By Inanna Darwich | Staff Writer
For quite some time now, I’ve thought about ways to separate self-care from hyper-individualism. How aware, truly, are we of our attitude towards ourselves, concerning others? Why do we look away even before our systems shut down? Are we being indoctrinated to always put ourselves first?
The recent, absolutely horrid events in Gaza set these ideas ablaze again in my mind. What does it mean, to preach self-care and encourage people to turn away from reality? What does it mean to put out nuanced stances saying a lot of things without saying anything really, just to relieve our conscience and then go back to our normal lives? It is unrealistic to constantly consume content and dedicate entire days to learning and teaching others, especially when said content is so horrifying and unbelievable that the human mind simply ceases to fathom it. This is not at all the aim here, but to at least be self-aware and take a step back to understand our reactions and emotions during times like these is essential. People deal with situations differently, but there is a fine line between regulating our lives when that of others is being taken, and simply choosing to live in a bubble because we are being taught through social media that we cannot, and should not deal with upsetting situations.
Around early November, I came across an Instagram post by Dr. Rocio Rosales Meza that integrated everything I was thinking of into more technical terms, especially in relation to Palestine. Dr. Rocio’s work emphasizes colonial structures and how they persist through psychology. She has a lot of experience in what she calls ‘indigenous psychology’, in which she aims to decolonize mental health. I would like to elaborate on her framing of hyper-individualism as colonial indoctrination. To focus on ourselves, seek personal stabilization, and urge others to do so while simultaneously putting out a message to ‘try and look away’ during times of genocide and ethnic cleansing can be very pertaining to the nature of colonialism. When we prioritize individual mental health to the point that we view reading and speaking about certain issues as damaging to our well-being, we become complicit. We are also actively ignoring the root of destabilization to begin with.
This might sound like a stretch, but another concept that comes to mind is how Western therapy, especially self-care-focused therapy has a direct impact on how we take part in boycotting. It is no surprise that self-care has taken on a very materialistic nature. Hundreds of products are being marketed to us under the guise of self-care, with claims that owning them and including them in overly specific, and even sometimes themed routines fall under companies on the BDS lists. The more value and psychological implications we attach to products, the more difficult it is to refrain from buying them. This could be generalized to apply to issues everywhere else. Change is unachievable if people are not ready to let go of habits and materials at the cost of our comfort. This is where most people fail when it comes to boycotting. It is easy to replace the latte you barely bought anyway with one from a local coffee shop. What is difficult is restricting yourself from the things you genuinely love; not buying new products when you run out of the ones on your vanity, the cans and jars in your pantry, and the chocolate bars you grew up loving. True change comes from sacrifice, and this is a very, very small sacrifice. Regardless, what people decide to boycott is completely up to them, and while some aim at avoiding as many complicit companies as possible, others partake in targeted boycotting, which pays attention to a smaller number of companies.
There is no denunciation of the importance of self-care, as it has proved to be essential in our daily routines as well as the quality of our lives overall, but we need to be in touch with our surroundings. We cannot pretend to live in a different world from the people just across the borders, some even within, and changing the way we view and take care of ourselves in distressing times is not at all difficult. If you normally spend your time reading, you could read books by Palestinian authors, or you could go out with your friends and discuss the current situation over lunch, you might even change someone’s mind on something, or the other way around! You could also do some stretching and breathing exercises in the morning or in between ‘phone time’ to relieve the tension and stress from consuming media, or maybe spend your Sunday (or any day, really) evenings doing skin care with products from local brands like Beesline. The events we are currently witnessing are difficult to digest and doing things that help us deal with the situation better rather than shut it out and refuse to engage with it is the target here. After over two months of the aggression on Gaza and the destruction in South Lebanon, it is expected that life everywhere else will go back to ‘normal’, but we can always do our part with the little things that remind us of the state we’re living in.