Cuidado impacts your next seven generations to come...

Instead of self-care, I prefer to use cuidado. In Spanish, when you say cuidado, it projects a sense of protection and nurturing. This is an Indigenous approach as compared to the western view of self-care,

being one dimensional.

The indigenous approach is multidimensional and values interconnectedness to others and all our relatives.

Cuidado offers a better insight to care. When we look at self-care and healing, we should remember it has a dual focus of protection and nurturing. It’s also important to remember and acknowledge what makes up the self: spiritual, mental, emotional, physical. Spiritual is the essence of who you are, that which gives us life. Mental is the thinking patterns. Emotional is the feelings that drive you. Physical is the body and the entry points to our health (e.g. eyes, ears, nose, mouth). All these areas are connected, interrelated and move in a circular motion, just as we move to connect ourselves to others. Through this interconnectedness to others, we heal ourselves through others.

Lastly, what we do today impacts the next seven generations. So, if we care for ourselves, heal our traumas and pain, and remain interconnected to others in our circles, we will protect and nurture seven generations to come. This 'self care' article is from the December 20, 2018 National Compadres Network Newsletter, A Quick NCN Holiday Message & Update. Debra Camarillo is Executive Director of The Latino Commission and is a consultant, trainer and advisor of the National Compadres Network.

La Cultura Cura Webinar: Honoring the Medicine Within Us NCN conducted a webinar on self-care and healing on December 10, 2108. Hosted by Maestra Debra Camarillo, a recording of the webinar can be accessed through this link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2868704297134085121