Rhythm

-movement, fluctuation or variation marked by the regular recurrence or natural flow of related elements

-the aspect of music comprising all the elements (such as accent, meter and tempo) that relates to forward movement

-origin – middle French (rhythme), Latin (rhythmus), Greek (rhythmos), probably from rhein – to flow

Self care helps me to find rhythm between my personal, family and professional responsibilities.  The definition of rhythm indicates forward movement and flow.  I like this idea much better than work-life balance which elicits thoughts of homeostasis or walking on a tightrope.  I would much rather find a state of rhythm among the different aspects of my life.

How does rhythm relate to self care?  Each of us can find our own rhythm depending on our personality, preferences and circumstances.  The self care practices of a new parent with an infant are going to have a different rhythm from a young single person just starting a...

Routines

-a regular course of procedure

-a habitual or mechanical performance of an established procedure

-from route, traveled way, beaten path, France in the late 1600’s

Routines are an essential part of self care.  My system for self care consists of three equally important components: renewal (discussed last week – here), routines and rhythm (to be discussed next week).  These three components are like a 3-legged stool.  The three legs form a solid foundation but the stool will fall over if one of the legs is broken or missing.

Routines help us to form new habits, maintain helpful systems and replace any negative patterns in our lives.  There has been a lot of research on the nature of habits in recent years.  The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg outlines the pattern of a habit.  It starts with a trigger or a cue, followed by the routine or habit then the reward.  These three steps are essential to forming and keeping healthy...

Renewal is an essential part of the cycle of life.  It is a process.  It is an action.  The act or process of beginning again.  The act or process of becoming like new.  It is not an easy process.  We can learn from nature.  With plants, renewal is about a plant/seedling pushing its way up, breaking ground to emerge into the light, to rise up.  At first, it is barely visible.  It is fragile.  It has been dormant, still, frozen, in a seed state throughout the winter.  Something instinctively told it that it is time to rise, to wake up, to work its way up through the dirt and the earth and rise up toward the sun, to break through to see the sun, the light of day, to receive carbon dioxide, to take its first...