Self Care

Katie D.

December 5, 2010 - 9:14 PM

On Friday, one of the members of my cohort presented to my Perspectives Class about the issue of self care in the field of conflict resolution. She made the excellent point that we are entering a field in which we will be dealing intimately with the trauma of others, and inviting stories of pain into our lives. In order to cope with this and maintain both our open-heartedness and the joy in our own lives, it is essential that we practice self care in a conscious and regular way.

I truly needed to hear that.

It is very easy for me to become wrapped up in my activities and my plans, and forget that I need space and comfort in order to maintain my daily routines. So I forget to make time for creativity and exercise, or have to make a choice between an hour with my novel and time on the phone with family. I get worn down sometimes from my work with the various prison programs, and with the coursework in CRES, which often focuses on the many painful conflicts of the world.

The presentation included a worksheet with suggested areas to focus our self-care. These included health, centering, creativity, "fun," and nutrition. We were asked to consider making small starting goals, and to build up to new habits which would help us continue through our future work.

I'm taking this seriously. I think this could make all the difference in my experience of the next months and years of study. I've made goals and plans in these areas before, and yet have managed to schedule myself into a life space in which I am hardly exercising (aside from my long walks to school) and rarely take the time for creative projects.

So here are a couple of plans for the coming months:

First, I'm going to start writing creatively again. This isn't something I write about much here on my blog, but I'm actually a dedicated poet and fiction writer, and have been happiest when writing on a daily (or at least weekly) basis. I'm not sure what my concrete goal will be in this area, but I want to make space for my creative self again.

Second, ZUMBA! If you're a long time reader, you know how much I have loved Zumba classes, and how strongly I feel that this kind of workout balances me and impacts my mood. I'm going to sign up for another Zumba class with my favorite teacher, Lindsey Tandingan. This means adding something new to my already busy schedule, but I feel strongly that it's important to me and will make me a healthier and happier person.

Third, I'm going to make a little bit more space for "me time." I'm not sure what that means yet. It might be reading novels, or spinning (the wool into yarn kind of spinning), or perhaps starting a meditation practice or other centering work. But I don't spend very much time in guilt-free non-productive mode. Time to make that change.

I have a good indication that I've started with self care. Despite my upcoming finals, I took the whole day Saturday to go to the coast with my friend Madeline, roommate Devin, and boyfriend Taylor. It was a gorgeous day on the coast, and so nice to be with this group again. There's something very soothing about the ocean, and liberating about being away from town and all my commitments. Plus it was fun to be with Taylor for the day. I don't write about him much, but he's been a great part of keeping me sane through the start of graduate school. He lives in Portland so I don't see him much, but spending a day walking the beach with him and two of my best friends was a fabulous de-stresser here before finals.

So wish me luck! To a new phase of life, taking care of myself as best I can.