Digital Issue: SELF-CARE

Digital download of the complete issue:

The SELF CARE Issue, Apr / May 2019, Vol 4, No 2, 91 pages

When I hear the phrase “self care,” I’m guilty of assuming it is a meaningless cliché at best, or permission for vulgar self-indulgence at worst. I instinctively think of bubble baths, champagne and chocolate, white sheets and eye masks. Are you like me? Did you just pick up this issue and cringe a little that even we at WILDFIRE are jumping on the self care bandwagon? I hear you… and I’m so relieved to tell you that working on this issue really opened my eyes to self care in a way I didn’t think possible. It isn’t selfish. In fact, a lot of the time self care is simply setting limits and saying no. For many, myself included, it was a cancer diagnosis that has ultimately given us permission to protect our time and our energy by saying no to things that we really don’t want to do (or, in my case, giving myself a clear bedtime to ensure I get 8 hours of sleep each night!). Self care actually means going deep inside and assessing what is needed for well-being and happiness. And that’s the part of working on this issue that went off like a lightbulb in my head: ooooooh, self care is mental health! I can get behind that.

Your self care likely won’t look like mine, nor should it. It is a deeply personal thing, and while scrolling through Instagram photos of bubble baths (or those gorgeous milk baths with the flower petals!) might give you some ideas of things you want to try, ultimately it is about you and what makes your shoulders soften, your worry lines in your forehead relax, or helps you heave a deep sigh. Within these pages of our first ever deep dive into self care after breast cancer you’ll find lot of examples to get you started on finding your own brand of self care. Happy experimenting! ~ April

Cover model: Diana Vega

Contents:

It’s OK a poem by Tina Conrad | Deciding to be Brave by Shauna Davidson | Untouchable a Photo Story by Diana Vega | The Best Version of Myself by Kathy Diaz | Ten Hours a Week by Janelle Linares | Clean Living for a Dirty Girl by Tanya McLaughlin | Mascara a poem by Tawny Rachelle | Cancer May Not Be a Choice, But Style and Attitude Are by Aya McMillan | The Mental Health Side of Cancer by April Renn | A Cold Night, Inappropriate Clothing, and the Pacific Northwest by Danielle Thurston | Living with MBC: Living in the In Between by Amy Schnitzler

PLUS: It’s Me Time: Reader Stories | When Self Care Becomes Survival: Yoga | Sustenance for Uncertain Times: Nutrition | A Perfect Cup of Matcha: Recipe |  Tell Your Story: First, Last, Best, Worst