Self-Care A-Z: Life Writing Is a Self-Care Skill
by Kimberly Garts Crum, MSW, MFA
“Creative people are better at recognizing relationships, making associations and connections, and seeing things in an original way—seeing things that others cannot see....“ —Nancy Andreasen, Neuropsychiatrist
I’ve always been a story person. Curious. Dreamy. Observant. “It’s not polite to stare at people,” my mother would say. When I posed a random question, she’d say, “You ask SO many questions!” with a mix of love and annoyance. When I spotted injustice, she’d warn, “Don’t borrow other people’s troubles.” These personal qualities have persisted through a lifetime, through a social work career in medical and psychiatric settings, and into teaching and writing.
According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, “Creative individuals tend to be independent and nonconformist in their thoughts and actions. Equally important is mastery of a particular domain—that is, a sphere of activity or knowledge that requires a high level of ability.” Indeed.
Perhaps your natural curiosity, tendency to think “out-of-the-box,” and empathy attracted you to social work. Practice synergizes your knowledge and experience, enhances your creativity and your ability to effect change.
My path took a turn in my mid-40s. After 17 years of practicing social work, I left the profession to pursue my MFA in creative writing. What at first felt like an abandonment would become a revelation. Soon, I realized the skills I’d learned as a social worker transferred to my writing life.
You might be surprised at some specific similarities between social work and creative writing—
- Social workers identify a presenting problem. Writers identify an inciting incident.
- Writers and social workers shape narratives. We consider what’s at stake for the client/character and how they might overcome obstacles.
- We recognize our clients (and characters) as complex people with competing flaws and strengths.
- We distill the information we gather, and our interpretation of that evidence, into documentation for an audience.
Social workers and writers are curious beings. We ask questions. We wonder. We observe. We listen. We speculate. We reframe. We empathize. We strive to create something new. Social work and writing are based on evidence as well as intuition.
Creativity is challenged in social work by the stress of high caseloads and external demands. You might sometimes feel you’re on a production line. This pressure leeches your ability to listen and ponder solutions. It hampers both creative and compassionate instincts.
Creativity is both an important professional skill and an aspect of self-care.
Writing instructor Ellen Szablo, M.Ed., believes, “Innovation and creativity can illuminate, inspire and advocate compassionate transformation." She teaches creative writing at the School of Social Work at The University of Iowa. Each year, during Poetry Month, the school sponsors a national poetry contest for social workers.
"Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart.”
~William Wordsworth ~
Rediscover your creativity by responding to one of the following writing prompts for 10-15 minutes.
- Compose a very long sentence). Try writing a rant. Complain in one long sentence. No punctuation required. Here’s an example: “Pandemic Rant” by Dinty Moore from the online writing blog, Complete Sentence (open for submissions).
- Develop your to-do list into an essay. Write a paragraph or two for each item on your to-do list. This is my favorite template. There’s always a to-do list on my desk. A craft essay about this form contains one of my to-do list essays: “When Writing Feels Like Play: The Hermit Crab Essay.”
- Create an ode. Praise something ordinary in poetry or prose. You might enjoy the irony of praising something you dislike. Here’s an ode by poet Ross Gay: “Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude.” This meditative poem has also been set to music by Ross Gay and Bon Iver (Spotify).
Make your life a source of story (including your self-care story). Invent stories about people, wherever you are. This practice makes it easier to sit at an airport or stand in line at a grocery store. Write freely. Be your quirky self. Don’t worry that what you say must mean something. Begin with the ordinary. When you start with the small stuff, you discover there is no small stuff.
Kimberly Garts Crum, MSW, MFA, practiced social work in medical and psychiatric settings before getting her MFA in creative nonfiction writing. She is now a writing coach and a freelance book editor. Her personal essays and short memoir have been published in various literary venues. Learn more about Kimberly at memoircoachshapeandflow.com or read some of her writing at kimberlycrum.medium.com.