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At this Zoom gathering, Rev. Mir Plemmons led the attendees in a visualization exercise focused on self-care. Rev. Mir reminded us that our needs change in life, and so it is natural that our self-care might change as well..
Here are several import things to keep in mind
about self-care:
* know that you have needs, and work to be aware of what they are
* understand that self-care is a "successful mitigation of toxic overload from the rest of life"
* be aware that colleagues also require self care; perhaps explore strategies to coordinate self-care
* self-care is more than lip serve: we do better work when we ARE better
* others' traume gives us (clergy, but could be anyone) a secondary trauma
* "People who need help sometimes look a lot like people who don't need help" - Glennon Doyle
The HOP would like to share with the Communion some of the self-care practices that we have found effective. We hope that everyone prioritizes their own self-care, and encourages good self-care practices for each other. That might mean, hearing when someone says "no" to you, and realizing that that "no" is a "yes" to their own self-care. One of the hardest parts about good self-care can be the feeling that you are disappointing others.
Here is our list of things to consider for
good self-care practices:
* walking, going outside, trails, rivers, birds
* deep breathing (there are lots of good apps, or just pause and breathe)
* sit and do nothing (there is a Dutch practice called "niksen" which is the practice of doing nothing, to sit and daydream, or not, and to just be with your thoughts where-ever they may lead)
* get away somewhere for a change of scenery
* sew, crochet, paint, poet, sculpt, draw
* acupuncture
(working to alleviate pain often manifests as good self-care)
* go to the ocean, mountains, car ride, bike ride
* golfing
* "Tuesday Sabbath" - create a renewal day, turn off social media; for clergy, it is important to create boundaries here and so "no" to things on days that most people are working and saying "yes"; acknowledge that our schedules are different
* self-care must be guarded and planned for
* music: listen, play, dance, write, hum, drum, get a tambourine
* embrace your inner toddler (i.e. what did your 3-4 year old self love?) - color, jump in puddles, move toward joy
* relish the process of creating; sometimes it is about the process, and not what we create; even creating homilies is creating (it is OK if self-care is part of our ministry)
* join a choir, hockey team, bridge club (or some other group that "you" are not responsible for)
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