I am a very big advocate for advocating for yourself professionally and personally. I finally stood up and advocated for myself for the first time when I was in nursing school. Because of it, I am a cancer survivor.
What does is mean to advocate for yourself?
Self-advocation means you speak up and stand up for yourself, rather it is personally or professionally. When decisions are being made that affect your well-being or current condition, speak up boldly about your concerns. YOU have the right to be assertive when your best interest is on the line.
I showed self-advocacy when I spoke up to a doctor about a concern they dismissed and it SAVED MY LIFE. Catching the cancer in the beginning stages.
Though it may sound like you have to be this assertive, outspoken, good communicator to advocate for yourself, the key concept is to communicate your interests the best you can. A lot of us find advocating for ourselves to be difficult or uncomfortable because self-advocacy is a learned behavior.
I am a cancer SURVIVOR thanks to self-advocacy
When I was in nursing school, I had a mole on my leg that just didn’t look right to me. As you can see in my picture, I am very pale, blue-eyed, and have lots of freckles. I’m basically allergic to the sun and had been sunburnt more times than I can count. I also used the tanning bed up until this event occurred.
With growing concern, I showed one of my nursing professors and asked her opinion. She was very persistent that I get it looked at. She then asked every day after class if I had made an appointment.
How did I save my life by advocating for myself?
At first, I thought this was being a little extra. After learning more about melanoma in class about a week later, I just had a feeling it didn’t look normal. It was very large, differently colored in the middle, and had jagged edges.
So I pushed myself to make an appointment with a dermatologist. She initially said that “it was just a large freckle and cosmetically, it would be best to leave it alone”. This didn’t sit right with me; I just had a bad feeling about it.
I advocated for myself – not realizing it at the time. I voiced the bad feeling and that I didn’t care what cosmetic effects it had because I felt it was melanoma. I wanted it gone.
After explaining this, she reluctantly removed the mole and sent it off for testing reassuring me it was probably nothing.
As she walked into the exam room to give me my results, I could tell by the look on her face I had been right – it was cancer.
She told me I had melanoma and thankfully I caught it super early. Then she began to cry. She even said that if I hadn’t been so insistent on removing it, “she could have killed me”.
I immediately went to a specialist and had surgery to remove the surrounding tissue and part of the muscle in that area.
She was humble enough to say that by advocating for me and being adamant to remove it, I had saved my life.
Had it not been for that lesson or instructor at the time, I don’t know if I would have been confident enough to stand up for myself in this situation. And for her, I will forever be SO grateful.
Advocate for yourself – it can be life saving
Through advocating for myself I had caught the cancer before it penetrated deep into the skin and was able to be treated with surgery — no chemo or radiation needed.
If I had not advocated for myself, I may not be here today or would have had to do way more invasive and intense treatment than I did.
Had it not been for that lesson or instructor at the time, I don’t know if I would have been confident enough to stand up for myself in this situation. And for her, I will forever be SO grateful.
As I said, self-advocacy is a learned behavior. Did you learn to advocate for yourself growing up? I didn’t. You went to the doctor, they diagnosed you, gave you a treatment plan, and that’s what you did because “they know best”. I had not learned the behavior of advocating for myself in such a way. Thankfully, I had someone to push me in that direction at the time I needed it most.
Her concern is what pushed me to make this decision and insist it be removed and feel the need to speak up for my well-being.
I learned how important self-advocacy truly is.
How to advocate for yourself
You can practice advocating for yourself in your daily life.
Advocating for yourself doesn’t have to be over something so big. It can simply be stating something you need at the moment. It could be setting a boundary, expressing what you need, or even stating when something is making you uncomfortable.
You don’t have to be an outspoken extrovert or a good communicator to advocate for yourself. BUT the more you practice speaking up for your needs, the easier the communication skills in this area will begin to come to you.
I know you can do it!
Don’t be afraid to express your needs or concerns in any situation, it could be a life-saver — literally.
Remember: The only person that is going to advocate best for you is yourself. You know your needs and values better than anyone and no one will fight as hard for you as you will.
Always stand up for your best interest and well-being in any situation!
with love,
-cg<3
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