Self-Care As A Political Strategy

Ana María Hernández Cárdenas and Nallely Guadalupe Tello Méndez are two of the women leading the self-care strategy of the Mesoamerican Initiative of Women Human Rights Defenders (IM-Defensoras) and the Casa La Serena initiative. Created by and for women in Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Nicaragua, IM-Defonsoras supports protection, safety, and radical self-care for women human rights defenders. Hernández Cárdenas and Tello Méndez explain the importance of self-care as a feminist and political strategy to sustain momentum for social movements as well as to avoid burnout, depression, and disease for those doing this critical work that is often undervalued in patriarchal society. Casa La Serena provides a safe place for women in the movement to relax, reflect, and rejuvenate during temporary stays built around comprehensive self-care for mind, body, and spirit.