Self-Care Summer: Walking the Self-Care Talk

by Christina C. Gigler, MSW, LCSW, ACSW

     Working in an academic setting, a summer pause from the intensity of the rest of the school year is built in, so I have no excuse. I must now take time for me, for my family, and for friends and do the things that bring me the most joy.  It is time for me to find myself again. Just writing these statements provides me with some anticipatory excitement. If I write my commitment, I will have to do it. Can I really take this time I am given this summer and do it? Can I do what I encourage my students to do? 

     I need to leave my office on time. I need to say NO to new tasks and committees and assignments. I need to let some things go. I need to be okay with things done in an imperfect manner.  I am a doer with a fierce focus toward any task. I need to let things go.

     I will take the time to eat three real meals with fresh fruit and vegetables, some that I can pick from my garden. I will go to a farm and pick strawberries, peaches, and blueberries. I will take the quiet moments of weeding my beds and gardens with a time for mindfulness as I quickly see the progress I am making as I free my herbs and vegetables from the obstacles trying to encroach on their growth.

     I will walk my dogs more and take time for play in the backyard.  I will hike on trails local and far.  I will kayak on lakes and rivers. I will bike on canal trails and count turtles resting on logs in the sun. 

     I will travel. I will explore a new place, learn the culture and try new foods, meet new people. I will go to the beach and smell the ocean waves and the breeze. I will feel the warmth of the sun and enjoy some lazy days with a good fiction book and some magazines. 

     I will spend time volunteering. I will take items to the food bank, and sort through items not needed for Goodwill and my local shelter. I will set up service learning projects for my academic courses. I will volunteer at the school clothing and item donation event for my local high school.  I will spend a day with a friend in his work with those who are homeless and struggling with addiction. I will bake cookies for my new neighbor. 

     I will spend time with my life partner, my family, and my friends. I will take time outside to just be. I will practice care for me and take this summer pause I am given. These are ethical responsibilities to myself. I will be a better person for it and a stronger social worker when the fall semester begins again. My students will be better for it, and in turn so will their clients.

     I will feel renewed. I will walk my talk. I can do this.  

Christina Car Gigler, MSW, LCSW, ACSW, is Assistant Professor of Practice and Interim Coordinator for the Lehigh Valley MSW Program at Marywood University, Pennsylvania. She has extensive social work practice experience and is a current Board member of NASW-PA.