Self-Care
Skip to search results Showing Results 1 - 50 of 57
Description: What is Teacher Self-Care and How to Practice It - Because teaching is such an intensive job, educators can greatly benefit from learning about activities for practicing self-care. Unfortunately, teachers may worry that taking care of themselves can lead to self-absorption and distract them from their students. However, despite the misleading title, self-care isn’t at all about selfishness. In fact, practicing self-care can be in the best interest of everyone in your classroom....
Description: Self-care for teachers: 5 strategies to prevent compassion fatigue - Educators are some of the most passionate people you’ll meet in any profession, and it’s easy to understand why. Teachers get to introduce children to concepts, people and places that will shape their lives forever. When your lesson goes well and the class is engaged and attentive, it can feel like you’re on top of the world. But teaching is also an emotionally, mentally and physically taxing job that...
Description: Learn evidence-based tools and techniques that will help you stress less, focus more, and feel more calm. In this 10-day mindfulness challenge we will share a variety of practices that promote healthy management of anxiety, present-moment awareness, and overall wellbeing. The goal of this 10-day Challenge is to kickstart a mindfulness practice for those who are new to the idea and to offer new exercises and approaches for all participants, even those with established practices. We encourage you...
Description: Headspace offers free access to K-12 (primary-secondary) teachers and supporting staff in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia. Whether you’re feeling inspired to connect more with your students or you’re looking for a new way to bring calm to your classroom, Headspace can help students build healthy habits that last a lifetime. Better focus, less stress, and happier thoughts are just a few minutes away.
Description: Journaling can strengthen your well-being because it allows you to build intention, reflection, and mindfulness into your life. It’s fairly easy to start a habit of journaling. You don’t need a lot of time or supplies for journaling, and you can choose from many different forms of journaling to discover a journaling practice that works best for you. Here are the key well-being benefits of journaling and how to get started journaling for well-being.
Description: Mental health includes emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, act, make choices, and relate to others. Mental health is more than the absence of a mental illness—it’s essential to your overall health and quality of life. Self-care can play a role in maintaining your mental health and help support your treatment and recovery if you have a mental illness. About Self-Care When to Seek Professional Help What to Do in a Crisis Featured Videos...
Description: Reflection is a key component of professional growth for educators, but making time for meaningful self-reflection can feel all but impossible amid the flurry of the school day. The end of the year provides a great opportunity to look back on standout moments with students, reflect on challenges you’ve overcome, and celebrate a year’s worth of growth. Most teachers are exhausted by May or June, but carving out a little time for taking stock now while it’s fresh in your mind...
Description: How you feel matters! Whether you're feeling sad, anxious, or stressed, Happify brings you effective tools and programs to help you take control of your feelings and thoughts. Our proven techniques are developed by leading scientists and experts who've been studying evidence-based interventions in the fields of positive psychology, mindfulness, and cognitive behavioral therapy for decades.
Description: The Institute for Mindful Leadership provides free content, located under the resources tab: Mindful Leadership Blog Videos Guided Meditations Little Books Podcasts Press
Description: As an educator, you’re constantly navigating changes and challenges. From dealing with sudden schedule shifts to managing student behavior, you have a lot to juggle each day. On top of it all, you’re trying to keep up with the needs of your students and your own life. It’s understandable if you feel overwhelmed. You may be looking for ideas on how to practice self-care — or how to find time to practice self-care.
Description: Self-care matters. If you are constantly giving your all to everyone else, you are going to eventually burn out. Please take a moment to schedule ways to nurture yourself every week. It will be one of the best things you can do to show up and show out for your students. I’ve created an infographic with a list of 50 self-care ideas for teachers and specialists to get into the self-care zone.
