Sunday Self-Care: Ups and Downs

Self-Care September

Hiya from Kansas where we have gone from the high nineties to the low seventies overnight. One of the advantages of living in the midwest, the weather is a constant reminder to be adaptable. I mean, I’m still sipping a warm cup of tea like usual but I’m also thinking about how much ebb and flow is in our lives and how we can use the changing currents to strengthen our self-care routines.

We are reading an amazing book called Art Cure by Daisy Fancourt. This is a fantastic book by the way, where Daisy shares information from studies proving that the arts have healing properties both emotionally and physically.

One suggestion mentioned in the book is how music that breaks from predictability helps our brains handle changes in our lives. How powerful is that?!

When I perform live it is mostly in the company of adults caring for people with dementia or people living through dementia. I’ve noticed when playing the handpan, there is a physical change in the audience. As I start playing, the energy in the room starts to relax. Everyone’s breathing deepens. And  when I break from one pattern to bring in different sounds the audience shifts in their chair or will wake a little. Sometimes a foot tap will become a hint of a smile or the other way around. I can see how these small shifts cause a physical change in body language.

I can’t tell you what is going on in the minds of those listening but I can say that I feel a shift in my body as well. It is so easy for me to get in a trance-like state playing. When I notice my mind starts talking, I will shift the sounds to shift the thoughts. I benefit just as much as everyone else in the room. My free-verse style of playing is just one of the reasons I love the voice of the handpan. I feel better and I can tell the small group feels better too.

By the way, Kristin and I will be opening Handpan Magic: A free 5 Day Self-Care Series soon. If you would like to be notified when the doors open, please jump in and  join the waiting list here.

Take a moment today and break from your routine by doing something different that brings you joy. Or simply catch yourself when the negative self-talk starts and change the script to something slightly more positive. Personally, we have found creating moments of positive self-talk can change how we feel about the harder moments. 

Whew, this was a long one today.

We hope you turn a moment into a celebration as a form of self-care.

In love, light, and soul-care,
Delaina and Kristin