by Erlene Grise-Owens, EdD, LCSW, MSW, MRE, lead co-editor of The A-to-Z Self-Care Handbook for Social Workers and Other Helping Professionals
Self-care interacts with and have to be built-in into each side of life. As such, it’s linked to the 5 fundamental components of nature: fireplace, water, earth, air, and area. Let’s think about how every component pertains to self-care and the way they work together for a balanced life-style—actually and figuratively.
Fireplace
Most of us enter our career fired up with ardour for making the world a greater place, serving to individuals, doing good. Nonetheless, after we’re on fireplace—with out intentional consideration—we frequently burn out. Dynamics, equivalent to “need complex,” create unhealthy expectations. Granted, these dynamics are externally imposed on us, too. However, after we don’t have interaction in self-care, we’re rather more prone to them.
Self-care consists of honoring our ardour (fireplace) by tending to it. As an example, anger is one form of fire, which—as a part of self-care—have to be constructively thought-about. Likewise, when the fireplace wanes, we are able to rekindle it via self-care steps, equivalent to participating in skilled improvement, accessing compassionate supervision/teaching/remedy, and reflecting on our “why”/objective. Fireplace have to be balanced with different components.
Water
People are greater than 50% water. To perform, we should ingest water constantly. Water is the component related to hydrating and therapeutic. Likewise, the water component of self-care includes participating in practices that nourish and soothe us and, in the end, preserve us wholesome, rising people. Actually, for me, that features monitoring water consumption, having fun with seaside walks, and taking Epsom salt baths. Figuratively, immersing in self-care circulate practices (e.g., studying and creativity) waters my thoughts and hydrates my spirit.
Over-emphasizing any component might be problematic. As an example, consuming an excessive amount of water might be life-threatening, and a deluge of water can lead to flooding. Equally, participating in solely self-soothing self-care can result in pernicious practices opposite to balanced self-care. On a bigger scale, conceptualizing self-care as restricted to consumeristic, indulgent escapism is dangerous. As a vital component, water is a part of a balanced self-care life-style—not an additional or overindulgence.
Earth
Complementary to water, the earth component is restful, rejuvenating, grounding. After we had an adolescent in our house, grounding was a well-known consequence. Initially, she’d resist being grounded. But, pretty shortly, she’d turn out to be extra centered and content material. We realized grounding is definitely an necessary life talent. This dynamic is comparable for many people in accessing the Earth component in our self-care. We resist for a lot of causes, equivalent to: I have to be DOING STUFF!
Like adolescents, we are able to expertise the earth component as restrictive and boring. But, it’s essential to relaxation and recalibrate. Interactions with nature and instances of solitude are grounding. Rest is a common cornerstone of well-being. As with different components, the earth component can turn out to be imbalanced; we are able to turn out to be disengaged and slowed down. Totally different phases and circumstances require various emphases. As an example, the earth component must be balanced with different components, equivalent to air.
Air
In some methods, air will be the most influential self-care component, as a result of it’s ubiquitous. The air we breathe, actually and figuratively, has each instant and long-standing results. Toxicity within the air, even unseen, has dangerous impression.
Breath is an apt metaphor for self-care. Relatively than an emergency airplane masks—a standard metaphor—self-care is no matter retains us respiratory, absolutely and freely. Self-care is a way of life—the air we breathe, not simply an emergency response or non permanent masks.
Area
Self-care includes giving ourselves “respiratory room,” which encompasses the component of area. Our busy, consumeristic tradition calls for we fill our calendars and closets—as a substitute of permitting for area. By means of accessing the element of space in our self-care, relatively than attempting to fill area with extra, we view area as meaning-full. Relatively than area connoting damaging vacancy, it engages chance, presence, stillness, and openness.
Virtually and crucially, the component of area includes setting boundaries in {our relationships} and making adjustments to our environments to nurture supportive areas. These emphases work together with the opposite components in exponential methods.
Self-care: It’s elemental. How are you going to attend to every component and their interactive nature? How’s your fireplace? What waters you? Retains you respiratory? Grounds you? Helps area? Neglecting elemental self-care results in being burnt out, dehydrated, ungrounded, breathless, empty. In distinction, balanced consideration to elemental self-care retains us fired-up, hydrated, grounded, respiratory, and spacious.
Peace, Love, & Self-Care, Erlene
Erlene Grise-Owens, EdD, LCSW, MSW, MRE, is a Associate in The Wellness Group, ETC. This LLC gives analysis, coaching, and session for organizational wellness and practitioner well-being. Dr. Grise-Owens is lead editor of The A-to-Z Self-Care Handbook for Social Workers and Other Helping Professionals. As a former college member and graduate program director, she and a small (however mighty!) group of colleagues applied an initiative to advertise self-care as a part of the social work schooling curriculum. Beforehand, she served in scientific and administrative roles. She has expertise with navigating toxicity and dysfunction, up-close and private! Likewise, as an educator, she noticed college students enter the sector and shortly burn out. As a devoted social employee, she believes the well-being of practitioners is a matter of social justice and human rights. Thus, she is on a mission to advertise self-care and wellness!
