#consentcomesfirst

[consentcomesfirst]

Take it one day at a time.

”Meet today's problems with today's strength. Don't start tackling tomorrow's problems until tomorrow. You do not have tomorrow's strength yet. You simply have enough for today." -Max Lucado

[consentcomesfirst]

Check in with someone. 

Tell your loved ones that you need to check in when life is moving too fast. Being able to talk out problems and have someone listen to us can do wonders for letting some of your stress go. By talking to other people it can help by giving space to express emotions, not feel so alone and maybe even get some new perspective. A lot of times we worry that we may be burdening the people around us if we choose to confide in them. The funny thing is, we know we’d be there in a heartbeat for the person if they needed to talk. So give the people in your life a chance to do the same for you. In the end they might be grateful that you felt comfortable enough to express your feelings around them.Trust is a good feelings. Of course we also know that some of us don’t have people we can trust to be understanding when we need to talk. In these case there are people you can call in place of that person. Here are a few numbers you can call. All these options have professionals answering the call plus all information remains confidential People of all genders, can contact Sexual Assault/Rape Crisis Centre of Peel: 1-800-810-0180 If you self identify as a woman, you can call the Assaulted Women’s Hotline; 416-863-0511 If you self identify as a man, you can call the Support Services for Male Survivors of Sexual Abuse: 1-866-887-0015 If you self identify as LGBTQ, you can contact the LGBTQ Youthline 1-800-268-9688

[consentcomesfirst]

It’s okay to want space. 

You don’t always have to be active or involved during this busy month. Not everyone gets energy from social interaction and may need time alone to recharge from the experience. Some of us may want to avoid the experience all together. We know in December there are usually a lot more parties and get togethers because of the holidays as well as it being a break from school (heck yes). Although your friends or family and whoever else may want to celebrate this with you, it’s okay to want to celebrate by yourself. It’s okay to take time for yourself and embrace the comfort of your own space. You can take a relaxing bath, drink some tea, watch a movie or hide in your blanket cave. Or do all of those things! Whatever helps you to rejuvenate and recharge. This goes for social media as well! If you don’t answer that text, make that phone call or respond to that message because you don’t have the energy, then don’t do it. It’s also okay if you want to unplug completely if that’s what you need. I would just suggest maybe setting a time frame for how long you want to disconnect from the virtual world and also let the people around you know that you won’t be answering any social media for that time (Just so they don’t worry about you!). Again, It’s whatever you need to not feeling like you’re not being stretched thin. You do you boo.

[consentcomesfirst]

Nourish your body. 

This is one of the most stressful times of the year and  a lot of the time our bodies carry the burden of this stress. We carry trauma not only in our minds but in our physical bodies which can cause us to tense up, become uncomfortable and even make us sick. We can attend to these symptoms by being kind to our bodies. Being kind to our bodies can look like going for a walk, participating some yoga or going some stretching. If you wanna take it a step further you can even find workout videos online that you can do from home. Any sort of movement that gets our blood pumping will release endorphins which your body will thank you for plus it clears your head so you can focus on what is most important. You.

[consentcomesfirst]

Listen to music. 

Music is pretty much the audio track of our emotions. I’m sure that there isn’t a single song that you can’t associate to one time in your life. Turn on the radio, put on your favourite CD or find that perfect playlist on Spotify. Blast it. Sing at the top of you lungs. Dance. Lay on the ground and stare at the ceiling. Put in your headphones and zone out. There is no right way to do this, just do whatever feels right to you. If that means listen to the emo classics from seventh grade, the latest pop song that you can’t get out of your head or a song that only means something to you that’s going to help, then do it!

If music isn’t really your thing, then try a podcast. There are thousands of podcast you can find on a multitude of subjects, all for free! Just check out Youtube, Soundcloud, Itunes or whatever other site you can find. Some sites even have a video feed to go along with the podcast if you’re more of a visual person.

[consentcomesfirst]

Sleep.

Sleep is probably one of the most underrated ways to heal our bodies and minds. A lot of us are missing out on valuable hours we need to recharge. So make sure you are getting enough sleep at night. The amount you need is different for every person so it’s up to you to decide what feels right. If you find yourself wide awake in the middle of the night don’t worry about it. It happens to the best of us. Just try to find time to make up for that lost sleep by sleeping in if you can, or if you can’t plan for a nap the next day or skip that extra episode of Gilmore Girls and go to bed earlier. Your body and mind will thank you for it.  

[consentcomesfirst]

6 Things to Stop Telling Sexual Assault Survivors 

“Why Didn’t You Fight Back?”