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It’s finally starting to feel like fall outside here in Springfield, IL and it is beautiful. This morning, some of the music therapists at MTC and I decided to have a trip to the pumpkin patch for some fall fun. Also, I’ve never been to a pumpkin patch where you cut your own pumpkins, so it was a neat experience for me as well. It was a nice break from work and internship life.

However, after returning home from the pumpkin patch, I realized that I haven’t been great at practicing self-care recently and my body can definitely feel it; this week, I have been exhausted all the time and there isn’t a good reason for it either. I’ve noticed that I’ve been preaching self-care to my parents, friends, and sometimes even to my clients, yet I haven’t been practicing it. So this afternoon, I’ve come up with some ways that I will better practice self-care in the upcoming weeks in order to eliminate stress, take care of my body, and keep myself energized.

Eat healthier.

Stressing eating isn’t a good thing and it’s important to have a balanced meal as well. As I’m quickly learning from those around me, eating six small meals a day is better than eating three big meals, so I’m going to pack better, healthier snacks that I can nibble on throughout the day to keep my energy up.

Go to bed at the same time every night…no matter what!

Recently, I haven’t been going to bed early like I did at the beginning of my internship. This needs to happen because sleep is extremely important in order to process through what happened that day. Throughout these upcoming weeks, I will go to bed at the same time every night and try to wake up at the same time each day as well. It’ll be hard because there is always something to do, but sleep is SO important.

Exercise. 

I dislike exercising. However, it’s a great way to unwind and eliminate stress. So from now on, I promise to at least try to exercise in a way that I like at least two to three times a week.

As therapists, we love working with others, but we often forget to help ourselves. Self-care is hard to practice, but it is the most important thing to do each week. If you’re an current music therapy intern, or even a professional or student, and have been struggling in the self-care area, let’s try this together!

Finally, follow me on live video every (or almost every) Thursday on Music Therapy Connection, LLC’s Facebook page. I will be answering questions, sharing songs, and discussing other topics as well! If you have a question or want me to talk about something, please let me know!

Thanks,

Sammy Springer