Bonjour !
I’m seriously tired of the cold. It’s been both unseasonably cold and we’ve been lingering farther north than we usually do for things that the boys have needed.
We stayed in Oriental NC for November and December so my youngest could get his Captain’s License, and then in Carolina Beach NC in January so my Oldest could get his SCUBA certifications straightened out.
Both of these stops allowed us to save money by doing the classes the kids needed much cheaper than elsewhere. But still. The cold.
And now we’re in Fernandina Beach Florida where I’d been expecting warm temperatures and an easier day to day. Nope.
Not only is it fifteen degrees fareignheight colder than it typically is this time of year the two grocery stores close by are closed for construction. So for groceries we need to make a 6.5 mile bike ride.
While I was less than enthusiastic when making the ride I became much more excited about life in general after it was done.
And I noticed a spiraling effect. A bit of movement that I did’t want to do caused me to visit the barber shop. The cold temperatures that I’m not enjoying made showering on the boat something to be avoided so I started taking longer and better showers at the marina’s showers.
And then one morning I found myself writing about how all I wanted to do was to keep typing but I’d been avoiding my creative work.
So, I opened up my writing app and got to work.
And suddenly I actually feel better.
Those pieces of self care are needed to enable creativity: Sleep, exercise, quality food, actual hygiene.
And in turn the creative practice itself becomes an act of self care that helps everything stay in balance.
It’s important to continue to produce art as a way to keep our mental health up and to take care of ourselves. And it’s important to remember that all of the other aspects of self care are important to allow for that creative work to happen.
A cycle of care that fuels our creativity and allows our creativity to fuel our overall health and wellness.
This has made me think of what self care looks like for me personally.
– Quality Food
– Lots of Tea, less wine
– Physical Movement, especially those bike rides
– Getting to bed early with a book
– Time alone
– And lots of writing and illustration time
It can be easy to forget to take care of ourselves when the pressures of the world and the needs of our friends and family are always there.
What are the ways that you are able to take care of yourself to allow you to come at your creative practice ready to make something that will in turn help you take care of yourself?
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