Hello from the wellness corner of Wings! Here in this past month, the women (and staff!) have been focusing on the concept of rest, self-care, and personal rest needs. The tool of rest and self-care has been a high focus for Wings as a whole over the past year and as we begin 2022, we begin by re-evaluating what we each need. As the work our women do here at Wings can weigh heavy, learning ways to take breaks physically and mentally is a priority. Oftentimes the concept of rest is interpreted as a nap or flopping in front of the TV, but we’ve learned that rest is so much more than sleep or mentally checking out with a screen.
We’ve all taken the ‘Rest Quiz from Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith’ and continue to learn new ways to grow in self-compassion and self care. The seven areas of rest emphasized have been physical, emotional, spiritual, mental, sensory, creative, and social rest. Each area is being replenished by different actions, or lack thereof. For example, I personally have been focusing on social rest. As much of my role at Wings involves interacting with participants or staff for long periods of time over the week, having time to myself with removed social expectations only benefits my working relationships and my personal relationships.
We’ve seen that we are our best selves when we operate out of a place of rest. Each of our staff and participants is worth the work it takes to practice self-care and the mission of Wings only grows as we prioritize that care.
by Emma, Direct Care Coach at Wings
