Tips For Promoting Self-Care And Resilience
- Campus Unit: Bias Incident Support Services
- Updated:
Tips for promoting self care and resilience when impacted by hate-bias
Self-care has been defined as providing adequate attention to one's own physical and psychological wellness (Beauchamp & Childress, 2001). Along with self-care, building resilience, particular in the aftermath of a hate-bias incident, is key. Resilience has been defined by the American Psychological Association as “the human ability to adapt in the face of tragedy, trauma, adversity, hardship, and ongoing significant life stressors.”
Physical
- Nutrition: Eat regular, well-balanced meals. The University Health Center Nutrition Service unit empowers and supports members of the University of Maryland community with the knowledge and skills needed to make and implement healthy nutrition choices today and for a lifetime. https://health.umd.edu/wellnessadvocacy/nutrition-services
- Get adequate sleep
- Get regular exercise and physical movement
- Reduce alcohol and caffeine consumption
- Balance school, play, and rest
- Limit or eliminate exposure to media
- Practice laughter and humor
- Take deep breaths
Psychological
- Know your vulnerabilities
- Engage in Self-Reflection
- Take vacations
- Listen to music that soothes you
- Engage socially to avoid feeling isolated -Attend events on campus, join student groups etc
- Set limits, if necessary, when others are too demanding of your time or energy
- Use friends, family and the campus community for support
Spiritual
- Engage in reflection
- Pray
- Meditate
- Connect with nature
- Find creative ways to express yourself
- Read inspirational literature
- Spend time in nature
When faced with the uncertainty and confusion that may result from a hate-bias incident, establishing resilience is key. Consider asking yourself these questions to create resilience within yourself:
What are my strengths?
What has helped me endure previous difficult times?
What healthy things can I do to soothe myself when I’m faced with uncertainty?
Is there something I can do to influence what will happen next? If so, what?
What are my resources to increase my resilience?
How can I ask for what I need?
A message from the Hate-Bias Response Program
University of Maryland, Office of Diversity and Inclusion
Type
Campus Unit