Self-care is a word that we use everyday, yet it isn’t always fully understood. We’ve all heard people saying “treat yourself” as a way of describing what it means – but we need to remember that’s not the only option and often there are better ones. When you have a chronic illness, self-care isn’t a treat – it’s a tool.
How do you know what tools are best to use? And when?
To answer this question, a group of Next Step youth gave their energy, experience and creativity to produce this booklet. They worked to create an offering for other youth living with chronic illness – so they too could feel seen and understand what self-care really means when walking the everlasting mile. (At Next Step we call chronic illness “the everlasting mile”). Their goal was simple – to articulate and share the empowerment one can realize from making such an investment in them self.
Together, they discussed and defined self-care through the lenses of worth, vulnerability, and courage. What they discovered were their core values – the ones that sing their truth. The affirmations you’ll read are a culmination of what they learned in their personal journeys and as a community. This is shared with you in the hopes of creating mutual understanding and opening a doorway for you to make a self-care investment in your own life.
See the whole booklet: HERE
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