self care post
Since I have had multiple classes with Professor Rousseau in the past I have decided to explain my approaches to self care using both information from previous classes as well as pieces of my previous blog (since this is still a part of my self care routine) but recently I have also found another avenue to self care that allows me to take a step back from my life and almost live in someone else’s.
Reflecting on my previous blog post, I have learned to use yoga as a self care and wellness activity. As an athlete, I have always been taught that if you are not pushing yourself, or getting better everyday that you work out that that work out is all but useless, and this a mindset that many athletes regardless of age have, and it is one that is untrue and very damaging to both mental and physical health. So instead, I have turned to yoga as well to become more in tune with my body and mind, as well as still “pushing” myself just in a different manner. Through the different styles of yoga I am able to choose on a day to day basis what my mind and body need. Do I feel overwhelmed and need more of a meditation yoga, am I tight/sore and tired and need more of a Yin yoga where I hold a couple of different positions for an extended period of time, or do I have the energy to really push and challenge myself where I aim for more of a strength building yoga? Below I have included an excerpt from my previous post about how yoga has helped me personally and also how it can help people who have experienced trauma:
“when I can finally hold a pose or a certain muscle that has been tight all week finally relaxed through my yoga movements it is a relief and also gives me a sense of pride as I have been able to accomplish what many from the outside see as a simple task but to me it takes the discipline of both my mind and body working together to do it. I also think that yoga, or any workout routine can also assist in the treatment of trauma. As we’ve mentioned in both lecture and posts throughout the semester, people who are mentally suffering are often unable to lead goal driven lives, they are too focused on the now. So these workout routines not only require forethought and planning by the individual but also creates easily understandable goals, such as holding a pose for a certain amount of time or gaining the flexibility to even be in a certain pose at all.”
However, at first yoga may be frustrating to many people (at first to me it was) it can take time to be able to appreciate all if its benefits. For some people however, the intimacy of yoga can be overwhelming and triggering for some people who have experienced a trauma; “
“intimate actions in yoga, such as the happy baby pose, can be triggering for some individuals, the idea of mimicking of movements that occurred during their traumatic experiences [or feeling the touch of an instructor] causes many to freeze. It is not until individuals can learn to breathe, push through, and maintain this pose or the physical touch of an instructor that they can “let go” or feel the relief of a deep breath and begin to relax.”
As I mentioned before, while I still practice yoga and other forms of wellness, I have also recently (re)discovered the power of immersing yourself in a good book. Coming back to classes this semester after having a few weeks off from school and being able to spend 4 days at home for Christmas (which is the most I’ve been able to do since high school) made me so relaxed and content but I also dreaded coming back to classes. Since I had worked and taken classes through summers and over breaks for the past few years, this winter break was my first time since winter break of my sophomore year that I had not been in classes, and I realized how nice it was to have absolutely nothing to worry about academically for 6 weeks. So, when classes started again a few weeks ago I was trying to find a new way to keep busy and relieve stress without putting extra strain on my mind or body (as most of my other self-care actions usually do). So, I decided to try and read more, while I read occasionally I usually only did it for pleasure when I was sitting on a beach or traveling on a plane and there was not much else for me to do. But now, having taken some book recommendations from my friends, I spend hours almost every day reading. I will start a book and finish it a day. I become so removed from my reality and feel as if I am in another person for a short period of time that it gives me a break from having to worry about the small things in my life, I may make bigger in my own head than they are. And while I would never suggest that avoiding life problems is the best way to deal with any of them, it does allow me to step back and take a breath.
Both self-care activities are things that I think could also be beneficial to those who work in a field that is related to trauma. It allows for a break in the harsh reality that some people may be facing in the form of a book or meditation, and it also promotes healthy mind/body connection as well as planning and goal orientation in the form of yoga.
Van der Kolk, Bessel . The Body Keeps the Score. Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition
Rousseau, Danielle, Lecture, Trauma and Crisis Intervention, 2022
Rousseau, Danielle, Lecture, Forensic Behavior Analysis, 2023