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And then for you to leave feeling optimistic about the work that needs to be done.
Photo by Rebecca Strom / Design by Amanda K Bailey
Specifically, she recently started working with the dating app Hinge.
Roisin is part of the campaign and candidate review process.
How do you feel about self-improvement now?
Real healing is a holistic experience.
Its probably not for most people.
All of these things should be accessible for everyone.
What can we do to access wellness options within our means?
There are more ways tofind cheaper therapytoday, and thats exciting.
When you say be honest with yourself, is that journaling?
Talking to a friend?
Sitting quietly and seeing what comes up for you?
Meditation is especially good for tapping intowhat you really wantand need.
Through these practices, Im finding a portal back to my own cultural origin.
And that in itself is something that is accessible to anybody who comes from the Global South.
And the more you could find those lost archives, I think you find a way toward yourself again.
How can we be more inclusive in wellness and respect its origins?
Well, its knowing the context.
Its not about not doing yoga, but knowingwhyyou do it.
Its also knowing where its from andunderstanding that this is an Indian practice.
It was created because people were thinking about evolution.
Approximately 440 million Indians live below the poverty line.
That is, I think, a necessary shift that needs to happen.
Meditation should be free.
If its capitalized, then I think 100% of those proceeds should be going back to Indian people.
Why isnt meditation free?
Its free in India.
It shouldnt be for profit, and its extremely unnerving to me that its a billion-dollar industry.
I think its disgusting that capitalism has become conflated with evolution.
One of its mission statements is, Rest is resistance.
Why is rest important?
Rest is so necessary.
I often feel deeply, deeply unrestful.
I need to move.
Im very driven in that sense.
But Ive learned that I also need to rest, and process, and take necessarydowntimeregularly.
Thats a part of it as wellits not just resting, its resting regularly.
What we need as humans is the basicslove, food, water, and rest.
Its very North American to work yourself to the bone.
How does someone protect rest?
Were hopefully shifting the stigma around rest, but protecting rest is an individual thing.
For me, its saying, Actually, I do need a massage.
I do need to rest every day.
And its not just resting, but resetting as well.
We are not supposed to be on the go all the time.
Many of us have different capabilities and require a different pace.
I have to go offline from time to time and that, to me, is a reset.
In your book, you write that self-care is a chance to choose yourself again and again.
How do you structure your personal life to ensure that self-care isnt a drop in the bucket?
Ive had to schedule it in.
Ive had to say, No, this day is off for me.
These are the hours I dont work.
I really value having a boundaryto say, No, I cant do this.
I dont start working until 11:00 a.m., for example, so that the morning is my own.
I read a lot.
I go for long walks.
I go get matcha.
I pray, meditate, and pull tarot.
I allow myself to have the first few hours for myself.
That way, the rest of the day is mine.
Im not lost in the deadlines or all the work.
Another way to prioritize well-being is to tell yourself every day, You deserve love.
I want to live how I want to live.
This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
Who Is Wellness For?
: An Examination of Wellness Culture and Who It Leaves Behind by Fariha Roisin
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