In honour of the recent International Self Care Day, here we offer some simple self care tips for parents.
Self care, such as resting, is a learned skill. Learned from and modelled by parents, culture, school, friends.
We hear lots about the need for self-care.
But what does this mean from a movement or movement therapy perspective?
Essentially this is about balance, and about paying attention to “what does my body need next, or now?”
And then giving it what it needs, whether that is an energetic discharge or rev up, or slow down, or deep rest.
When we listen in, we notice that the body knows what the body needs. Then its time for allowing the sequencing and movement actions or rest to unfold.
Self care for caregivers of children can happen in many ways, whether you have lots of time or short spurts of time in which to offer yourself moments of self care.
One of the great things we can glean from the Laban/Bartenieff movement analysis system is that there is always a way to move in which to balance whatever way you have been exerting yourself.
It’s helpful to think about how are we Efforting? And what would feel recuperative?
Here are some movement practices for supporting your self care:
- Self-touch: hand(s) on heart, holding outer arms in a hug, facial massage.
- Timing your breath to your movements: for example, bending head to tail while breathing out, and opposite while breathing in.
- Becoming present to your body in any way you like.
- Closing your eyes to help you feel your body.
- Squatting and standing up again, engages many muscle groups that can most often use a stretch.
- Rocking.
