IW 171: InterpreTips: Resetting to Comfort Space-Daily Self Care

"Yummy, yummy, yummy, I got love in my tummy."

Let's talk Self-Care for sign language interpreters. There is an easy quick way for us to feel comforted, that's comfort food. Here are some quick thoughts about how to quickly relax before, during, and, after a gig.

We all need to breath and relax at times in our work, let's bite into that topic now.

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Transcript

IW 171 InterpreTips: Resetting to Comfort Space-Daily Self Care

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[ROCK INTRO MUSIC STARTS] 

00:00:02 Tim [ONLY TIM IS SPEAKING IN THIS EPISODE]

Good morning, good evening, good afternoon. Wherever you are, this is the Interpreter's Workshop podcast. I'm Tim Curry, your host. Here we talk everything sign language interpreting the ins, the outs, the ups, the downs, the sideways of interpreting. If you're a student, a new interpreter, experienced interpreter, this is the place for you. If you want to know more, go to interpretersworkshop.com.

00:00:28

Let's start talking... interpreting.

[ROCK INTRO MUSIC ENDS]

00:00:34

And now the quote of the day by American German actress, Marlene Dietrich.

00:00:41

“Soup not only warms you and is easy to swallow and to digest, it also creates the illusion in the back of your mind, that mother is there.”

00:00:54

In almost every interview I do the game of Word association.

00:01:00

And I almost always ask what is your comfort food? And this quote helps us know why I do that. It helps me understand why I ask that question.

00:01:14

Comfort food is something that we all feel. It does what it says it does. It comforts us. It gives us that moment of comfort that we all need. It's delicious, and it conjures up so many images for us.

00:01:31

So, today's episode, I'm going to talk a little bit about the topic of self-care for sign language interpreters.

00:01:40

Finding that comfort that we all need – when we need it – every day.

00:01:47

So, let's get started.

[SHORT TRANSITION MUSIC]

00:01:53

Comfort food is something that, well, comforts us. It gives us that excitement when we see it, when we smell it, when we taste those familiar textures, flavors, the coolness, the warmth. All of those conjure up images that are different for all of us. It could be moments from our childhood.

00:02:14

Comfort food may not be just one thing. It may be multiple types of food, and in reality, it may not just be food. Perhaps it's a favorite song that comforts you that brings you that moment, that you need.

00:02:29

Whether it's comfort food, whether it's a comforting song, that cozy book in that cozy corner that comforts you when you need it the most. Maybe it's that friend that when you're with them, you feel comforted.

00:02:47

And what is that comfort? It's that moment when you feel your body breathe out, your muscles relax, your face start to light up and smile. Even your eyes begin to relax.

00:03:04

Your thoughts relax. You may still be thinking about many of the things that are bombarding you every day, or the moments that were very hard that week, but your body feels you're in a comfort place. That space, that moment, that time with your comfort food, your comfort book, your comfort movie, your comfort song, your comfort – people.

00:03:32

Your body goes into that, “It's OK now I don't have to fight. I don't have to flight. I can relax. I'm here. I'm in this moment.” That is our comfort moment. And yes, you could do yoga. You can do Pilates. You can run. You can do a walk.

00:03:53

You can do meditation. All of those things might be something for you, your comfort moment, but I would suggest that follow your body.

00:04:03

Follow your heart when it comes to a comfort place, a comfort moment, that moment when your body, you can feel, it physically relax. You can feel your breath opening up and not feeling cornered or caged.

00:04:24

You no longer have the walls up. The doors are open that you can actually start to talk about how you feel and how you see everything you've been bombarded with.

00:04:33

As a sign language interpreter, I suggest to have those regular moments. Give yourself that comfort food. Give yourself the song, whatever it is for you. Have that every day.

00:04:48

Have that comfort moment every day, and then perhaps every week, have a bigger moment for comfort. For example, every day give yourself that little comfort food or that little song to listen to before you go into a stressful situation. Listen to your song, read your book, eat a little comfort food, have that coffee take 10 minutes to sit down, whatever it is.

00:05:23

Give yourself that moment, that comfort every day to reset, to bring yourself back to the default position of who you are and what you are not what your reactions are. Remember you, not your reaction.

00:05:40

Because when you know you, you can better react in an appropriate manner for everything.

