When I was much younger, less cares, or so it seems in retrospect (but its all relative really) I use to just naturally gravitate toward activities which I enjoyed. I never carved out time for self-care, I just did it. Yes, I scheduled in massage appointments (even more than I do now) and went to spend a few hours in a float tank (sensory deprivation to create a calmness), hung out in artsy cafes and wrote in my journal, spent time making art regularly; but I never stopped and thought “Hey, I need to make sure I do these things so I am going to schedule them in“.  Nope, I didn’t need to, it just happened, naturally.

Then as the busyness of work increased, along with my responsibilities (or awareness of them) gradually the regular massage, spending time in cafe’s with creative mind and making art started to fall by the wayside.  In the early years after becoming an art therapist I was so busy running from one contract to another, literally working in a different space daily.  I called myself the traveling art therapist. My focus shifted to caring for others more than myself. Eventually the scales were tipped such that my caring for self was in need of attention.  This is when I began my workshops; I found a new way of exploring my creativity and holding myself accountable.  I did the exercises and projects myself that I introduced to my participants.

When I think of it now, it’s not so unusual that my self-care in the early years just happened “naturally”  because I think it is instinctive to want to care for ourselves.  Its self-preservation of our species after all.  As humans we know that if we don’t take care of ourselves then we risk not being there for our next generation. I think we all know deep down that if we want to care for others and be present for them when they are in need, we must be present for ourselves first.

Many of us know that we need to take care of our bodies from the food that we eat to the exercises that we do. Even though we know this it doesn’t always translate into happening consistently. But how often do we think about actually implementing self-care for our emotional and spiritual needs? We are not only our physical bodies, we are people with minds, thoughts and feelings with a need to be connected to something bigger than ourselves. Humans are relational and creative beings. This part of self needs to be nurtured as regularly as our physical bodies need to be, yet so often they are not.  We are taught in our society to focus on achieving intellectual status, checking off tasks that keep us busy in a constant doing, not for self but for others. Even when the message is to do something for self, it often falls short of our emotional and spiritual needs.   We are encouraged to buy a tangible product that will “fulfill us” or make us “look better”: go to the spa, treat yourself to a latte, buy these beautiful clothes.

While I am not saying that any of these things are bad in and of themselves, they are not the answer to fulfilling our emotional and spiritual needs. They are not the answer to being happy.  We need something that speaks to our creative soul. Something that allows us to tap into the creativity that is inherent in who we are. To me, building a creative practice is the answer to our happiness.    Given today’s demands and expectations of school, work, social circles,  family and so forth to achieve a certain outward appearance, happiness often takes an effort to maintain.  Happiness is a state of mind.  It is a state of mind that is achieved by the inward exploration and letting go of some of the beliefs and expectations that we have picked up on our journey through life so far.

When we explore our Self through creative practice, such as art journaling, intuitive painting, collaging, and other expressive media, we open our selves up who we really are.  By allowing ourselves to create we not only tap into our inner wisdom, but also we access the very things we need for a healthy self-care practice: self-awareness, self-regulation and balance.

Self-care bucket from CARING FOR SELF WORKSHOP with permission

When create from a place of self-expression  rather than for a product, we are automatically developing a deeper awareness of self.  Whether we process this kind of art making verbally or not, the process of making art from our core being connects us with our inner states. When we connect through our art making with how we are feeling and experiencing in that moment, we are honing our self-regulation skills. Expressing through art offers a release of emotions, including stress.  Art making in this sense  can help us integrate these parts of our experiences at a distance, allowing us to reflect and process safely any intense emotions.  Art making invites balance into our lives by tapping into our inherent creativity; we see that we are more than our work, our roles, and our titles.  Creative expression reminds us that there is more to life than the daily demands. It reminds us that we must nurture our inner beings as gently and as kindly as we would our loved ones. We cannot run on empty.

Which would you rather?

• Wait to be stuck on the highway waiting for a tow truck to come because your car has run out of gas.
• Watch until you get a warning signal that the gas is very low and then stress about whether you can get to a gas station on time?
• Fill up the gas regularly, as well as doing regular maintenance on your vehicle so that you avoid being stranded.

How do you handle your self-care practice now?

• Is it consistent or does it go up and down in waves depending on what you are dealing with?
• Do you wait until your energy is depleted, or are  often irritable?
• Do you wait until your mind and spirit are jumping up and down for your attention?
• Or are you proactive, seeking out a balance between energy depletion and restoration for a state of emotional homeostasis?

We need to plan for self-care in order for it to fit into our schedules regularly.  I have written elsewhere about the importance of taking the time and space necessary for your creativity. All it takes is a commitment to your self.  Are you ready?