Usually after a show closes, I get sick. All the stress and adrenaline that have been keeping me running for however many months of rehearsal + tech + performance take a vacation and leave my body defenseless. And my body says, “Girlfriend, you need a nap. I’m gonna zap you with a cold so you stay in bed and take long hot soaks in the tub.” Zing!

Since Hedda Gabler opened last Thursday, my brain has gone numb. I had so many blog posts churning in my head when I didn’t have time to write them. Now that I have time to write them, they’ve vanished. I have them captured on my little “Future Blog Posts” list, but the creative energy required in order to bring those ideas coherently to fruition just wants to be left alone to play sudoku and read escapist fiction.

I had an appointment with the dentist last week. I told the dental hygienist that over the last four months my teeth have been very sensitive to hot and cold and it’s painful and frustrating. She looked at my teeth and asked, “Are you under a lot of stress lately?”

My response:

“Not really. There’s nothing going on that’s out of the ordinary. I’m directing a show so that’s kept me busy every night after work and before this show started rehearsing, I was directing another show and before that one, another one. So I guess I’ve been at it for awhile now and maybe I need a break.”

Pause

“Oh. And my mom was supposed to have a double knee replacement this week, but it got postponed because she had to have a heart stent placed because they found a 90% blockage in one of her arteries so now she has to wait until August to get her knees fixed and it’s very difficult for her to get around and to manage the pain because she can’t pop multiple Advils every four hours because of the heart meds – and I’m worried about how her quality of life has diminished and will continue to diminish while she copes with that pain for another four months.”

Pause

“Wow. I didn’t realise how stressed out I was.”

Pause

“How much do I owe you for the therapy session?”

Her response: “Free of charge. You’ve been grinding your teeth. That’s why they’re so sensitive.” Then she was very sweet while I jumped and gasped and winced as she proceeded to clean my overly sensitive teeth.

I am not writing this as a sympathy plea. There’s a point besides telling you my sob story. Here it is:

Creative energy is a multi-dimensional engagement of:

body (you have to show up and do the doing) &
mind (always thinking, always storming with ideas and what-ifs) &
spirit (letting go of control, tapping into the source of humanity, and channeling a story bigger than you requires faith).

Creative engagement – while it is fulfilling and exciting and necessary to life – makes a demand on our energy reserves that is above and beyond the demands of daily life. And this demand needs to be balanced with self care. Stress sneaks up on us even when we are having a good time. And if we ignore it or simply refuse to pay attention to our bodies and our feelings, our bodies will get loud and force us to pay attention by making our teeth hurt, or tying our shoulder muscles into knots, or zapping us with a stomach bug.

So I’m writing this as a reminder to all of us to take the time we need to re-fuel, eat good food, drink lots of water, unwind and de-stress. And to do these things especially when we think we don’t have the time to do them.

Have you ever been sitting at your desk working on something, fulling engaged in the process of creating and then realized that you’ve been dancing in your chair for the last five minutes because haven’t taken a break to go pee?

You too?

I thought so.

Now, some of you may be thinking, “She’s nuts. I always take good care of myself. I never get carried away or let things get out of control.” If that’s you, bravo! Please share with the rest of us how you manage it. I want to learn from you.

For the rest of us (and those of you who’ve got this self-care thing buttoned up) , let’s make a pact. To care for one another and to care for ourselves. To check in with our bodies, our thoughts, and our feelings as often as possible and go take that soak in the tub even when we don’t have colds – just because it feels good.

Here are some yummy self-care resources for everyone to enjoy:

Fabeku Fatunmise’s tag line says it all “Less Stuck. Less Struggle. More Awesome” Yes! Gimme some of that please!
Sankofa Song Sound Healing

She’s a goddess and one of my heroines! Goddess Leonie’s divine meditations have been created with love especially for you and me.
The Goddess Guidebook Shop

Check out this iPhone app from Cheryl Richardson, the diva of self-care.
Self-Care Cards App by Cheryl Richardson

Journaling, journaling, journaling…go for it!
International Association for Journal Writing

Take a chill pill with your ears. Binaural beats are blissful. I use them to help me drift off at night. And I don’t understand why, but they work wonders for relaxation. Here are some resources:
Pure Binaural Beats
The Unexplainable Store

Take a deep breath. Take a walk. Give yourself a hug from me. And enjoy your creative self by taking care of yourSelf.

♥(((hugs)))♥

Tags: Creative Process, Creativity, Productivity, Rehearsal