Get Active: Tips and Resources for February
It seems that every day under this new administration we face new oppressive policies, hateful declarations, and outright lies. It can make us feel defeated and worn down. Which is one of the many reasons why self-care is such an important part of the resistance agenda. This February, in the face of hate, we’re “All About Love”—making time to show ourselves love, learning to give and receive love, and gaining the strength to fight those who don’t seem to even know the word. You’ll see we’ve expanded beyond the original Nasty Woman t-shirt to offer you products we love made by and for women, and we’re sharing free resources each month on our site—what we’re reading, learning, and doing to affirm love for ourselves and stand up to hate.
There have been a number of great articles lately on what self care means, how it can manifest, and why it is so critical now. This gem by student Mysia Anderson, originally published in the Stanford Daily in 2015, has been making the rounds again. Lawyer and activist Mirah Curzer offered her perspective via Medium on staying outraged while preserving your sanity. And the always spot-on Jenna Wortham shared how she found a care routine through trial and error on bonappetit.com (though we’ll agree to disagree with her about the power of a good body scrub).
The next four years are a marathon, not a sprint. And because small steps can make a big difference, we’re sharing some of the great resources that have emerged to make it easy and less overwhelming to think about where to begin your resistance efforts. The Women’s March’s 10 Actions/100 Days initiative offers a new action every 10 days to help you chart your course. The Daily Action sends daily texts to make contacting your representatives about the issues most directly affecting you by location a no-brainer. For more food for thought, check out the Complicity Cleanse, a clever and thought-provoking guide to divesting ourselves from systems of oppression one day at a time. Want even more inspiration? Smith College just kicked off a free, seven-week, online course via edX on the psychology of political activism.
And whenever you’re feeling you need a quick pick-me-up to renew your fire, there’s always this ass-kicking poem by Elisa Chavez.