Self-care: Practice or Play

For the past year or so, I have observed more and more conversation about self-care from both social workers and others. I have read posts on social media with friends and colleagues discussing what they are doing for self-care. I even started a Facebook group with the intentions of encouraging people to engage in more self-care.

One post really got me thinking. A friend discussed their plans for having a spa day and getting their nails done. My initial thought was “Oh good for her”, but as I thought more about the post, I had to ask myself is that practicing or is that playing? There is an interesting dichotomy between practicing and playing, but we do not discuss it much when we talk about self-care.

So, what is the difference?

Practicing requires word and dedication. One does not become good at anything by doing it every so often. If I am trying to learn to play the piano, I would not be very good if I just worked at it once a week.

The word play is defined as to “engage in activity for enjoyment and recreation rather than a serious or practical purpose”. The word itself probably brings up images of something enjoyable that you may have done as a child or you do now. Adults do not play all the time; that is the quintessential hallmark of being an adult. I can play a board game, but no one probably say I am practicing a board game. I can also play a sport, but if I wanted to be taken seriously it would be more appropriate for me to practice that sport.

Are you practicing or are you playing self-care?

Practicing and playing are both important and social workers need to do both. However, playing self-care (i.e., getting nails done, drinking a glass of wine, or eating some fine chocolates) is not enough. We also need to develop practices of self-care. We need to attend to our emotional, spiritual, mental, and physical health. Each person’s path to self-care is different, but I encourage you to consider how to move from playing with self-care to developing more practices of self-care.

As you consider this, you begin to realize it is strongly related to resilience. Six psychosocial factors have been found to promote resilience and these include optimism, cognitive flexibility, active coping skills, maintaining a supportive social network, attending to one’s physical well-being, and embracing a moral compass (as cited by Nugent, Sumner, & Amstadter, 2014). These factors have been studied in individuals who have experienced resilience after a trauma, however, I contend that as social workers are living through a global pandemic with the burden of trying to care for a society that is plagued with injustices. If we have not experienced our own trauma, we need to be acutely aware of secondary traumatic stress. 

Play with your self-care. Find relaxation and enjoyment, but don't forget to practice self-care too.