Description: In the video, "Getting to Know Your Brain: Dealing with Stress," test your knowledge about stress and the brain. Also learn how to create and use a “stress catcher” to practice strategies to deal with stress. In the video, "Guided Visualization: Dealing with Stress," Dr. Krystal Lewis, a licensed clinical psychologist and researcher in the NIMH Intramural Research Program, explains what stress is and describes the parts of the brain that handle the “flight-fight- freeze”...
Description: Parenting can be stressful. Parenting kids with special needs can be even more stressful, and it can cause anxiety, depression and marital problems. A mindfulness practice can help alleviate stress and prevent these problems. And it can make you a better parent. Mindfulness is designed to help you notice your emotions and calm yourself down in stressful situations. It includes breathing exercises, guided meditations and taking a step back from difficult situations. These habits can give you the...
Description: Taking care of yourself is the best gift you can give your students (by Dr. Jane Nelsen & Dr. Kelly Gfroerer). Make a list of the things you like to do that feed your heart, your body, your mind, and your soul. Get out your calendar and make time for yourself EVERY day. Give up all guilt about taking time for yourself, or for taking time to be with people who boost your energy and your joy. Keep a gratitude journal. Ask for help when you need it. After all, you aren’t asking for...
Description: How you feel can affect your ability to carry out everyday activities, your relationships, and your overall mental health. How you react to your experiences and feelings can change over time. Emotional wellness is the ability to successfully handle life’s stresses and adapt to change and difficult times. Flip each card below for checklists on how to improve your health in each area. Click on the images to read articles about each topic. You can also print the checklists separately or all...
Description: Parents who are the main caregivers for kids with special needs can be at risk for burnout, especially if they don’t have enough support themselves. Symptoms of burnout include anxiety, depression, feeling tired and feeling cut off from other people. Caring for a child with a developmental or mental health disorder can put a big strain on your marriage or relationship. There can be also be physical risks from the constant stress of taking care of a special needs child. Physical risks from...
Description: From the time you’re born, your relationships help you learn to navigate the world. You learn how to interact with others, express yourself, conduct everyday health habits, and be a part of different communities from those around you. Positive social habits can help you build support systems and stay healthier mentally and physically. Flip each card below for checklists on how to improve your health in each area. Click on the images to read articles about each topic. You can also print the...
Description: What you'll learn from this article: Why is substance use more dangerous for teens with mental health disorders? Why do teens with mental health disorders use substances? Why does substance use make a mental health disorder worse? Experts note that to encourage teens to reduce or stop substance use, it’s important give them other coping strategies to manage their problems without turning to substances.
Description: Optimistic thinking impacts many areas of our lives, including work performance, productivity, motivation, sense of purpose, stress levels, and more. Now, more than ever, educators need to tap into their optimistic thinking and goal-setting skills to increase their resiliency, well-being, and positive outlooks. Check out their Free Optimistic Thinking Guide to get research-based, practical resources to enhance your social-emotional knowledge and skill set. In addition to improving your own...
Description: Breaking Down the Issue Burnout and demoralization are meaningfully different forms of work dissatisfaction that each affect teachers’ ability to do their jobs and influence decisions to remain in the profession. System and school conditions contribute to or buffer against demoralization and burnout in ways that directly affect the lives of both teachers and students. Evidence is growing that the pandemic has increased demoralization and burnout among many teachers. This article provides...
Description: Teacher retention is a serious concern for many districts and the COVID-19 pandemic has placed additional pressure on districts to ensure the right mental health support and professional development is in place. In fact, 33% of teachers are somewhat or very likely to leave the profession within the next 12 months, compared to only 8% prior to the pandemic. This report outlines the key factors leading to attrition in today’s environment and research-based strategies schools can implement to...
Description: The principles provided are derived from research on time management, motivation theory and much experience working with university students. Think of time management techniques as tools to help you do what you value the most. Make these tools into an expression of your values—what’s most important to you—not just a schedule to get more stuff done. Try to keep these principles in mind as you schedule and calendar your time, and when making the moment-to-moment decisions that...
