The Importance of Self-Care…
Hello! My name is Aly Lines and I am a graduate student at Lesley University, studying to complete my Master’s in Music Therapy and Mental Health Counseling. I am completing a clinical internship through The Sonatina Center in Dover, NH, working alongside BC-MT’s to complete hours.
Throughout this internship experience and in classes at Lesley, I have learned a great deal about the importance of self-care for clinicians in order to provide best practices for the therapist and client. Self-care can be defined in a variety of ways and may look different for each individual. Different categories of self care include:
Physical
Emotional
Mental
Social
Spiritual
Self-care practices are not one-size fits all. There are a multitude of ways to engage in self-care and the most important aspect of the practice is to find activities or rituals that not only work for YOU, but that promote a more grounded physical, mental, and emotional health to manage stress and reduce burnout.
Burnout can be common among therapists due to assisting others in dealing with heavy emotions and exhaustion associated with mental health problem solving. It is essential that clinicians set and maintain boundaries with the clinical practice and personal well-being to ensure that the care they provide is as helpful as possible and that their own care isn’t forgotten about or skipped entirely. In a field that is dedicated to helping other people, personal care can slip through the cracks. Therapists and other mental health professionals must find ways to take breaks and engage in restorative activities and self-care rituals to increase energy levels, reduce stress, and improve overall quality of life and daily functioning.
As a music therapy intern, something that I do to take care of myself and maintain my own self-care is by carving out time and space to be by myself and reflect without screens before bed. After a long day, I find it necessary to put my screens away and allow my mind to quiet on its own before closing my eyes and resting for the night. My brain is constantly in overdrive trying to complete tasks by deadlines, be in a million places throughout the day, help people, and manage emotions. At night, it takes me a while to unwind and slow that brain processing down enough to fall asleep. Taking the extra few minutes before closing my eyes to just sit with my thoughts and reflect on the day without the help of the television, is a way I have found to wind down and enter a space where I can be relaxed enough to sleep.
Another self-care ritual I have is taking very long, hot showers with only colored string lights on and a candle burning. I find the warmth of the water to be very soothing and comforting, and the shower is a space where I can be by myself with the ambiance of some warm lighting and sweet aromatherapy. The final thing I will share regarding my own self-care is engaging in my own creative hobbies such as playing guitar or making art/crafts. This allows me to restore my creativity and gives my brain something artistic to focus on for a while.
All of these practices allow me to return to a grounded state of mind and assist me to be the best version of myself in a social, emotional, professional, and physical setting. Something to ask yourself after reading this post, when was the last time YOU took the time to engage in a self-care ritual?
If you haven’t already - Check out our Music & Self-Care Support Group Here!