Self-Care and the Vacationing Music Therapist
It is now the official middle of my Summer Break from work. I have as many days in front of me as I have behind me. I like long breaks from work because I get to the point where I have had enough rest and relaxation. I refresh as a therapist and get ready to get back into the daily routine of my job. Before I get to that point, however, I have to go through the depths. I'm there.
I am a person who needs time alone in order to refresh my energy. It is part of being an introvert. Not a bad thing, all in all. It is just part of who I am and how I interact with the world.
There are downsides to being an introvert, though. One of them is that I get tired of being away from my routine and my schedule, and I get bored with everything that is before me. I'm tired of my movies, my books, my television options, the chores sitting in front of me, and the food that's in the refrigerator. Everything just plain old disgusts me right now.
Now, I've been through this enough to know that there are several things that I can do to shake up my world. First, I just need to embrace the ennui and find something to keep me occupied until I am truly motivated to do what I need to do at home. Being bored is part of self-care. Second, there will be times when I have to just bite the bullet and do something. Third, I can try to find something new to do during the rest of my time. Or, I could just take a nap.
I am a big proponent of the need for self-care in any therapist. Others seem to feel that there is a "best way" to care for yourself, but I think that each therapist has to find his or her own way to care for self. For me, I find that I need significant time away from my work and from other people in order to find the passion that I need when I am working with my clients. The trick (again, only for me) is to avoid getting stuck in thoughts of self-doubt, inadequacy, and my personal goblins.
How often do I think, "If you WOULD only do this, you COULD finish all of the things you SHOULD have already done" - how often? OFTEN, especially during these breaks from work.
For now, my self-care regimen will include celebrating the things I have accomplished today - I emptied out a huge box of socks that have been sitting in my craft room for a long time. FINISHED! I mashed potatoes for the first time in my life! FINISHED! I'm blogging now - almost finished. The next thing on the agenda is to clean up the craft room carpet, put some laundry away, and then take a nap. There you go - that is plenty for a vacation day in the middle of Summer Break.
I am a person who needs time alone in order to refresh my energy. It is part of being an introvert. Not a bad thing, all in all. It is just part of who I am and how I interact with the world.
There are downsides to being an introvert, though. One of them is that I get tired of being away from my routine and my schedule, and I get bored with everything that is before me. I'm tired of my movies, my books, my television options, the chores sitting in front of me, and the food that's in the refrigerator. Everything just plain old disgusts me right now.
Now, I've been through this enough to know that there are several things that I can do to shake up my world. First, I just need to embrace the ennui and find something to keep me occupied until I am truly motivated to do what I need to do at home. Being bored is part of self-care. Second, there will be times when I have to just bite the bullet and do something. Third, I can try to find something new to do during the rest of my time. Or, I could just take a nap.
I am a big proponent of the need for self-care in any therapist. Others seem to feel that there is a "best way" to care for yourself, but I think that each therapist has to find his or her own way to care for self. For me, I find that I need significant time away from my work and from other people in order to find the passion that I need when I am working with my clients. The trick (again, only for me) is to avoid getting stuck in thoughts of self-doubt, inadequacy, and my personal goblins.
How often do I think, "If you WOULD only do this, you COULD finish all of the things you SHOULD have already done" - how often? OFTEN, especially during these breaks from work.
For now, my self-care regimen will include celebrating the things I have accomplished today - I emptied out a huge box of socks that have been sitting in my craft room for a long time. FINISHED! I mashed potatoes for the first time in my life! FINISHED! I'm blogging now - almost finished. The next thing on the agenda is to clean up the craft room carpet, put some laundry away, and then take a nap. There you go - that is plenty for a vacation day in the middle of Summer Break.
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