THE term “self-care” has been adopted into so many aspects of the media and societal landscapes in recent years. Even through my articles I’ve referenced it on multiple occasions. I’ve done so with the understanding that one ought to take care of themselves first before all else if they want to live a productive and fulfilling life.
Without discarding that notion, I recently came across the concept of; “community care.” While I understood in generalities what it entails, I’ve done some reading to see it all under one umbrella and how it’s entirely different from self care.
Community care has always existed in many ways. I’ve come across research and work suggesting we ought to fix the communities we live in while encouraging people to take care of themselves. What sense does it make if we ask them to practise self-care when they’re socially isolated and without social support?
Community care involves more than one individual and can involve small groups of just three persons or larger groups with hundreds of persons. The term is often used in certain social movements and projects worldwide. However, it’s not a common term as “self-care” because it’s yet to meet the mainstream world. In hindsight, community care is any act that one individual does to benefit the lives of others. Mainstream media hasn’t been able to dictate what you can and cannot do because there’s not much to capitalise on. Community-care solutions cannot be capitalised as the solutions of self-care. Nonetheless, community care comes in many forms and can be done online or offline.
Protesting, social movements; helping a disadvantaged social group; helping to pick up your neighbour’s children if they’re running late; attending a typical Guyanese “wake house” for a bereaved family; creating a safe space online for friends and family are all acts of community care. It’s not just about “showing up” for people. It’s about practising compassion. You’re the one who takes the first step in helping them without them asking for it. Community care can be generous acts of kindness and compassion, or they can also take the form of a structured approach such as; non-profit community organisations and support groups. The community care practice is vital for marginalised and vulnerable groups in society. For some people, their culture is based on a social or group identity. They cannot function effectively without being able to have a supportive and open group. As such, in some communities worldwide and even in Guyana, community care is essential and is a holistic approach to wellness and health.
“Self-care alone can’t solve systemic issues.” That’s a quote from an article written by Heather Dockray on Mashable that stood out to me in my readings about community care. Self-care is done to brighten one’s mood, but if you live in a community with little to no chance of employment for people of your social group, there’s only so much self-care can do.
We often ask people to “be positive” or to take care of themselves without ever taking time to understand how their environments affect them and their wellness. It should be not however that self-care is still an important component of wellness and community care cannot happen without. Oftentimes, however, one is prioritised over the other and that’s where most of the gaps are. They should be addressed side by side, despite their differences. As you actively take care of yourself, I hope you find the time to help others close to you or in the same community as you. We’re social beings and we can all work together to create spaces that are meaningful and welcoming to all. We can work together to help each other navigate through systems that are built to keep us down.
