Many of you know that I am placed at Cultivating Balance, a relatively new non-profit in South Portland. Cultivating Balance (CB) aims to improve public health and awareness by providing affordable resources and supports for sustainable self-care and balanced living.
I am the second intern at this organization which is housed inside Art of Awareness (AoA), a group of psychotherapists. Both organizations are run by my supervisor, Ida O'Donnell. Each week, I am invited to join AoA's team meeting which always begins with a mindfulness exercise. This week we did an exercise called 54321 which was created to help people fall back asleep after waking in the middle of the night. For more specific directions, go here. We did this exercise as a group, with individuals speaking out about sights, sounds, or sensations as they felt moved to. Last week we went around the group ringing bells, and the week before we did a breath meditation.
Mindfulness is the culture of both CB and AoA. We educate our clients on self-care, and we are also encouraged to take care of ourselves. Actually, it is more than encouragement; it is expected. We are not held to quotas or expected to have a massive case-load. After the mindfulness practice in team meeting, one therapist presents either a case they are struggling with or something else related to work that they want support with. The team listens to the presenter and offers whatever support, encouragement, or experience they have. It's really quite amazing to witness this and be a part of it.
As students, I think we are internalizing a kind of oppression that Erin brought up in her October 12, 2014 blog. We are expected to overwork ourselves in preparation for joining a helping profession where our peers often burn out and put themselves at risk for serious work-related trauma and anxiety. How can we care for and support others if we are not doing that for ourselves?
In hopes of helping reduce the burden and build upon our self-care skills, I thought it would be helpful to offer Balanced Living Assessments (BLA) on campus (a few students also asked for this). I got the okay from my supervisor, Ida, as well as Leslie in our social work department. If you are interested in having a BLA, please let me know! Below you will find more information about BLA's.
Cultivating Balance is now offering FREE comprehensive Balanced Living Assessments, education, and supports. Our assessment process helps individuals and groups by raising their awareness of any need for balance in 9 areas including:
❖ Food and Body Balance
❖ Physical Activity
❖ Health
❖ Work and Leisure Time
❖ Support and Relationships
❖ Coping
❖ Mindfulness
❖ Values & Beliefs
After completing the assessment, you will have enough information to evaluate the areas you are motivated to improve. You will also begin to explore the supports and resources available to you, including supportive coaching.If you are interested in taking the Balanced Living Assessment or learning more about Cultivating Balance, please contact: Sonya Theriault at (207) 799-1331, ext.135 or cultivatingbalanceforyou@gmail
To be clear, there are still moments of stress at my internship as I am sure there will be wherever I go, however, I am learning how to balance that stress out with self care even when I think it is impossible to take the time to do so.
I'm hopeful that self care and balanced living will become a larger part of the culture of the social work field.
Resources:
Carlson, E. (2014, October 12). Untitled [Web log post]. Retrieved from: http://erinleighadelaide.blogspot.com/
Cultivating Balance (2014, September 25). Facebook post. Retrieved from: https://www.facebook.com/cultivatingbalanceforyou?ref=hl
Weil. M. (2013). The handbook of community practice. Los Angeles, CA: SAGE Publications.
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