Felicity House hosted a Self-Advocacy Advisory Board Friends and Family Wellness Event on December 10. The event featured two members of Felicity House’s Self-Advocacy Advisory Board, Lindsey Nebeker and Brigid Rankowski, who discussed the topic of autism and wellness with community members who asked questions about self-care.  Lindsey is a musician, photographer, and disability rights advocate. She is strongly focused on the message of presuming competence for all people regardless of their labels.  Brigid is a disability advocate and performer. She has a vested interest in women and LGBTQIA+ rights and the promotion of the arts as a creative outlet and career path.

Both Lindsey and Brigid gave personal and thorough responses to questions about wellness such as “what are some ways that you cope with stress?” and “how do you navigate wellness and take care of yourself when you are approaching burnout or are in burnout?” They also shared their own unique ways of practicing self-care. 

When speaking about stress, Lindsey said, “managing stress is about respecting yourself. Figure out what is at the core of what is making you stressed so you know how to handle it.” Brigid said, “I manage stress by reminding myself that I have the power to react internally to events that happen to me externally. I can’t control everything external, but I have the power to control how I react to it internally.”

In response to the question of how to navigate burnout, Lindsey and Brigid encouraged community members to set intentional habits for themselves, such as turning off notifications on their phones and only using their phones for a set amount of time a day. They also recommended community members ask themselves, “what do you want and what do you need to be your truest self?” 

After the Self-Advocate panel discussion, community members got the chance to decorate their own wellness pouch and fill the pouch with self-care items such as fidget toys, worry stones, and affirmation cards. Members also got the opportunity to fill out wellness cards with questions about how they practice their own forms of self-care. Some of the completed wellness cards will be featured in Felicity House’s wellness room. 

The event concluded with a reception that included light refreshments and the opportunity to listen to Lindsey and Brigid share their art and hobbies with community members. 

In case you missed it, check out audio of the discussion with Lindsey and Brigid, below!