Pride Month: Taking Care of Yourself

‘Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare’

– Audre Lorde, black feminist, lesbian, and icon.

Learning to love yourself is a struggle that a lot of queer people go through and caring for yourself is a big part of that. You deserve to take care of yourself and we’re giving you permission to take some time to do that, not that you need permission.

You Deserve to Pamper Yourself

So, something that always makes us feel better is having a really nice long relaxing bath or shower, and then getting in our most comfy clothes after and then settling into a blanket nest enjoying some good TV, or a nice game or book! To make it extra special, grabbing some candles for mood lighting and scent, a bath bomb and some music or a podcast helps create an even more relaxing atmosphere… though sometimes the music takes us, and we spend less relaxing and more time singing and dancing!

Doing What Works Best for You

The goal here is to pamper yourself, give yourself time and comfort to relax and unwind. Let yourself do the things that make you feel good, whatever that looks like for you. Maybe it’s sitting in the bath for hours with a good book, singing with some music playing as you dance around your room, or wrapping up cosily with some aroma candles as you watch your favourite film for the 300^th time. Even a pyjama day as you play some nice, cosy games is a great shout. You could even do some of these activities with other people too! 

LGBTQ+ Businesses and Creators to Support

If you would like to also help support some queer businesses while caring for yourself, we’d like to suggest Primavera Therapy (Insta: @primavera_therapy) who run an inclusive wellness space and coffee shop in Llanelli It’s run by Carla (she/her) and Jay (he/they) and offers various vegan and cruelty free products such as bath bombs and bath salts, skincare products, body scrubs, body butters, and other items to help you feel good. They also host an inclusive space for community events, meetups, and workshops. You can also find their products in the Queer Emporium in Cardiff City Centre (Queer Emporium website; Insta: @thequeeremporium).

If you’re looking for some games to cosy up with but maybe are looking for something a little different, please check out the Queer Games Bundles on Itch.io. The bundles began in 2021 and aims to support queer indie creators during Pride Month by gathering different games, books, comics, soundtracks, and other digital items into a $60 US bundle, with a Pay What You Can version also available, starting from $10 US. Both bundle versions contain 466 items (Queer Games Bundle).

Whichever method you choose to engage in self-care this Pride Month, know that it is all valid if it helps you to feel even a little more relaxed or content. But it doesn’t stop at Pride Month. Be sure to make time for it whenever you can, but especially on the tougher days.

Help keep HATW going!

Heads Above The Waves is able to keep up our work thanks to folks like you buying merch and making very kind donations! So if you’d like to join us on our mission to support young people’s mental health, grab some merch from our online store!