Caring for the carer – sustainability, self-care and you
For those in caring or other demanding work, taking the time to tune in, rest and reset is vital but often overlooked. Where are you on your own sustainability scale?
The term “sustainability” emerged around 30 years ago as we began to recognise that our continued growth and our way of living was becoming environmentally unsustainable. We realised there was a need to protect what we had so that future generations could continue to enjoy all it.
So what does sustainability have to do with self-care?
For many of us, we reach a time in our lives when we begin considering our own sustainability – in terms of our wellbeing, our vitality and energy.
We begin to notice the amount of energy we have is finite. We become more choosy in the activities we partake in. We begin to filter our experiences and acknowledge that our time has a certain preciousness to it.
We also begin to realise that our actions now, the amount of energy we expend now, will have an impact on our lives in the next decade and the decades after that.
Self-care involves the growing awareness of what is needed in any given moment. It involves slowing down, taking time out, resting and recovering, and finding a way of resetting so that we can continue.
For those working in therapeutic, social or environmental or other demanding work, there is an increasing need to continually tune in: to check how we are and to reset to move on. One eye is on the present, and on current needs. And one eye is on the future, in terms of ongoing commitment.
So where are you on your own sustainability scale? Are you carving out time – daily, monthly, yearly – to rest and reset? Or do you find yourself continually overwhelmed and overworked without any space in between?
As we move towards the end of 2022, it’s a good time to tune in. Ask yourself – is there anything you need to change or adapt as you move forward into the next year?
Creative self-care for carers
Curious about how you can use the creative process as a tool for self-care? I’ve created a 4-week creative self-care programme “Self-care for Carers”, starting in February 2023.
It introduces simple creative exercises that help you ground and reconnect to your inner self. I’ll provide the time, space and reflection to tune in and imagine a different way to care for your future self. The aim is to assist the big-hearted amongst us continue to do the work that is so vital for this world.
Click HERE for more
