Page Index

WMA's Moments of Zen • Museums as Facilitators of Wellbeing + Mental Health

Self-Care Resources from the Museum Field

Self-Care for Working Professionals • Creative Self-Care

We understand that to help make the necessary changes we need to see happen within our own institutions and within the greater museum field, we not only need to look inwards at ourselves, but we need to address and support the psychological and emotional needs of our staff and colleagues.

The following list of self-care resources and tools from across the museum field and beyond, will help you take the necessary steps to maintain a strong, central well-being, both inside and outside of work throughout the year. 

WMA's Moments of Zen

Almost every week, we provide a #MomentofZen in our Weekly email newsletter to help ease your mind and offer a moment of peace in such an uncertain world. Here are some of our favorite moments:

• Open Space | The Ablin Residence, by Frank Lloyd Wright

• Classic Vanilla Cake

• Keegan-Michael Key reads a letter from the Smithsonian

• Red Pandas Are Having Snow Much Fun

• Star Wars According to a 3 Year Old

• "Hustle To Meowtivate"

• Grand Canyon Virtual Tour

• More Than Gold: Jesse Owens and The 1936 Berlin Olympics - Trailer

• James Turrell's 'Roden Crater'

• Surfing In 1977 Hawaii

• Zion National Park 

Museums as Facilitators of Wellbeing + Mental Health

• Enhancing health and wellbeing – Museums Association

• What are Mindful Museums and how can they help us with our mental health? – MuseumNext

• Museums as Spaces for Wellbeing (PDF) – National Alliance for Museums, Health and Wellbeing

• The importance of Mental Health First Aid in museums – MuseumNext

• The role of museums in supporting the wellbeing of children and families – MuseumNext

• Museums as Self-Care Spaces: Part 1 – Museum of World Treasures

• Museums as facilitators of health and wellbeing in communities – The Knowledge Exchange Blog

• The Importance of Art and Museums on Emotional and Mental Health – ArtSentry

• In conversation with: Louise Thompson, Health and Wellbeing Manager– MuseumNext 

Self-Care Resources from the Museum Field

• Self-Care – The National Museum of African American History & Culture

• Human Resources | Self-Care – American Alliance of Museums (AAM)

• 113 Museums Turned Illustrations from Their Collections Into Coloring Pages – Smithsonian Mag

• Self-care for Museum Professionals with Seema Rao (YouTube Video) – CAM

• Wellbeing – Oaklahoma Museums Association (OMA)

• Time to Turn On & Tune In: 12 Podcasts to Help You Get Through 2020 – WMA

• Workforce Wellbeing – Museums Association

• Reflecting on Being Laid off & Where I am Now After Two Years – Mike Murawski for Art Museum Teaching

• Seeking Self-Care Solutions, for COVID-19 and Beyond – AAM

• Creative Expression for Maintaining Positive Wellbeing – OMA

• Restarting Teams to Restart Museums – AAM

• Anxiety, Stress, and Burnout Resources – OMA

• Objective Lessons: Self-Care for Museum Workers [read for free on Kindle Unlimited] – Seema Rao

• A New Month – Time for Some Introspection and Self-Care Magic – WMA  

Self-Care for Working Professionals

• Self-Care Resource Center – American Psychological Association

• 6 Ways to Weave Self-Care into Your Workday – HBR

• Workplace Mental Wellness Leads to Innovation and Productivity – Bloomberg Law

• A Holistic Approach To Employee Health And Well-Being Can Help Everyone Thrive – Forbes

• An Outcomes-Focused Approach to Mental Health Care – HBR

• What if I’m Burned Out? Counteracting Workplace Burnout – Seema Rao

• The Importance of Self-Care – TED Talks Playlist

• The Care and Keeping of Museum Professionals – Book by Sarah C Erdman, Amazon

• 5 Unexpected Self-Care Practices To Weave Into Your Work Day – Forbes

• Working Remotely During COVID-19 – Center for Workplace Mental Health 

Creative Self-Care

• Museum Views – Google Arts & Culture

• New Year, New You: Build a Self-Care Plan – WMA

• Do Nothing for Two-Minutes (interactive) – Calm App

• Quick, Draw! (Interactive) – Google

• Scrapbooking As an Act of “Radical Self-Care” – NY Times

• Reframe How You Think About Self-Care – HBR

• Time & Space Self-Care Plan – Seema Rao

• Using Art Therapy For Your Own Self-Care – Art Therapy Resources

• Online Art Classes, Blog, and Coloring Books – Mindful Art Studio

• Mindfulness 101 with Jon Kabat-Zinn – NPR

Do you have self-care resources you'd like to add?

Please share with us at communications@westmuse.org.

These resources are subject to change and will be updated as new information becomes available.