How Can Creatives Practice Self-Care? Part One
/Self care is definitely a buzz word these days as we go through burnout plus sometimes unconscious self-neglect and mis-aligned priorities. We are continually being offered ways to honour ourselves.
With the current rise of mental health where 1 in 4 people experience mental health issues each year and 8 in 100 people are diagnosed weekly with common mental health conditions like anxiety and depression in England,* how much attention are you paying to the oil and water needs of your mental and physical engine? Is it time for tune-up?
A 2015 Icelandic study reported that genetic factors said to raise the risk of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia were found more often in people in creative professions e.g. painters, musicians, writers and dancers.**
This was compared to less creative professions like farmers, manual labourers and salespeople. Those in creative professions or through answers in the questionnaire were found, on average, to be nearly 25% more likely to carry the gene variants of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.
It is believed that this points to a common biology for some mental disorders connected with creativity and might explain the historical genius’ of Einstein, Mozart and Van Gogh to name but a few.
In saying this, I’m certainly not suggesting that all of us creative souls are mentally ill. I’m merely highlighting that your ability as a creative to think differently can set you apart and sometimes create psychological challenges.
Whether you end up being the thorn on the rose or the rose itself could be determined by your genetics according to this research… or not.
Is creativity your super power but also your kryptonite?
Maybe this is all the more reason to put yourself first as a safety net for any possible future mental health decline?
If you like the idea of this, then you’re in the right place to explore how.
Let’s begin by understanding exactly what self-care is.
What is self-care?
Self-care is about the deliberate taking care of not just your present self but also your future self - mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually.
Self-care is about witnessing yourself so that you can identify what you need in the moment and take the time to honour it.
Self-care is about cultivating behaviours that positively serve you.
Self-care is about moving away from self-harming behaviours and energy depleting people.
What are examples of self-care?
Healthy eating
Exercising
Walking outside
Drinking water consistently
Good sleep hygiene
Making space for quiet time/meditation
Worry and reflection time
Incorporating hydrotherapy into your day like a hot shower/bath/sauna/steam/body scrub/swimming if and when accessible to you
Making time for a massage - by you or someone else
The list is endless really and personal to you. What might you add?
We’ve now established the truth about what self-care is, so let’s consider what elements of both self-care and well-being that creatives can build on.
Earlier, I mentioned the “deliberate taking care of” as a way to describe self-care.
This however, can be quite challenging to incorporate into everyday living when your childhood attachments and additional baggage acquired along the way cause you to unconsciously harm yourself out of habitually learnt behaviour - mostly based on survival and self-preservation.
What if whilst you’re so busy chasing your next hustle, you’re unintentionally putting yourself last instead of first? What if you carry a belief that you don’t deserve to go first?
Does living in a society that is slowly turning into a ‘me’ culture rather than a ‘we’ culture make you think that anything connected to ‘me’ is selfish?
What if, in relation to self-care, being selfish was seen as a strength rather than a hindrance? Would you feel more inclined to develop your self-care practice?
Reframing the notion of being selfish as a strength rather than a ‘bad’ personality trait might sound unusual to you but stay with me at the back whilst I share some reasons why incorporating selfishness into your life could make it your next best ‘misunderstood’ friend.
Why be selfish as a creative?
Below are seven offerings:
Self-care is not selfish because when you invest in yourself, you also invest in others. By taking the time to be your best version, it allows you to show up for others too. Remember that it’s not possible to give to others what you don’t have for yourself. Your own gas mask has to go on first!
Self-care is far from selfish because part of your role on earth whether you believe it or not, is to contribute. Your natural curiosity as a creative is to figure out how and one way could be through self-investment.
Self-care can cultivate time to consider, “What can I be good at or do less of?”
Perhaps you can increase being self-kind by challenging your inner dialogue. What’s the stuff you say to yourself on a daily basis and throughout every waking moment? If it’s unkind, how might you decrease it?
Being selfish can give you the space to bring aware to this.
Self-care can encourage you to pay further attention to your needs in the moment and care less about what others think. Also, do their thoughts and comments even matter?
When you start to consider your own needs first, it can often inform how other people impact you.
Self-care clears the way for what really matters in your life. Being selfish and paying deliberate attention to what’s important in the moment can give your life purpose, direction and meaning.
How can you incorporate this as a positive self-care habit?
Self-care is about prioritising and only when you put yourself first can you make this possible. When you consciously attend to what needs to happen in the moment, you make trustworthy decisions.
Trustworthy decisions impact your self-esteem, self-worth and self-confidence which are made all the more possible when you put yourself at the front of the queue.
One final consideration that underpins much of what I've said is about how you choose to spend your time and who you choose to spend it with.
None of the above is possible if you are surrounded by toxic energy that depletes rather than augments. Take the time to choose who and what shares your space because self-care includes taking the time to be alone or with others based on your desires or needs in the moment.
In the second of this self care blog, I’ll share with you what you can do to cultivate self care within your world.
References