On self care
Q&A with Zen teacher and movement strategist, Norma Wong.
Q. As the world opens and the pace of life begins to quicken, how do we hold onto the self care habits we learned to practice during quarantine? And how do we hold onto the perspective we gained during the pandemic — the awareness of our interconnectedness and the knowing that our previous way of life is unsustainable?
A. Well. First of all, are these new habits, or are they new practices? And why would that make a difference? A habit is unconscious and repetitive, a combination that is unlikely to be as useful as we need, even if the habit is a “good habit”. For example, it is likely that you brush your teeth at least once a day. As a habit, you’re probably not paying much attention; thus, you repetitively miss brushing the same areas, without giving it any thought until brought to your attention at the dentist office. There will be renewed focus for a few weeks, especially if the pattern of your action has resulted in a less than positive and potentially painful result. But if you don’t ground yourself in the conscious practice of brushing teeth, you’ll soon return to the previous and habitual behavior.
Are you — are we — integrating self-care into our daily lives that are renewing and enjoyable, even if just in that moment? Are these practices sustainable because they’re prioritized, interrupting guilt? Have we noticed how self-care practices oil the engine, breathe new life, freshen our tired brain cells and passion? Many sips of water, looking away from the screen, not packing too tightly, clearing debris, getting rest, setting our bodies into productive motion.
Self-care is fundamentally about the interconnectedness of our bodies, minds and spirits, and the interconnectedness of health, well-being, and work. Without it, our families, communities, and work are not sustainable. Like an interlocking puzzle, nearly all separations and othering, reactive opposition and denial, becomes unsustainable. The pandemic was an external interruption. Moving forward requires self-disciplined interruption and pivoting of our own behaviors and choices… how we live and how we don’t live, what we decide to do and not do, what we work on and what we choose not to work on.
