Self-care for the creative soul.

“Self-care” is a term that is popping up everywhere. And for a good reason. We need it. It seems that we are expected to be workhorses, do it all, no stopping – Keep moving! I find this to be an expectancy in the creative industry also. Everyone is on that hustle. Shoot, you’ll see me on that hustle often, and with that, I am also all about some me-time. So let’s talk about “self-care for the creative soul” and what that might look like.

The past 12 months have taught me a lot in the way of self-care and allowing myself grace to deal with some curve-balls. I found that it was incredibly important to give myself time to deal with grief and that other common and significant stressor – home-buying. Both being the bookends of 12 months. What a year! I’ve been having a lot of conversations around the things I’m going to share with you – shared sentiments, experiences, some peers having self-realizations in the same track. Seems like a good subject to cover.

Nurture yourself.

We need adequate rest. We need good food. We need time to be still. And we need to be okay with giving ourselves time to take care of ourselves. Have you ever found yourself in a position where simple things start taking longer to accomplish? And you’re forcing yourself to get through a task that no longer seems exciting? It’s often a result of that brain fog rolling in. Brain fog happens when we’re working our tushes off, eating like garbage, and we don’t allow time for our brains to rest and reset. We’ve put too much on our plates for others, and zero time for ourselves. Resulting in impatience, and we aren’t working at our most creative, efficient, and functional selves.

Suggestion: Get to bed at a decent hour. Sneak in a nap in the day, if you can. Consider meditation. Meditation is a great way to stop for even just 5 minutes to ground yourself and bring yourself back to the present moment.
Guided meditation apps that I’ve loved – Headspace and Calm

Workout.

Whatever your preferred method is, do that. It could be a walk for half an hour, or maybe it’s a mile run or more. Personally, if I get at least a mile in, it resets my brain and allows me to take on what’s ahead of me in a calmer and less stressed mindset. Also, if it helps justify why we need to make time for fitness, science backs the benefits. No excuses! (Holding myself accountable too!)

Suggestion: Schedule an appointment with yourself at least three times a week to run, walk, pop into a Pilates or yoga class if that’s your jam. Hiking and biking are excellent options to really disconnect and #optoutside. For the time-crunched, consider going for a walk during your lunch break.
Running apps that can help you get in the groove – Nike Run Club or Map My Run

Booked up!

Does looking at your calendar make you sweat? Maybe you’ve over-committed yourself to others? You know when you’ve overdone it. And if you don’t know, you’ll figure out your threshold when you’ve maxed yourself out. You feel stretched thin on all matters. You aren’t able to think creatively or solve a problem for a project. You don’t have time for that walk or run. You don’t have time to enjoy lunch! You’re tired before the day begins.

Suggestion: Take a look at your schedule and assess what you can remove that does not serve you.

I’m by no means a life-coach, but I’ve had a lot of LIFE happen in the past 12 months. And as mentioned before, I’ve learned a lot in the past year about how important self-care has been for me, and have also had many conversations about these topics with fellow creatives and general population, leaving me feeling like this is a worthwhile topic to cover. And I still have to remind myself of at least these three pieces from time to time to maintain balance to keep myself tuned up for efficiency and the creative spin.

I’d love to hear how you balance out your days to assure you’re addressing self-care and keeping the creative-brain functioning?

 

 

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