A couple years ago I was at my low. I couldn’t exercise because my knees continued to get injured. I put on 15 lbs and couldn’t, for the life of me, get it back off. My neck ached, my drawing shoulder was on fire, and I was so stressed out by oall of this that I questioned my choice to make art constantly.
I am by no means a doctor, but after talking to doctors, therapists, reading books, and listening to podcasts, my physical and emotional pain didn’t resolve. I couldn’t believe there was nothing out there from other artist, talking about this (maybe there is now!) After a couple years of experimenting with self-care on my own, I have cured most of my physical pain, and am on my way to working through the deeper phycological stuff. Once the charge of the physical pain was removed, I could finally address some old conditioning, and it’s getting better every day.
The Physical Stuff:
I didn’t know it at the time, but my main issues were sitting for long periods of time, and hunching over my desk. These two culprits were masked behind the fact that so many people seem to function fine at a desk and with a laptop. I changed these three things and EVERYTHING CHANGED.
- I bought a computer monitor- no more glaring down into a laptop all day.
- I get up and walk every hour for at least 10 minutes. I also walk to work most days and walk home for lunch.
- I started a glute program to build up strength. My glute muscles had atrophied from all the sitting.
Here’s why it helped:
- After looking eye level at a monitor, my neck no longer had to strain to see my screen. When I draw, I have to be careful, but I make sure to take breaks and not draw for more than 3 hours a day.
- Walking helped with circulating the stuck energy, and I noticed I felt less stressed when I moved throughout the day. My shoulder pain left, and my legs got to stretch back out after sitting.
- Once I built up my glute muscles again, my knees were better, my quads were less tight, and I could actually be active during the day again without injuring myself.
The Mental/Emotional Stuff:
I tend to overwork and multitask until I can’t see strait. NO Bueno. Now, my calendar looks sparse, with what seems to be less tasks in a day, but I am getting more done overall. Here’s what I aim to do now:
- I work shorter days (5-6 hours)
- I breathe deeply while I work and consciously let go of tension.
- I remind myself there is tomorrow and I are only one person. I can’t get everything done in one day!
I found my sweet spot was working from 10:00am-4:00pm. I take short walking breaks, and a short lunch break, but otherwise, I don’t hang out on my phone or waste time. Once in a while, if I want a very relaxed day, I’ll work from home in the mornings and watch TV while I work. It’s amazing, but it’s also not the most productive. But sometimes we need a day like that, right?
***A note about shorter days: When I worked at other jobs, I felt there was always lag time where I was a “body” waiting for the next class, the next task, etc. I was less stressed then, and generally felt like 8 hour days were physically tiring but not mentally tiring. Now, I don’t feel like any of my “work time” is idol, and therefore, am very mentally DONE after 5-6 hours. I realize working for oneself can seem like a luxury, but nothing is a luxury if you’re grinding yourself down to nothing. 8 hour days aren’t always realistic.
I hope this helps. Although every body is different, and we have different needs, I do think these main things will help everyone. Please let me know what you do to take care of yourself physically and psychologically as an artist. The best thing we can do is share our experience with each other and keep growing!
Resources for you:
Here’s a great glute exercise to start with. I really enjoy Pamela Reif’s Channel- her videos are simple and challenging, but not too hard!
Want to keep the mental health conversation going? I’m making fun mental health comics and creative meditations over on my Patreon.
Buy yourself The Spacious Tarot deck, and deck I made with Carrie Mallon, that is great for adding space and reflection to your daily routine. It’s nature based, gentle, and free of symbolism that might weigh you down.