Page Index

WMA's Moments of Zen • Museums as Spaces for Wellbeing

Mental + Emotional + Spiritual Self Care • Physical + Social Self-Care • Creative Self-Care

Self-Care for Museum Professionals • Self-Care for Parents • Self-Care for Kids + Teens

We understand that in order to help make the necessary changes we need to see happen within our own institutions and within the greater museum field as a whole, 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.

To help you and museum professionals take the necessary steps to maintain a strong, central well-being, both inside and outside of work, we have put together the following list of resources and tools.

WMA's Moments of Zen

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

• Fantastic Mr. Fox Movie Clip

• Relaxing Visuals from Studio Ghibli

• Some Good Museum News

• Star Wars According to a 3 Year Old

• "Hustle To Meowtivate"

• American the Beautiful by Ray Charles

• Grand Canyon Virtual Tour

• GoPro: Kama The Surfing Pig

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

• James Turrell's 'Roden Crater'

• Breathtaking Time-Lapse Video of Earth From Space

• Surfing In 1977 Hawaii

• Baby Penguin on a Man's Belly

• Zion National Park 

Museums as Spaces for Wellbeing

• 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 - Second Report (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, Manchester Art Gallery – MuseumNext

Mental + Emotional + Spiritual Self-Care

• 33 self-care practices to recharge your mind, body and soul in 2022 – LA Times

• Mindfulness 101 with Jon Kabat-Zinn – NPR

• Taking Good Care Of Yourself – MentalHealthAmerica

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

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

• Self-care in the age of Black Lives Matter – Medium

• How Your Mindfulness Practice Can Support the World Right Now – Mindful.org

• Daily Wellness: A New Mix of Motivational Podcasts and Personalized Music – Spotify

• Be Kind to Your Mind: Mental Health Awareness During COVID-19 – WMA

• Your ‘Surge Capacity’ Is Depleted — It’s Why You Feel Awful – Medium

• How Spirituality Can Benefit Mental and Physical Health – VeryWell Mind 

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

Physical + Social Self-Care

• Diet and Exercise Resources - Oaklahoma Museums Association

• 8 Ways to Practice Self-Care While Social Distancing – Right As Brain by UW Medicine

• Exercise: The Best Stress Relief - VeryWell Fit 

• 3 Key Factors in Healthy Relationships - VeryWell Mind

Creative Self-Care

• Self-Care According to a Gender-Affirming Yoga Pro – Everyday Health

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

• 113 Museums Transformed Illustrations From Their Collections Into Free Coloring Pages – Smithsonian Magazine

• 12 Ways To Practice Community Care Digitally—for Your Own Self Care and That of Others – Well+Good

• Creative Mindfulness: The Buzzy Brain – Seema Rao

• Creative Expression for Maintaining Positive Wellbeing – Oaklahoma Museums Association

• Reframe How You Think About Self-Care – Harvard Business Review

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

• Time & Space Self-Care Plan – Seema Rao

• How to Ceate Your Own Self-Care Plan & Why You Need One – Mindful.org

• Creative Self-Care: Make Art, Feel Better – Mindful Art Studio

• 9 Ways to Use Art to Practice Self-Care – PsychCentral 

Self-Care for Museum Professionals

• What to Do About “Back to the Office” Jitters – HBR

• Viewpoint: Self-Care for HR Professionals – SHRM

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

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

• Self-care for Museum Professionals with Seema Rao (YouTube Video) – California Association of Museums

• Anxiety, Stress, and Burnout Resources - Oaklahoma Museums Association

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

• Restarting Teams to Restart Museums – AAM

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

• Avoiding video conferencing fatigue while working remotely – UCL

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

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

Self-Care for Parents

• 7 Tips to Teach Children Mindfulness & Meditation – mgbRelationships

• 11 Tips for Mindful Parenting – Mindspace

• Self-Care Strategies for Parents When You Have No Time for Yourself – Healthline Parenthood

• Mom's Hilarious Comics Capture The 'Nonsense' Of Parenting – Huff Post

• In Times of Crisis, Life-Affirming Picture Books – NY Times

• The Upside of Quarantine: 4 Fascinating Lessons to Teach Your Kids – Jessica Larson

• 15 Self-Care Strategies for Parents – VeryWell Family

• 4 Questions To Gauge Your Kid's Mental Health During The COVID-19 Pandemic – Huff Post

• They Need Me-Time, Too: A Self-Care Checklist to Do With Your Kids – Parents.com

• Five Totally Doable Self-Care Tips For Busy Moms – Forbes

• 9 Fathers On How They Make The Time For Self-Care – Mind Body Green 

• Free and Low-Cost Coaching Options – Kate Livingston Coaching

Self-Care for Kids + Teens

• How To Survive When Going Back To School Means Staying Home – Study Breaks

• 113 Museums Transformed Illustrations From Their Collections Into Free Coloring Pages – Smithsonian Magazine

• In Times of Crisis, Life-Affirming Picture Books – NY Times

• Self-Care for Kids – Growing Kids

• Self-Care and Teenagers – ReachOut Parents

• Teen Self-Care Resources – Pinterest

• 11 Self-Care Tips for Teens and Young Adults – Psychology Today

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.