Self Love Tips From People at the Women's March

These are the ways to sustain positivity after the Women’s March and beyond.

January 26, 2017

The Women's March on Washington was saturated with the same positive-centered energy observed in the 600+ sister marches across the globe on Saturday. Women of all ages across the nation took to the streets to make their voices heard.

For many, it was unclear just how the march would play out in D.C. and elsewhere. Love and passion were evident, but so were reminders of why intersectional feminism still needs to be addressed and implemented, right now.

To ensure inclusivity and sustain the resistance, we talked to numerous marchers, demonstrators, and organizers who attended the march. They offered their tips for self care and self love. Check out their strategies and support for staying motivated. After all, it's so important to remain intersectional, intergenerational, and trans and queer inclusive – and in working together, we are not alone.

1/9
Alexa Orndorff
For Alexa Orndorff, she recognizes that she struggles with self love and “taking time for myself, definitely, because you just feel the whole weight of the world on your shoulders sometimes.” Sometimes moving forward let alone at all can be a real challenge, so she turns “to books. I’ve been reading, trying to get more into eco-socialism. That, and yoga.”
2/9
Carlos Jesus Calzadilla
“I think [part of it is] knowing that this is a big event, but this is just the moment,” says activist organizer Carlos Jesus Calzadilla. “The movement is what’s important, it’s what’s gonna change things. One day doesn’t change anything.” Carlos is the President of the Young Progressives of America and was a speaker at the Occupy Inauguration demonstration in D.C. on January 20th. “What a day like this does is bring people together so they get motivated, so that when they get back to their communities they get involved in the political process, they start taking over their municipal offices the local elections and hold and wield political power as progressives.”

3/9
Changa Ormond
“Family first,” says D.C. native Changa Ormond. “Definitely keeping people around you that understand the struggle. It’s a scary time for all of us, but to have good people, good women, strong women in your corner keeps you grounded and helps you get through those tough days… And when you’re having that break down, when you don’t even know if you’ll be able to go get your uterus checked because you don’t know if you can, keep good people around you and know that this is just the beginning. We’ve been fighting for so long, my mom has been fighting [since] before I was even born,” says Changa, whose mother is standing beside her.
4/9
Jay Downey (L) and Luis ** (R)
Local involvement is a crucial component to keeping the energy of these moments committed in the larger movement, and that means making sure our representatives know what is going on. “I guess if you wanna say self love,” says activist Jonathan Downey, I’m taking care of my psyche by doing what I feel compelled to do because I have to be out here…it has to translate to our representatives. We have to be out here until we all understand and our representatives understand what is going on,” says Downey.

5/9
Jennifer Lyons (L) and Natalya Wawren (R)
Don’t have family in your town? “Having good friends, like some good girls nights, that’s a big one,” says Jennifer. “Relying on [the] support systems” of family and friends has been vital for her and Natalya.
6/9
Kaileigh Lawson (L) & Kendra Goodwin (R)
“Self love is having the self-sustaining notion that you are worth everything,” says Humanitarianist Kendra Goodwin, who attended the march with Kaleigh Lawson. “You are the epitome of strength, and you are awesome.” Looking at the negativity facing this movement for equity and equal treatment, “you have to figure out a positive way to combat it,” says Kaleigh. “You have to be okay first.” For Kaleigh, that means “a lot of meditation and devotionals. The first thing I always do is introspection,” she says.

7/9
Chiara Thayer (L), Travis Niemann and Marisa Scott (R)
“I’m starting a group in Portland where basically it’s just like a potluck,” says Marisa Scott, who traveled the 1,700 miles to D.C. with friends Travis Niemann and Chiara Thayer. “Come and eat food and talk about what we’re worried about, and then try and make like smaller groups so that we can actually tackle issues one at a time, but also together. So, we can write letters and make calls and go to town hall meetings and just do local things. And then you’re building friendships and making those connections stronger, and that helps you take care of yourself, too.”
8/9
Ramana Phillips
“Read,” Ramana recommends. “Read positive stuff. Stay away from all the negative articles that’s out there – I don’t care what it’s on. 15 minutes a day should be put aside for reading. If you educate your mind it’ll reach down into your soul and then you will be able to connect to others a lot more effectively as well. So, all about keeping in positivity.”