HUM 6930 - The Art of Self Care

Creating a Platform for My Self Care

At the halfway point of our semester, we are asked to review our WOW exercises to date and identify the segments that seem particularly important to us and our individual self care needs.

We were tasked with designing a shell structure to present our self care program, which made several of us ask what exactly does that mean? Basically, we were informed that it can take the form of an Excel document, a table in Word or even a calendar entry as a place to record those activities we will utilize as self-care. So with that in mind, I set out to create an Excel document to hold my self care activities.

I am not sure that I like it as I am wondering how I will make it visible to me on a regular basis. I looked at creating it in my Outlook Calendar, but that didn't feel right either. I no longer use a paper calendar which would have been easy to keep up with. I am thinking that as we go along, I may alter the actual container to something that will be more inspirational and therefore more likely to get used.

What I like about the Excel version is that I am able to see the entire year at a glance. That is to say, I can see each day of the week for each month, every quarter and every year. Plus, I added a 5-year column as there are self-care needs that must be met at that time. 

It is really easy for me to forget to do things so I am still seriously considering setting up something in my Outlook calendar as a reminder but I don't want it to become another chore. 

I put in the things that I already know I will do for the upcoming year as they are the things I regularly do as self-care. I'd like to make a lot more room for journal writing and art-making and will most likely set that up as a regular event. The challenge is not in doing it, but in putting it first so that it happens instead of being last on my list of things to do. 

In addition, I know that there will be activities to enhance my relationship with my family, especially time spent with my granddaughter! And I need to plan a trip to see my parents as it has been at least 2 years since I have seen them. Same goes for my siblings, we are all scattered about and rarely are together all at once. 

Here is what I have put together so far.