So, it’s Valentine’s Day this week, and in the past several days, I’ve been talking about showing ourselves some self-care. I believe that through self-love, we can create healthier, more respectful relationships with our bodies, which in turn can change how we think about endometriosis and how we cope with it.
But learning to love ourselves can be difficult. Especially if we’ve grown up feeling the pressures of society on what it means to be a woman. To help with the hurdles, I’ve pulled together a list of some of my favorite accounts, websites, and podcasts that can help inspire, educate, and motivate you to show yourself some extra self-love.
Jess De Wahls
Jess De Wahls is the creator of the awesome Instagram account, @bigswingingovaries, where she shares her embroidered creations for “people with and without ovaries.” Her artwork features the ovaries, womb, and cervix in all their glory, while also drawing attention to issues like endometriosis and gender inequality. Her amazing pieces remind me of how incredible our reproductive organs are, even when they’re battling diseases.
The Vulva Gallery
So many teenagers and adults think there’s something wrong with how their bodies look, partly because of the rise in porn and partly because we don’t actually talk about what’s “normal.” Young girls are growing up to hate their bodies so much that they’re having “corrective” surgery to change a completely healthy part of their bodies. If you add endometriosis into the mix, that’s certainly going to negatively impact their perception of their vaginas and reproductive organs on an even deeper scale.
The Vulva Gallery demonstrates all the wonderful shapes and sizes of our bodies and is healing the broken relationships so many of us have with our physical selves.
Pot Yer Tits Away Luv
Not only is this an awesome name, but Emma makes awesome pots too.
Pot Yer Tits Away Luv specializes in creating unique and personalized ceramic pots that embrace the human form and reminds each customer of their beautiful individuality. Whether or not you fancy buying a pot, just following Emma’s Instagram account is an inspiring way to heal your relationship with your body.
Girlboss
Girlboss has become my go-to for basically everything feminism. They’re completely real and have brilliant insights into self-care and self-love. Their wellness section is perfect if you want practical self-care advice and guides you can actually use and afford. I really like their “Self-Care 101 Checklist.”
Recipes for Self Love
Recipes for Self Love is a ridiculously cool illustrated digital zine all based on intersectional feminism, self-love, self-respect, and self-care. Their Instagram delivers short and sweet doses of feel-good inspiration, while their digital zine delivers a harder hit for those wanting to dive into poetry and art dedicated to the most important relationship you’ll ever have.
Well+Good
Herbalist and creator of the Peaceful Period, Natasha Richardson, suggests website Well+Good for everything wellness and self-care. “I feel like they have groundbreaking stuff and there is so much variety you can tune into whatever you like that day.”
The site is dedicated to everything from travel to workouts, so it’s definitely a good boost if you’re zapped of ideas or just need some motivation to get started on your self-care journey.
Self Service podcast
Self Service is a new show brought to us by Girlboss Radio. As you can probably guess, it’s dedicated to really understanding self-care and has guest spots from their resident astrologer Jessica Lanyadoo and psychologist Dr. Lauren. It’s a new podcast, so you can catch up pretty easily. What I love about it is that it’s delivered in small doses and gets back to the basics of self-care, making it super accessible.
I would love to feature so many more sites and accounts, but I’d be here forever! Instagram is a great way for discovering accounts like these, so get scrolling. I would love to hear about your favorites.
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Note: Endometriosis News is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of Endometriosis News or its parent company, BioNews Services, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to endometriosis.