This article was poetically written, and is spot-on based on what I'm hearing from clients and friends.
This points to many of the things I'd like to change by bringing Blue Zones Project to Gainesville. We have to quit yelling self-care at people who need community care, economic opportunities, access to fresh foods, and social connection. ~
Here are a few excerpts that stood out to me: "For all that we pursue and financially tether ourselves to wellness, indices of good health flag behind. Even though healthcare spending in the US amounts to more than 18% of GDP, Americans have a lower life expectancy at birth and die more often from avoidable or treatable conditions than people in other high-income nations. More than one in five US adults live with mental illness, and research suggests US workers are among the most stressed in the world."
"American women, which are the focus of her reporting, are by most counts stretched thin. Compared with men, they report higher levels of stress, anxiety, depression and burnout, while also performing the lion’s share of care work. They feed their families while food costs soar and there is cadmium in the cocoa powder."
“We’re sedating women with consumerist self-care,” Raphael says. “You’re not stressed because you’re not doing enough yoga or taking enough bubble baths. There are other, bigger reasons why you feel stressed out. Maybe it’s because you don’t have maternity benefits. Maybe it’s because your boss is emailing you after 6pm. Maybe it’s because your partner doesn’t help you with the workload at home. These are the things that get shoved under the rug and instead you’re told that you yourself, alone, have to take care of the issues.”
Here's the full article.