A few friends called me in to reflect on the wording I used in a recent social media post about personal responsibility in health. I now understand that the term “personal responsibility” can be a dog whistle denying the structural disparities, systemic racism, and economic inequality that impact our access to healthy food, education, and freedom from stress and trauma. Thank you for calling me in.
Here are some reflections on this issue: the structural disparities and systemic racism are undeniable and infinitely impactful. However, it’s a both/and. We need to be having both conversations. We need activism & policy change and there are inexpensive, accessible things we can do as individuals to feel better. Education on strategies for better health does not have to take away from prioritizing policy change, and by avoiding the conversation, we do a disservice to those who sorely need better physical and mental health today. Better sleep and a few minutes a day of breathwork can happen in tandem with activism (in fact, they can help us have the energy to fight to make the world more just).
This is about reclaiming the power away from the corporate interests that have told us how to eat, what to drink, and how much to scroll, and handing the power back to the individual.
Here are a few inexpensive tips to help you feel better today:
- don’t keep the phone on the bedside table at night
- get vitamin D from the sun
- take 30 seconds to do a breathing exercise (inhale for 4, hold for 7, exhale for 8)
- swap out processed foods for real food (try: rice & beans with frozen veggies)
Yes, we need to focus fiercely on policy change and anti-racism activism. And we also need to remember the small, free changes we can all make as individuals to reclaim our mental and physical wellbeing and take back our bodies from a world trying to make money off of us at the expense of our health.
