Kia ora whānau! I'm looking for tips and ideas around self-care as a changemaker. Many of us run our kaupapa alongside a fulltime job and raising a family. How do you take care of yourself during the busy seasons?
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Connect back to those who you trust and who fill your cup. Some people use supervision, some people continue to see professionals, others pop in for a cuppa with a wise person in their family. I have a couple of people who I trust to vent, to learn from and to help me find my way. Here is one of them... Matua Luke!
Morena whanau
I've had great advice from other Changemakers about regularly checking that my cup is full to make sure I can share good energy with others. I need to check I'm good and my close relationships are going well so that I can be my best. Exercise, being in nature and hanging out with my partner, family and friends keeps me topped up. 
Going to expose myself a bit here but often my mahi in various kaupapa spaces has come at the expense of my own hauora. This photo was taken last year when I ran myself into the ground mahi’ing all day everyday for months. It’s hard to navigate taking care of self when your proximity to whānau and community is so close, and the scale and urgency of the needs are so massive. Change spaces are also often fraught with challenges and it can be frustrating to experience systems and leadership that entrench the status quo. I’m trying to get better at not being too hōhā for too long, and channeling that energy into something creative, something productive. Working in a whānau, a collective, is really key for my hauora and wellbeing. Small things consistently make a huge difference. I’m a big fan of collective care vs self care models. Trying to be better but still have lots to learn in this space
Professional supervision as I improve my practice helping other men and peer support with other men ive done ‘the work’ with and on the journey together. Knowing my physical, mental and spiritual limits. Knowing my moods can elevate when it’s busy and dip when it's not busy and accepting that will inevitably happen and being okay with that…
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I like to go and sit with the ocean, somewhere quiet and calm. I also take a hikoi up to these took big on rimu in Pōneke here and sit with them when I am really not well energetically.