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What does self-care look like?
In last week’s post we explored the concept of self-care. Despite the popularity of the term in wellness culture, too often a discussion of self-care disregards the unique needs of each individual. I have come to find that self-care is best considered holistically.
A holistic approach to self-care considers wellness in multiple areas – such as physical, mental, social, emotional, and spiritual – which when addressed together, represent complete care. Do these areas resonate for you? Perhaps you ask, why so many? The simple explanation is that our overall wellness is dependent on our experience as a whole. We have an intrinsic need to regularly replenish each area.
Maybe you’re already thinking of the kinds of activities that belong in each of the categories above, and we’ll explore the first three areas (physical, mental, and social care) in this post. Before we begin, I offer this to consider: be careful not to confuse self-care with your basic needs.
As musicians we can often be tripped up by this one. Have you ever thought, “I’ll get a full night of sleep once I’m through this run of concerts” or, “I’ll skip lunch and just eat a snack between rehearsals”?
But see, sleep and nutrition - or more importantly, a full night of sleep and healthy meals - aren’t really examples of self-care. They’re basic needs. We all have a baseline amount of sleep that we need in order to feel well, and basic nutritional requirements to meet. Yet, too often we short-change the big three - sleep, nutrition, and exercise - and think that we’ll just “self-care” our way out of any accumulated deficits when things quiet down.
Having said all of this, I understand that our careers sometimes demand that we cut corners on fundamental needs. I simply challenge you to place your basic requirements for sleep, nutrition, and exercise in a separate category as you reflect on acts of self-care.
So what kinds of activities belong in each category?
Physical self-care There are countless activities that can be considered here - the only requirement is care of your body. What kinds of things work for you? Walking in a new area/park in your city Attending a new fitness class Sleeping in an extra hour Scheduling regular physician or dentist appointments (this one is arguably in the “basic needs” category, but some might consider it self-care) Getting a massage
Mental (cognitive) care The activities in this category are best pursued outside of your career demands or line of work. That said, professional development opportunities can often be a source of inspiration. Taking up a new hobby or instrument Reading that book sitting on your shelf that you got for Christmas two years ago Starting a new game or puzzle with family Enrolling in an online course on a subject that fascinates you Pursuing professional development activities that excite you
Social care Humans are intensely social. The pandemic has reminded us of this fact, and we’ve all needed to be creative in this area over the last 12 months. Thankfully, we may soon see our regular social activities available to us again. Coffee/lunch dates with friends Scheduling game night with friends Going on a date night with a partner Scheduling phone/zoom visits with family Going to your weekly choir rehearsal (soon!)
What else would you add to the lists above?
Next week we’ll address the final two areas of self-care - emotional and spiritual care.
Dr Sara Brooks Feel free to reach out on Instagram and Facebook: @outsidethescore
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