Community Care | Caring for Ourselves

We’ll be honest: all of the recent news impacting profession is heavy. We feel it, too. While we keep working to defend our cultural spaces, we must also find ways to stay grounded. Caring for ourselves isn’t a distraction. It’s fuel for the long fight ahead.

Here’s what’s been helping us:

Step away from the news firehose. 

• Try a news digest you can read in minutes, like the New York Times Morning Briefing, instead of scrolling endlessly. 

Limit social media consumption. 

• Ignore the trolls. Unfollow accounts that make your blood boil. Set a screen timer or use an app blocker (like Brick) to stay focused on what matters. Your nervous system will thank you. 

Try the Focus Friend app. 

• Get some dopamine by letting The Bean knit socks while you work with this cute focus timer. When you focus, your Bean companion will focus too. 

Enjoy a feel-good watch. 

• Our recent comfort line-up included Lego Batman, Ted Lasso, Derry Girls, and K-Pop Demon Hunters. Small joys matter.

Lean into small rituals. 

• Journaling, card games, smashing dishes in a rage room (we’ve written about it before)… anything that helps stress move through instead of staying stuck.

If you’re looking for more ideas, we’ve collected some of our past reflections here:

• On rage rooms and release → 
• On games and journaling → 
• On mutual care → 
• On community resilience → 
• On supporting and protecting yourself → 

Resilience isn’t only about museums. It’s about the people who sustain them, and that includes you.

This blog post content was originally included in our community newsletter: The Moment -- where we respond quickly and thoughtfully to impactful events and decisions that challenge or disrupt our profession.