The word “self-advocacy” tends to conjure up images of people with disabilities standing up for themselves and their rights. Still, it’s more than that: self-advocacy is about creating a mindset in which you’re your own best advocate. In this post, we’ll explain what the self-advocacy mindset entails, how to develop it, and how to use it in your day-to-day life.

Women, especially Black women, often face disparities and injustices regarding healthcare. We know all too well how hard it is to get a doctor to listen to us. We’re dying during labor and delivery at alarming rates, and we’re often told that the pain isn’t as serious as we’re stating in many health-related situations.

This blog encourages you to advocate for yourself in all aspects of your life, but even more regarding your health!

Assertiveness and Confidence are Crucial for Self-Advocacy

The first step in becoming more assertive is learning to express yourself. This may mean learning new words or phrases, but it also means learning how to use words you know to express your feelings without being hurtful. It’s important to remember that being assertive does not mean being aggressive; aggressiveness is about hurting someone else, whereas assertiveness can be used as an effective way of standing up for yourself without hurting anyone else!

Assertiveness is also different from passive behavior in that it doesn’t involve expecting others to read your mind about what you want or need—which can lead them down the wrong path if they have no idea what’s happening inside your head! Instead, assertiveness involves asking for things directly and clearly by using “I” statements (e.g., “I would like…”).

Once you’ve worked on these skills and learned how best to express yourself, it will be much easier for others around you to understand where you stand concerning your rights as an individual and their responsibility towards your welfare.

Lead yourself

Realize that you are the expert on yourself. You know what’s important to you and your goals, and no one can tell you any different.

You’re also the only person who can make things happen in your life; other people might help or support you, but in the end, it’s up to you alone whether you get where you want to go or not.

Know your rights, and stand up for them

One of the most important things you can do is know your rights. Knowing what you can and cannot do for yourself and when you need to ask for help are key aspects of self-advocacy. On the other hand, some people spend so much time advocating for themselves that they forget how to ask others for help when they need it.

Know where you fall in this spectrum!

Be assertive and confident in yourself; no one else can advocate for you like YOU! Learn how to express your needs confidently. And remember: being honest about what works well for YOU is just as important as being honest about what does NOT work well.

You are the expert on yourself, and you deserve the best

One of the most important things you can do for yourself is to start thinking about your self-advocacy as a lifestyle. It’s not just something that comes up occasionally when you have a specific problem or question; it is a way of being—a mindset that allows you to be proactive in your life, particularly regarding your health care.

To help with this shift in mindset, I recommend taking some time every day to remind yourself that:

• You are the expert on yourself; no one else can know what’s best for you better than you do. The people who work with me care about my well-being, but they can never fully understand what it feels like to experience my symptoms or how much pain I am in unless they live with these issues every day, too (and even then, they might still struggle).
• You deserve dignity and respect from those around you at all times; we should never forget this simple fact, no matter where we go or whom we run into! We need everyone involved in our lives working together so everyone wins!

A self-advocacy mindset is a powerful tool. It’s not always easy, but it can help you take charge of your life and make the right decisions for you. With this mindset, we can speak up when something isn’t working out the way it should, control our lives, and lead ourselves toward happiness and better health.

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