege it

allows me to use my story as currency

and use it to empower others by

transparency and a vulnerability allows

people who may not feel comfortable

sharing their own stories to participate

in critical conversations on self-care I

believe the problem with self-care is

that it's focused on the individual it

reflects society's value of

self-reliance it's flawed my larger

vision for self-care is communal with

individuals benefiting from the lived

experiences of others from social

support and accountability

I believe that self-care is a daily

practice that should reflect your

interests needs and preferences and it

should have room to evolve with you over

time in order for some self-care to be

practical however it must be supported

by resources on multiple levels this is

the social ecological model it's a

multi-dimensional model used to explain

that behavior such as self-care are not

solely determined by the individual

rather they're influenced by

environmental factors on multiple levels

for example your self-care practice is

influenced by the practices of those

that you interact with on a regular

basis what you do for a living where you

live the resources you have access to

and the policies that govern your

society I'd like to use this model to

show how you and I can play a powerful

role not only in engaging a self-care

for

our selves but also making it a reality

for others in our communities at the

individual level we can make sure that

we know important information to monitor

our health such as our blood pressure we

can also engage in healthy behavior such

as regular physical activity and

adopting a diet that is healthy and

sustainable at the interpersonal level

we can tap into the power of lived

experience we can share our stories and

hold space for the stories of others we

can provide and seek social support and

accountability and we can establish

healthy norms among our peers and

colleagues at the organizational level

we can help to establish a culture of

self-care in the organizations that we

are a part of leaders in the workplace

can serve as champions for self care

modeling behaviors that sustain

performance over time such as asking for

help not rewarding overwork and

encouraging employees to take regular

vacation to recharge at the community

level organizations can work together to

create environments that facilitate

self-care such as making sure they're

safe places to exercise and ensuring

that healthy food is affordable and

accessible at the policy level we can

advocate for policy changes that help to

dismantle stressors that are systemic in

nature such as racism and income

inequality these are both drivers of

differences in health that are unjust

and avoidable the missing ingredient in

self-care is a multi-level approach

self-care should be practical holistic

inclusive and it should be supported by

resources on each of these levels I

believe there's something that you can

do to take action on what I've shared

with you in today's talk first develop

your own self-care action plan think

about what you can do on a daily weekly

or a monthly basis to facilitate

self-care in your own life focus on

practices that are accessible affordable

and attractive to you I ask you to

prioritize your own self-care first

because your wholeness is vital to

fulfilling your purpose and sustaining

this work over time second I ask that

you take action on one of the levels

that I've shared with you today each of

us has the

to share our stories and not only

address our own behavior but write

letters to legislators at the local

state and national level for example you

can advocate for policies on health care

to make sure that is affordable and

accessible for all if you have a

position of leadership in the workplace

or in the political sphere use your

leverage to make self care a practical

reality for all whatever your position

is start where you are and do what you

can when it comes to self care we are

all in this together thank you

[Applause]