by Erlene Grise-Owens, EdD, LCSW, MSW, MRE, lead co-editor of The A-to-Z Self-Care Handbook for Social Workers and Other Helping Professionals
Self-care interacts with and must be integrated into every aspect of life. As such, it’s linked to the five basic elements of nature: fire, water, earth, air, and space. Let’s consider how each element relates to self-care and how they interact for a balanced lifestyle—literally and figuratively.
Fire
Most of us enter our profession fired up with passion for making the world a better place, helping people, doing good. However, when we’re on fire—without intentional attention—we often burn out. Dynamics, such as “need complex,” create unhealthy expectations. Granted, these dynamics are externally imposed on us, too. But, when we don’t engage in self-care, we’re much more susceptible to them.
Self-care includes honoring our passion (fire) by tending to it. For instance, anger is one form of fire, which—as part of self-care—must be constructively considered. Likewise, when the fire wanes, we can rekindle it through self-care steps, such as engaging in professional development, accessing compassionate supervision/coaching/therapy, and reflecting on our “why”/purpose. Fire must be balanced with other elements.
Water
Humans are more than 50% water. To function, we must ingest water consistently. Water is the element associated with hydrating and healing. Likewise, the water element of self-care involves engaging in practices that nourish and soothe us and, ultimately, keep us healthy, growing humans. Literally, for me, that includes tracking water intake, enjoying beach walks, and taking Epsom salt baths. Figuratively, immersing in self-care flow practices (e.g., reading and creativity) waters my mind and hydrates my spirit.
Over-emphasizing any element can be problematic. For instance, consuming too much water can be life-threatening, and a deluge of water can result in flooding. Similarly, engaging in only self-soothing self-care can lead to pernicious practices contrary to balanced self-care. On a larger scale, conceptualizing self-care as limited to consumeristic, indulgent escapism is harmful. As an essential element, water is part of a balanced self-care lifestyle—not an extra or overindulgence.
Earth
Complementary to water, the earth element is restful, rejuvenating, grounding. When we had a teenager in our home, grounding was a familiar consequence. Initially, she’d resist being grounded. Yet, fairly quickly, she’d become more centered and content. We realized grounding is actually an important life skill. This dynamic is similar for many of us in accessing the Earth element in our self-care. We resist for many reasons, such as: I need to be DOING STUFF!
Like adolescents, we can experience the earth element as restrictive and boring. Yet, it’s crucial to rest and recalibrate. Interactions with nature and times of solitude are grounding. Rest is a universal cornerstone of well-being. As with other elements, the earth element can become imbalanced; we can become disengaged and bogged down. Different phases and circumstances require varying emphases. For instance, the earth element needs to be balanced with other elements, such as air.
Air
In some ways, air may be the most influential self-care element, because it’s ubiquitous. The air we breathe, literally and figuratively, has both immediate and long-standing effects. Toxicity in the air, even unseen, has harmful impact.
Breath is an apt metaphor for self-care. Rather than an emergency airplane mask—a common metaphor—self-care is whatever keeps us breathing, fully and freely. Self-care is a lifestyle—the air we breathe, not just an emergency response or temporary mask.
Space
Self-care involves giving ourselves “breathing room,” which encompasses the element of space. Our busy, consumeristic culture demands we fill our calendars and closets—instead of allowing for space. Through accessing the element of space in our self-care, rather than trying to fill space with more, we view space as meaning-full. Rather than space connoting negative emptiness, it engages possibility, presence, stillness, and openness.
Practically and crucially, the element of space involves setting boundaries in our relationships and making changes to our environments to nurture supportive spaces. These emphases interact with the other elements in exponential ways.
Self-care: It’s elemental. How can you attend to each element and their interactive nature? How’s your fire? What waters you? Keeps you breathing? Grounds you? Supports space? Neglecting elemental self-care leads to being burnt out, dehydrated, ungrounded, breathless, empty. In contrast, balanced attention to elemental self-care keeps us fired-up, hydrated, grounded, breathing, and spacious.
Peace, Love, & Self-Care, Erlene
Erlene Grise-Owens, EdD, LCSW, MSW, MRE, is a Partner in The Wellness Group, ETC. This LLC provides evaluation, training, and consultation for organizational wellness and practitioner well-being. Dr. Grise-Owens is lead editor of The A-to-Z Self-Care Handbook for Social Workers and Other Helping Professionals. As a former faculty member and graduate program director, she and a small (but mighty!) group of colleagues implemented an initiative to promote self-care as part of the social work education curriculum. Previously, she served in clinical and administrative roles. She has experience with navigating toxicity and dysfunction, up-close and personal! Likewise, as an educator, she saw students enter the field and quickly burn out. As a dedicated social worker, she believes the well-being of practitioners is a matter of social justice and human rights. Thus, she is on a mission to promote self-care and wellness!