Wednesday - Overwhelmed Self-Care

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a bit about wanting to remember self-care when I was feeling overwhelmed. I sat down with a post-it note and put some ideas of what to do in that specific emotional set. Yesterday, I took that information and made it into an index card reminder. Here it is...

A card with the title, "Overwhelmed Self-Care," and a variety of pictures illustrating the listed self-care techniques. Techniques include "sing loudly, ice water, cook, take a drive, stretch, piano, guitar, write it out."

The stickers are from Audrey Okaya - you can find her on Instagram - @audreyokaya if you are interested in purchasing some of these stickers. (Please note that I do not get any financial benefit from using anyone's materials - I just wanted you to know whose work contributed to this project. The colorful illustrations are hers. The black and white line drawings are mine.) With these stickers, I was able to make a collage of self-care themes.

One of the things that I wanted to focus on with this reminder card is that self-care does not mean going somewhere, but it can. There are many things that help me when I am overwhelmed with things happening in the world that do not cost me anything but a bit of time. Ice water is always a good choice for my emotional mindset - water just tastes different to me when it is ice cold.

I am thinking that this may become a series in my self-care regimen - self-care cards for different emotional states. Right now, though, overwhelmed is a good place to start.

Please note that this is not a way to finish projects when I am feeling overwhelmed. I already have a system in place for project completion. This card reminds me of ways to reset my emotional state and to take care of myself - not be more productive. There is value in pushing through, but if that is all that you ever do, you are not acknowledging that there is an emotional component to what happens to you. If a quick drink of ice water can help me with my project completion, then it benefits me to take that time. If writing in my journal helps me feel less overwhelmed and more focused or positive, then why not do it?

I don't know about you, but when I am feeling overwhelmed, the first thing that I forget to do is self-care. Stretching seems like an easy thing to remember when I am calm (like right now - it's been a good 24 hours), but I forget those things when my emotional state takes over. This visual will help me out. I am going to turn this into a print so I can put it up on my office walls or in my journals to help me remember.

I enjoy making visual aids - not just for my clients, but also for me. I find that visuals like this index card are good for my well-being. I like drawing them, making them, printing them out, and giving them away. This one can't be distributed since it uses the artwork of someone else, but I would be happy to do some line drawings and illustrations of my own (or using my licensed clip art library) for other people. I might be thinking about that for my Etsy store - I could do a digital download thing...something to think about here.

In my work office, I have several collages of different pictures and thoughts. Some of them are cartoons that make me giggle, even after seeing them for years and years. Others are reminders of past experiences. Still others are part of my various fandoms. I add and subtract to those collages when I feel like it. I enjoy having something to look at while I am working, so I create the environment that I like. I have been scouring Pinterest for some new pictures. It is about time to start printing them out, cutting them up, and affixing them to the wall. That will be a job for tomorrow - today is already full of groups.

Yesterday, I took an hour and laminated a bunch of projects for my clinic. I have preparation time set aside on Thursday and Friday for making task boxes and file folders for other classrooms, but I am working on getting my own visuals formatted and catalogued (still - ongoing project and is continuing). I have neglected my own projects in favor of the ones I have been doing for my clients' classes. That stopped yesterday.

I am glad that I dug into the pile of projects that I have been neglecting as of late. I found several sets of things that will fit into my April theme box. There are some animal themed cards, some music education games, and some song sheets that will bulk up the April box nicely. That box has been relatively empty until now for some reason. Next month's box is full of Star Wars and graduation stuff, so there isn't much room for new things. April's box only had a couple of recycling icons and some Easter stuff. That's it. Lots of space for new TMEs and ideas. Come to think of it, I haven't printed out the sing about April editions for that box either. That's something I want to get done...

Anyway, I have my self-care card for when I feel overwhelmed, so I am feeling confident that I can help myself in these next several weeks when the overwhelming situations of the Talent Show, graduation, field day, and the rest of the end of the regular year stuff starts up. Pull out the card, do something to help me be mindful, and navigate the emotion.

Happy Wednesday.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dear AMTA

Dear American Music Therapy Association: I am debating long and hard about remaining in this relationship. I have been in this relationship since college, and this is not a decision that I am taking lightly or without great cost.  I am not happy with what you are bringing to this relationship. Now, I have been a selfish partner over the past several years - mainly because I am not feeling like we share a common mission anymore. It is easy for me to place the blame on you, but I know that this is not all on me. I have tried to be invested in communication and support and understanding, but everyone comes to a time where enough is enough. I am trying very hard to decide if the benefits that you provide to me are worth the feelings that I have about where I think you and I are going. I am not sure that our destination is the same anymore, and this makes me sad. To be completely honest, I am only in this relationship these days for the music therapy interns. I don't think that is a hea...
Read more

Songwriting Sunday: Repetition

Image
One of the things that I find to be helpful with my client population (children, adolescents, and young adults with dual diagnoses) is repetition of phrases, lyrics, and music. As a result of 30+ years of working with this population in various iterations, I have found that my clients respond the most to songs with three repeated phrases to prime their responses with a different phrase to communicate the important part of the experience. DISCLAIMER: This is not a definite way to write music for clinical interactions. This is what seems to work well with my particular group of human beings. Don't go to your supervisors and tell them that I told you that this is the ONLY way to write music - It is NOT! You have to find what works for your clients and for their clinical goals. Since my clients respond well to this type of song, I tend to write songs in this format more than any other. What I have found is that my clients remember these songs more than the ones that I do in different f...
Read more

Being An Internship Director: On Hiatus

Image
It has been long enough since I have had an intern that I am seriously feeling like I have little to say on the subject. At the same time, I am currently writing Chapter 5 of my general internship handbook, so I am able to write about being an intern and what types of things to think about during this important time in our professional development. It is a strange place to be in, and it is one that is a bit challenging for me. Right now, I have had three vacant internship positions since the beginning of the calendar year. I will have a vacant position next month and that will be an entire year of rejected offers. In the past nine months, I have offered positions to three applicants who have declined. It is interesting how people complain that there aren't enough internship programs, but programs like mine are empty. I guess there aren't enough internship programs that pay large stipends (which mine cannot) out there. I get it. It is interesting to me how we have moved from an ...
Read more