Self-care is a term that you hear a LOT, especially if you work in a helping profession. Before I started taking my overall well-being really seriously, I laughed off self-care and the stereotypical activities associated with it — taking a bubble bath, getting a massage, etc.
However, not prioritizing self-care has led to some really unfortunate and even scary situations, including going into early labor during my second pregnancy. I’ve experienced several bouts of professional burnout as well, each of which I’ve attributed to a lack of self-care.
During this month of September, taking care of my mental, emotional and physical health is even higher on my priority list than usual. My family is adjusting to the new school year, my husband and I are buying a building (more on that soon!), my private practice is in a season of expansion, and I’m in the middle of writing a book.
So…yeah, self-care is essential right now.
We all have our own definitions, ideas, and maybe even misconceptions of what self-care looks like, so I’m going to share what it is for me at this moment in time and how it’s having a positive effect on my life.
Last week, we reached a new milestone in our family: both kids are back together again at the same school, on the same schedule! My daughter started all-day Pre-K and joined my son, who started 1st grade.
If you’re a parent who has juggled multiple drop-offs, pick-ups, and differing schedules at any point in time, then I’m sure you can appreciate my excitement over this new development.
In early fall of 2018, I got the itch to write a book. This has always been on my bucket list, but I just couldn’t nail down a topic. I have dozens of ideas stored in the Notes app of my phone, most of which I quickly abandoned after brainstorming bullet points.
But on December 17, the topic I was meant to write about came to me — where else? — in the shower. (It’s where I get all my best ideas.) I got out, got dressed, then ran to my laptop to capture all the thoughts flooding out of my brain.
My absolute favorite thing to do when I have any downtime at all is READ. I have been a book nerd my whole life, and now that audiobooks are a thing, I’ve been able to fit in a lot more “reading” than ever before in my adult life (especially since becoming a parent!).
This summer, I’ve made a conscious effort to read more for fun, and I’m pretty proud of the number of books I’ve added to my list so far. In case you are looking for some good reads, here are my favorites so far this summer.
How innovative are you when it comes to instruments for music classes, music therapy, and classroom use? Well, I can tell you I’m not even a fraction as innovative as my colleague at Music Therapy Connections, Becky Waddell.
About a month ago, Becky sent me a Slack message: “I picked up tiny cupcakes that I’m turning into shakers for one of my classes if you get an itch to write a song about cupcakes! Ha!”
Welcome! I’m Rachel Rambach, board-certified music therapist and creator of Listen & Learn Music — educational songs and musical materials for children. I love sharing my work with you, along with my behind-the-scenes creative process, adventures in business ownership, and life as a mom of two.
My Book + Course
This is the book + course that will help you shape your music therapy career in order to make more money and live your ideal lifestyle. Details here.
