Ideas for Self Care
Ideas for Self Care
It is my theory that we are stuck in a twilight zone episode called “Corona Virus.” As counselors and people who look to the needs of others first (and let’s be honest that is every parent I know), are we really taking enough time for ourselves? We are about to give you 6 easy ideas for self care!
Ideas for Self Care Podcast
Listen to our podcast on this topic! Watch it here!
Think of the saying “physician heal thyself.” Or how about the oxygen mask analogy, put your mask on first THEN help others. That is all good in theory, but at the end of the day it is rare that we have actually stopped to take a deep breath. Does this schedule sound familiar: call to check on students, find resources for students and families, create lessons, attend 3+ zoom meetings and 2 webinars. We do all of this while taking care of our own kids. Oh and let’s not forget many of us have a spouse at home with us. All of this equals stress, or as it was so eloquently put on one of the many webinars I’ve attended, “small microblasts of stress.” So what is the remedy? You already know what we are going to say, something to the effect of “take care of yourself.” But it’s easier said than done, right? How do we do this? When do we do this? The answer – We have to make an EFFORT, or as the dictionary defines effort a determined attempt. Here is our effort at giving you some ideas for self care:
E- Enjoy a Good Book
One of our favorite blog posts from last year was all about our favorite books. Check out our (Sort of Secret) Summer Reading List. We are both readers; although, our lists look different.
If you have listened to a few of our podcast episodes, you know that one of our favorite books is Whatever It Takes by Dr. Bryan Pearlman. We were honored to have Dr. Pearlman as a guest on one of our recent podcast episodes. We are sure that you will be able to identify with so many of the stories Dr. Pearlman shares about students he has encountered throughout his career.
- Anxious for Nothing Finding Calm in a Chaotic World– This book is very timely with what’s going on in our world right now. Use this book as a way to find some peace in the midst of chaos.
- Emma– What a great way to use your time right now! Immerse yourself in a classic!
- Little House in the Big Woods– There are so many similarities between how we are staying inside and the winter when Laura Ingalls Wilder and her family had to stay inside.
- The Breakdown– This is a suspenseful fictional book that had me guessing until the very end!
- Kids Deserve It– This book is all about transforming the climate and culture of your school to make learning exciting and a positive experience for students, parents, and teachers.
F- Find a New Hobby
One of the best ways to take advantage of this time is to find a new hobby. Kim has been working on gardening. Laura has been finding new exercise classes to stream through her TV. Take a look at the list compiled to Nerd Bear to see if your hobby of choice is listed OR if there is a hobby listed that you might be interested in learning more about!
- Watching TV Shows and Movies
- Reading
- Working Out
- Arts and Crafts
- Board Games
- DIY
- Yoga
- Baking
- Gardening
- Video Games
- Meditation
- Audiobooks and Podcasts
- Writing
- Learning a Language
- Learning an Instrument
Family Mini vaca
Kim
Laura
Picnic
take a walk
F- Family Mini Vacation
Let’s be honest… Nobody is going anywhere for a little bit. So how creative can you get? Just this week my family and I spread blankets and pillows out on our living room floor and had a “camp-out.” We ate hot dogs, told a few stories, and just sat there enjoying each other! This is a great time to build a fort with your family! There are tons of virtual field trips like the ones in this list compiled by We Are Teachers. This list from Good Housekeeping gives lists of museums and theme parks that you can visit together. Speaking of theme parks, look up theme park rides on Youtube and buckle up! Get creative!
O- Online Freebies
- Adobe is supporting educators and students with free at-home access to its Creative Cloud applications.
- Class Central- Check out this schedule to take free courses from Ivy League universities like Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Penn, Princeton, and Yale.
- Free Friday- General Assembly is offering free coding workshops on Fridays
- Art Lover?- The Guggenheim Museum just released more than 200 books about modern art. Read them online in PDF or ePub formats for free!
- Khan Academy/Walt Disney Imagineering– Take the free online course that is designed to “pull back the curtain to show you how artists, designers, and engineers work together to create theme parks.
- Free HBO- HBO announced that they will stream 500 hours of free shows and movies. Take a look at what’s available here.
- SiriusXM– The 300+ channel streaming service will be free through May 15.
R- Relax
- I know this is easier said than done when you have people pulling you in all directions. But trust us, a few minutes of relaxation will fill your cup! How do you relax in a house full of people?
- Shut the door and take a bath- I did this last night. During said bath I could hear my 3 year old yelling in the next room, my 5 year old kept knocking on the door asking for things, and even my husband’s footsteps sounded frazzled. How is that even possible? But even with all of that chaos going on, I felt a little more relaxed!
- Sit in the car- This may sound crazy, but sometimes Kim and I call each other from the silence of our vehicle. During this time of family quarantine, our vehicles sometimes serve as our office. I can lock the doors and safeguard against a naked 3 year old running across the background of my Zoom call. If you don’t believe me watch this podcast episode.
- Sit outside- The weather in Alabama is WONDERFUL right now. We’re not sure what the weather is like where you are, but sometimes just sitting outside and smelling the fresh air and listening to the birds is therapeutic!
T- Take in a Movie
Schedule a night where you close your laptop, pop some popcorn and just sit on the couch and enjoy a mindless comedy. Or get invested in a suspenseful movie, or watch a cute romantic movie. The key here is to close your laptop and mentally escape for a little bit. Elle Magazine put together a list of 34 movies that are sure to be an instant mood lifter. Among the list are movies like Clueless, Up!, Pitch Perfect, and Matilda. Just reading some of those titles instantly took me on a trip down memory lane!
Bonus Idea for Self Care
This goes against our E-F-F-O-R-T acronym, but connection is important during this quarantine. One way to do that is through our Counselor Accents Facebook group. We have hosted a few Zoom calls just to make connections during this time. One of my favorite quotes from our call this week was, “After talking with you all, I realize I’m not alone.” Join us in our group! You belong there!
For more ideas check out my friend, Beth Ott over at The Better Teacher Project. She shares 5 ideas for teacher self care here! We want to know your ideas for self care! Share your ideas in the comments below!