[ROCK TRANSITION MUSIC STARTS]

00:05:47

Breathing is a wonderful thing. Having a comfortable cup of coffee is perhaps the next best thing. You guessed it. Buy Me A Coffee. Just click on the links. It'll help this job of podcaster that much better. I appreciate it. Now let's go back.

[ROCK TRANSITION MUSIC ENDS]

00:06:04

In a lot of the business world, we talk about vacation time, your own holiday time, and you only get so many specific times throughout the year for a holiday, for a vacation, for personal time. But I would say don't limit yourself, give yourself those moments. We all have done it, do it.

00:06:25

But we sometimes forget how important those moments are. Those are the times that we should also reflect.

00:06:33

That's right, reflection after every job that we have, give yourself a minute or two, if at all possible. Meet with your team after the gig. Talk about it. Don't just say, are you good? I'm good. Yep. All good. Well talk about it. Think of one thing that was really nice that your team did.

00:06:54

Or one thing that was new that you didn't think would work, but it did. Discuss that.

00:07:00

Don't give yourselves a big therapy session. No, be appropriate. Be real. Reflect.

00:07:08

Maybe even giving yourself that comfort food together, sitting down at a coffee shop, having a cup of coffee, not a big, gigantic latte or Frappuccino-caramel-strawberry enthused-apple nurtured-soy latte thingy. No, just get yourself one little, tiny moment together to just breathe.

00:07:31

Could even be sitting on a bench in a park after a gig or sitting on the steps of the building that you just came out of, breathing in the reflection to know your reset moment.

[SHORT TRANSITION MUSIC]

00:07:53

When I was in the US in Oklahoma working as an ASL English interpreter, those moments came in different spots during the day.

00:08:00

In the morning, I had a little routine, but that changed from week to week depending on my schedule because my schedule changed every single day. Right? As a freelance interpreter. And if I was driving, I would find a song that I really liked and I would listen to that and sing to it.

00:08:22

Yes, I was alone in the car. [coughs]

00:08:24

And it brought my mood level up.

00:08:27

And it woke me up as well, not to mention helping my vocal qualities in the morning.

00:08:33

I would definitely make sure I was rolling my shoulders, stretching my hands, going to the restroom before a gig, and washing your hands, making yourself clean for the new job. That sounds fun, doesn't it? Sounds a bit strange, doesn't it? But a little ritual of washing off the old and starting anew.

00:08:57

But I would make sure that every day I would do something that would be my ritual, my comforting moment, before starting, perhaps during, and after. Give yourself those moments.

00:09:12

And step out of the picture that is the work moment and bring yourself to that moment where it looks as though you're looking from above, taking yourself out of the situation to reset who you are, to breathe and to renew yourself.

00:09:28

Many times, we need to have longer downtime. In the evenings, we might read the book that we absolutely love, or the new book that has intrigued us, or the wonderful podcasts that I might be able to listen to in between those gigs. (Did I mention podcast?)

00:09:48

And even sharing those podcasts with people that you know are around me, that might also need those comforting moments … from a … podcast. [coughs] (Just a thought.)

00:10:00

But having those moments in the evening to give us a little bit longer time to disconnect from those bombardments that we get every day and having an even longer ritual on the weekend or once a month, perhaps a day that's digital free or just a moment.

00:10:21

Every meal you turn your phone off.

[SHORT TRANSITION MUSIC]

[ROCK EXIT MUSIC STARTS]

00:10:28

Finding the time to give ourselves comfort in the middle of the world in the middle of our jobs in the middle of colleagues that we may not like to work with situations that cause us discomfort, we need to have something to reset and find ourselves again, wash away someone else's troubles and not allow them to become our own. 

00:10:58

Because just like the quote said we need to have that comfort, that feeling, that imagined feeling that mother is there. We have someone there watching over us, someone there comforting us, holding us safe. When we feel strong enough in our own person, when we have reset ourselves as best we can, when we have comforted ourselves as best we can, that gives us more strength, more energy to put out the effort to support others, which can only make our jobs, our work, our interpretation that more effective and efficient.

00:11:37

We've heard it all before. Self-care, self-care, self-care. So, my suggestion would be start with the little things, the comfort food, the comfort song, the comforting moments that bring us back… [sighs heavily]

00:11:57

To breathe, to relaxing, feeling our bodies relax.

00:12:04

So, until next time…

00:12:06

Keep calm. Keep comfortably interpreting. I'll see you next week. Take care now.

[ROCK EXIT MUSIC ENDS AT 00:12:47]