Reminders to Be Proactive with Self-Care Come From the Funniest Places

Last year, just about this time, I was working hard on a presentation about recognizing compassion fatigue, secondary trauma, and burnout and using creative projects to decide where we wanted to go in life. I had never presented on this topic before and wanted things to make sense for those who attended. I was really stressed about the presentation because I had been in that place and found that the topic was intensely personal and difficult for me to share with others. I was horribly nervous about what I was going to say and how it would be perceived.

Then, my copy of Moana arrived in the mail.

Are you wondering what Moana has to do with self-care and my presentation? When it arrived, I didn't know that it would have something to do with this topic, but I was pleasantly surprised.

I am a Disney nut.

I have many of the movies, especially the obscure ones that most people have never experienced before. I enjoy movies, but I love Disney moves. I purchase almost all of them. Moana was a movie that I had not seen in the theater, so I was looking forward to taking some time to watch it.

I am also someone who loves all the bonus extras, so I eagerly watched the movie and then explored the extra features. I was thrilled that there was a short attached to the movie! I love short cartoons and am really happy that John Lassiter has moved them over to the Disney side of things as well as on the Pixar side of things.

So, I moved into the bonus feature menu and settled in to watch the short. It is called Inner Workings, and I encourage you to watch it (I found trailers on YouTube, but I'm not going to post anything else here due to copyright concerns). 

It was exactly what I wanted to say during my presentation! The short encapsulated every thing that needed to be said about self-care, finding our ways in the world, and changing what needs to be changed to find bliss. There it was - the thing I needed to remember when it came to everything I wanted to talk to attendees about.

Isn't it funny how these little reminders pop up when you need them?

I'm sure that the Disney corporation didn't think, "In about four years, there will be a music therapist out there who needs to experience this message when we release the movie, so let's make sure that we include it," but I like to think that they knew that there were people out there who needed the message.

I watched the short again on Monday evening. The day hadn't been particularly bad or anything, but I needed a reminder that it was up to me to find my way in the world. No one else can dictate what I do with my life - just me. I also needed a reminder that it is possible to find bliss in a job.

The short is still just as powerful to me now as it was last year. It is on the top of my self-care reminder list these days - watch Inner Workings and think. Think about what I want to do with the life that I have in front of me. Think about how I can continue to find happiness in what I have chosen to do. Think about how I can make the world a better place for those I interact with on a regular basis. Think about fun.

This year, I'm going to be talking about writing clinical goals and objectives and about making resources for clients at conference. The movie, Coco, is coming just as I leave for the conference. I wonder if the good folks at Pixar will have included a short about writing objectives...

Happy Wednesday, everyone!