#PromotingWellness - A Series of Outcomes: Self-Care

I had the opportunity to attend a conference August 1 and 2, 2011 in downtown Los Angeles.

Promoting Wellness: An Integrated Approach to Homeless Service Delivery

I highly recommend it to you when it comes to your neighborhood.

Don't let the title fool you.  The conference was about many things. And the best means I have of *delivering* what I learned to my community is through this blog, because I can easily share this blog through my social media outlets.

My previous post on non-compliance was sparked by this conference.  I had no words to express what I was feeling in regard to the fact that many of us -- "consumers" of help care services --  are labeled non-compliant until I attended the sessions at #PromotingWellness.

It was especially poignant that in one of the role-play dialogues, the first day of the conference, I was shouted down at my table for being non-compliant.

That table experience lead me to the very same feelings I've had when dealing with service providers during the two years leading to my homelessness and the 8 months of my being " a person experiencing homelessness."  During that time so many service providers handed me dictums and I bravely (or foolhardily as I was told on occasion) started saying "No, that is not something I can live with."

First and foremost I have learned a bit of language at this conference.  My goal with that is to express (more clearly for others) things in my consciousness I've been carrying around, with language others can understand.

If you know me well, you know that I am often frustrated by the fact that I see and observe things and yet cannot find adequate means to communicate it to others.  Others look at me and respond in a variety of ways some of which include,

• "Huh?"
• " ::blank stare:: "
• "I didn't get that"
• "Would you repeat that using different words?"
• "  ::wandering off muttering, 'Chick is crazy'::   "
• "Dog-gone it Rd, I cannot understand  your code!" (I personally love this one because it comes from someone I value highly)

Having the tool of language that others use on an hourly basis is a means of increasing my feelings of self-efficacy.  A valuable outcome of any conference.  Extremely valuable as some service providers give it to their clients, for instance, PATHAchieve Glendale has an EMDR therapist who shares the value of giving language during #WellnessWednesday Stress Management and Parent/Family Groups each week.

This hour's post is on one of the very important concepts carried throughout the Promoting Wellness conference:  Self Care.

While it is aimed directly at those in the high-burnout field of Help Care Delivery, it is valuable to each and every person.  Because at the very crux of things, we are all the same:  human species; with feelings, goals, desires; and the need to be nourished.

As a trainer, I am impressed with not only the information but the fact that it was incorporated into the conference setting as a main stage event several times during the day under the title "A Taste of Self Care."

Katherine Volk was the presenter.  I'm impressed with her.  Especially since she was presenting some of the same techniques that I have been looking forward to presenting to my own peers.

As well, I'm totally on-board with her comment of "take the information from the disk we've included in your packet and share it.  Print it, e-mail it, pass it out to your friends and co-workers".

I've taken her literally.  Please be aware the link material is Copyrighted (2008) by The National Center on Family Homelessness

That said, here's information on Self Care:

What About You? A workbook for those who work with others.

What if you gave yourself some time to read the information and experiment with it?