Sustaining Spirit: Self-Care for Social Justice

“One of 2018 Southwest Books of the Year”

An uncomfortable question activists ask when we step back to examine our lives is:

“Will burnout destroy me as an effective, productive advocate?
How can I change the world when I’m too tired to change my socks?”

A few activists share what brought them to reading about self-care. In this video, they generously read a few sentences from Sustaining Spirit: Self-Care for Social Justice to share about how it can be used as a guide to our own wisdom.

We must speak out, take action, make a difference—yet can we remain passionate about a cause without being consumed by it? What habits can we cultivate to feel compassion for ourselves as well as others? Why does constructive willingness to self-nurture evoke such discomfort?

Now the distinctive voice of social change activist Naomi Ortiz offers powerful, thoughtful, transformative insight into self-care. They weave together personal experiences in class, race, and disability advocacy into informative advice on dealing with the risks of burnout. By bringing wisdom drawn from their deep connection to the Sonoran Desert, they guide us to live more wholehearted lives. The power of belonging is a catalyst that resonates throughout these stories. Ortiz offers techniques with candor, helpful tips tested through big and small struggles, as tactics for those who would affect the world. 

What People Are Saying

“Burnout amongst my community is not only real but truly a detriment for the work. [Sustaining Spirit] is a guide book for activists and leaders in social justice movements. It’s a Workbook to use in practicing living well daily; her questions are journal prompts AND therapy [for] the soul.”

— Erin Blanding, Director, Global Program Innovation of WE, and Co-Founder and Senior Fellow of Borderlands Restoration Leadership Institute

“Ortiz provides a guide on understanding one’s self and location within a larger universe, practical steps on how to engage in self-care every day, how to hold space for ourselves, our communities, and for the people no longer with us, and how to survive in a world of pain, conflict, and uncertainty.”

— Alice Wong, Founder, Disability Visibility Project™

“…[In this] beautifully crafted and exquisitely written book, Naomi Ortiz has given a great gift to those of us whose passionate devotion to social justice activism can too often lead to bodily and spiritual exhaustion. She ends each chapter with finely honed reflection questions that invite us to explore how we can incorporate sustaining self-care into our work on behalf of the communities we love.”

— Melanie Morrison, Allies for Change

“Sustaining Spirit: Self-Care for Social Justice, resonated deeply with me, setting the tone for a poetic and layered journey where the reader is guided to reflect on identity, purpose, and self-care to create personal and social change in a rapidly changing world. Incorporating poetry and narrative from her own experiences as an activist along with interviews from other activists, Ortiz covers a wide range of themes, including how trauma is held in the body, the generational impact of colonization, ableism (oppression of people who are perceived to have cognitive, emotional, and/or physical disabilities), the power of intuition and ancestral wisdom, and how to be aware of our needs and our value. Every page of this spiritual book is a gift, full of poignant stories, poetic metaphors, insightful questions, and practical suggestions to sustain ourselves as activists over the long-term.”

— Lisa Hoffman, Social Justice Activist

“Self-care and activism has become a widely discussed subject in activist circles, yet in practice has been often been difficult to implement. With this book, Ortiz has made it both accessible, and most important, possible. She reminds us that we are part of the flow of nature, and helps infuse the spirit in each of us back into our activism. It’s a must-read for those of us doing this work, and a critical reminder that we must care for ourselves too so we can be there for the long term.”

— Adela Nieves, Traditional Health Practitioner, Taino (Indigenous Peoples of the Caribbean)

“I have never been more nourished by a book. I’m sure I will be in a process of rereading and absorbing it for years.”

– Bethany Louisos, Amazon Reader Review

“This is a gentle, transformative book. Written for social justice activists, it has a much wider application…where many people feel frightened, depressed, or angry about government actions against women, people of color, immigrant people, LGBTQ people, and the environment.… Ortiz draws on her Mestiza community’s spiritual traditions, suggesting strategies for creating nourishing rituals using the reader’s own ancestry, experience, and traditions. She emphasizes how to identify one’s strengths, how to manage stress, how to decide when and whether a job, relationship, or other situation has become untenable.… Each chapter ends with questions intended to lead the reader to internal knowledge, self-awareness, and peace… For me, the best choice was to read the book slowly to fully integrate its wisdom.”

–Michele Sharpe, Amazon Reader Review