Self-Care or Caring for?: Community Trauma, Social Justice Work, and the Positioning of Self-Care.
Community trauma is a type of trauma that can stem from historical influences, structures, stratification, and violence, but extends to affect social groups, and therefore, social movements. This project begins to provide a comprehensive look at the impacts of community trauma upon social justice workers and the possibly restorative practice of self-care. Through recognizing and analyzing the elements of injustice and insurrection, attempts at building community resilience are explored as they intersect with the effects of trauma. Self-care is considered as a possible preservative practice that can improve and maintain mental and physical health in the face of interaction and distress. This all begs the question, is self-care an act of self-indulgence or a powerful method of safeguarding? In implementing self-care practices into justice work, there is a general trend towards mental and physical stability that can act as powerful elements of social change.
