I recently attended a talk by the amazing Unchartered Collective at the Pervasive Media Studio – of course fully accessible as a collective who specialise in disability. As someone who suffers with genetic conditions causing chronic pain, I have been a huge fan of their work for some time, and it was great getting the opportunity to hear a little more about it.
Their work has been inspired by founder member Raquel Meseguer’s journey with a chronic pain condition, and the need for self-care and rest throughout the day. The need to frequently lie down and rest highlighted to her how often safe spaces to do this aren’t available in public areas, and she was frequently asked to move on and top resting despite her condition. This has prompted her to create art installations around resting – installing spaces to rest and reflect in cultural institutions. As part of this, she’s also been collecting stories from other chronically ill and disabled people around their need to rest, and created a ‘light choir’ where people remotely check in and illuminate a lamp if they are resting, creating a sense of connection to help stop resting people from feeling so ‘other’.
The talk really made me think about my self-care and how I approach my own difficulties. I struggle with pacing and tend to try and storm in at 100% and ‘overcome’ or ignore my pain, and inevitably burn myself out physically. I think I need to get better at taking the time to rest during my days and manage my energy better. I think self-care is something that we can all afford to get better at, not least those of us with additional access requirements for our mental and physical health.