Self Care

Hello again! I hope you’ve had a fabulous week!

This week I am reflecting on self-care. We talk about self-care a lot in the music therapy field. I’ve known that self-care is important, but now I am really learning just how important it is.

Lots of things are new and different when you start your internship. For me, I moved to a different area, I hardly knew anyone, and this is my first full-time “job.”

The first month of internship also brought me new challenges, new environments, and new clients. Not to mention, most MT interns get more experience in their first two weeks of internship than in all four years of college combined! All of this can add up to be a lot of stress!

To help me cope with this stress, I have implemented daily and weekly self-care. Let me tell you, doing things for yourself on a regular basis really helps you combat the stress of the week.

Everyone’s self-care looks different, but I thought I would share with you what new self-care practices I have added to my everyday life!

Things I Do On a Daily Basis:

• Make My Bed: I never did this growing up, and I’m sure my mom wasn’t happy about it (sorry Mom!), but, since starting my internship, I have been making my bed every morning when I wake up. It is a great feeling to curl up in a made bed every night.
• Essential Oil Diffuser: I have this on when I get ready in the morning as well as when I get ready for bed.
• Pack Lunch the Night Before: This saves me time in the morning, so I can sleep a few minutes later!

As a part of my internship requirements/assignments, I also need to do an hour of weekly self-care. Preferably, it should be something new! A lot of what I have been doing are things I used to do, but didn’t have time for in college.

Here is what I have done so far:

• Crochet: Call me old-fashioned, but I love to crochet! All I know is how to make blankets, but it’s a good activity to keep your body busy and your mind empty.
• Read: I used to read for fun all the time, but all I had time to read in college was textbooks. Reading takes me into another world and out of this one for a bit!
• Cook: I’ll be the first to admit that I’m an awful cook. One night I simply made myself some pasta noodles, and that was good enough for me!
• Date Night: I went to the mall in Springfield with my boyfriend. We didn’t even buy anything, but it was nice to simply walk and be with someone I know cares about me. This doesn’t have to be done with a significant other! Just simply spending some time with someone you know cares about you, like a family member or friend, can be so refreshing.

I think that self-care was something that I took for granted before starting my internship, but I’m learning very quickly just how important it is. To paraphrase a common saying: you must first help yourself before you can help others. Remember this and maybe even try a new self-care activity!

What are some of your favorite ways to practice self-care?

Thanks for reading this week’s blog post!

Emma Kovachevich