Lalah Delia, a trauma-informed wellness educator, asserts that “self-care is how you take your power back.” Self-care begins with self-forgiveness and self-love, and is accomplished by remembering the neglected, lovable child within us. Self-care is an attitude: a mindset that allows us to put our own health and happiness first. 

​

This doesn’t mean you don’t care about your kids or your partner; it means you come first. Adopting this attitude means that once your needs are met, you can be who you need to be for others—healthy, whole, and ready to happily help those you love. 

​

You may not be used to treating yourself well—let’s face it, most women who have been abused haven’t learned the art of self-care and don’t know where to begin. Start off easily, small if it feels right or large if that’s better.

Below are a few suggestions taken from It Takes A Woman to Empower Women on how to practice these small (or big!) acts of self-care. These are things that require little or no money and will give you pleasure. You can find the full list of self-care ideas in It Takes A Woman to Empower Women.