S03E04: Looking After Your Conservator

We team up with Lorraine Finch to talk about how to look after your conservator: we cover topics like wellbeing and self-care, while also discussing what employers and managers can do to keep staff in good condition. We talk to Dr Michelle Huws-Thomas about burnout and stress in the workplace, and we interview Sam Jenkins from the Museum Wellness Network. Also tune in for a review of ‘Objective Lessons: Self Care for Museum Workers’ by Seema Rao. 00:01:04 News in brief 00:05:11 Defining ‘wellbeing’ and ‘self care’ 00:07:32 What’s wellbeing to us? 00:17:46 Lab pets and yoga practice 00:22:11 The power of body language 00:25:23 Swedish fika and the art of taking a break 00:28:11 Different types of stress 00:35:28 Mindfulness and its place in conservation 00:41:43 Mental health: Lorraine and Jenny’s stories 00:48:45 Tips for improved wellbeing 00:50:17 Interview with Dr Michelle Huws-Thomas 01:05:41 Warning signs and remembering to recharge 01:07:30 Rust out 01:11:45 Interview with Sam Jenkins 01:21:18 Review: Objective Lessons - Self Care for Museum Professions Show Notes: - Article on clothes moth spread: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/apr/22/how-to-avoid-clothes-moths-live-in-the-east-midlands - Pests in Houses Great and Small - Identification, Prevention and Eradication by Dee Lauder and David Pinniger: https://amzn.to/2HBYSBc - Museum Practice on Wellbeing: https://www.museumsassociation.org/museum-practice/wellbeing - Staff and Volunteer Wellbeing article in Museum Practice (members only): https://www.museumsassociation.org/museum-practice/wellbeing/16042018-staff-and-volunteer-wellbeing - Mind: https://www.mind.org.uk/ - Presence - Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges by Amy Cuddy: https://amzn.to/2r94Q1r - TED talk about the power of body language: https://www.ted.com/talks/amy_cuddy_your_body_language_shapes_who_you_are - What is Fika? https://www.thekitchn.com/what-in-the-world-is-fika-an-intro-to-the-swedish-coffee-break-the-art-of-fika-219297 - Headspace app: https://www.headspace.com/ - The Curse of Lovely by Jacqui Marson: https://amzn.to/2I7SXmS - Clore leadership course: https://www.cloreleadership.org/ - Rust Out: https://www.healthcentral.com/article/rustout-causes-symptoms-and-cures - Mental Health First Aid training: https://mhfaengland.org/ - Joyful Museums: http://www.joyfulmuseums.com/ - The Happy Museum Project: http://happymuseumproject.org/ - Museum 5 a day: https://twitter.com/Muse5aday - Museum Wellness Network: https://museumwellnessnetwork.wordpress.com/ - Objective Lessons - Self Care for Museum Professions: https://amzn.to/2KsSaLU Further Resources: - Jenny’s favourite yoga instructor on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/yogawithadriene/videos - The Blurt Foundation Resources: https://www.blurtitout.org/resources/ - Museum Wellness Network on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Museum_Wellness - Mental Health at Work: https://www.mind.org.uk/workplace/mental-health-at-work/ - NHS Moodzone: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/ Book Recommendations from Lorraine and Jenny: - Quiet - The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain: https://amzn.to/2rbPGbV - Sane New World - Taming the Mind by Ruby Wax: https://amzn.to/2vZd6a0 - The Mind-Gut Connection by Emeran Mayer: https://amzn.to/2HKuv7C - The Self-Care Project by Jayne Hardy: https://amzn.to/2HJrqVD Support us on Patreon! http://www.patreon.com/thecword Hosted by Jenny Mathiasson, Kloe Rumsey and Lorraine Finch. Intro and outro music by DDmyzik used under a Creative Commons Attribution license. Additional sound effects and music by Calum Robertson. Made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International license. A Wooden Dice production, 2018.

Om Podcasten

We talk about all sorts of things from the perspective of conservation professionals, from museum trends and new technology to the big issues like pay and staying safe at work. In some museums conservation can be a bit of a naughty word but we think it ought to be celebrated!