Description: Burnout is a topic that hits close to home for me as an SLP of 15 years. In some ways, I think I started to feel that burn even before I got my CCC’s. Why are we and others in the “helping professions” so much more likely to experience burnout than others braving the workforce? This week, burnout expert, Dr. Julie Slowiak, shares her own personal experience with overwhelm and under-joy in the workplace, and offers SLP’s the strategies we need to recognize burnout and to...
Description: A self-care plan can help you enhance your health and wellbeing, manage your stress, and maintain professionalism as a worker with young people. Learn to identify activities and practices that support your wellbeing as a professional and help you to sustain positive self-care in the long-term. This will help you to: understand self-care develop your self-care plan put your self-care plan into action.
Description: Formalize daily "self-care" planning: District leaders can strive to improve the wellbeing of their teachers and staff by encouraging consistent self-care through the use of robust planning tools. This daily planning is grounded in self-reflection and meant to help teachers recognize their own signs and symptoms of emotional or mental distress. These planning tools—developed by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments as part of...
Description: Stress. It makes your heart pound, your breathing quicken and your forehead sweat. But while stress has been made into a public health enemy, new research suggests that stress may only be bad for you if you believe that to be the case. Psychologist Kelly McGonigal urges us to see stress as a positive, and introduces us to an unsung mechanism for stress reduction: reaching out to others. (14:16 minutes)
Description: This Warm Line is a peer-run service for residents of Virginia. They offer this support line for individuals, family members, and other concerned parties who would like someone to talk to, or who request community mental health resources, or who have specific questions about their recovery journey. The peers who answer this Warm Line listen with compassion and provide non-judgmental support. The peers at MHAV are not licensed professionals, medical providers, or legal advisers. MHAV’s Warm...
Description: This Virtual Calming Room is a place for students, families and staff to find tools and strategies for managing emotions and feelings and building our resilience. This site includes: Sounds and Music Guided Meditations Visual Relaxation Support Yoga Live Animal Cameras Coloring & Creativity Mindfulness Exercise Smartphone Apps Puzzles & Games SCUSD Resources
Description: Try some or all of these practices to experience a greater sense of well-being and resilience. Mindful Breathing for Adults Brief Body Scan Self-Compassion Break for Adults Loving-Kindness for Adults How Would You Treat a Friend? And more . . .
Description: Teacher burnout, stress, and turnover are on the rise. In fact, 73% of K–12 teachers report experiencing job-related stress. 59% say they’re dealing with burnout. And 28% say they have symptoms of depression. The numbers are similar for principals and staff. Between school violence, pandemic-related hardships, politicization, and staff shortages, it’s unsurprising that teachers and staff are questioning — and ultimately leaving — their professions....
Description: Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us. Mindfulness is a quality that every human being already possesses, it’s not something you have to conjure up, you just have to learn how to access it. The Types of Mindfulness Practice While mindfulness is innate, it can be cultivated through proven techniques. Here are some examples: Seated, walking,...
Description: The Institute offers Family Support Professionals everywhere the opportunity to learn new skills and grow their careers. Through engaging, online modules and a personalized learning map feature, professionals take charge of their growth and advancement. All Institute modules and the career compass are based on the National Core Competency Framework. Supervisor modules are based on the National Supervisor Competency Framework . ...
Description: Self-care during times of crisis is extremely important, certainly for ourselves, but just as much in order to be able to help and support our clients on an on-going basis. Managing your own level of stress will have the dual benefit of sustaining your own well-being as well as making you more effective in your work. Each of us is different, our preferences and possibilities quite varied, so there is no prescription for self-care that will be effective for everyone. Yet there are...
Description: One helpful way to practice Self-Awareness Self-Care is to nurture a regular habit of checking in with yourself around The Four R’s of Resilience: Rest, Relaxation, Replenishment, and Release. These categories speak to four foundational pillars of personal wellness relating to sleep, stress relief, diet, and exercise. Positive outcomes are boosted when we intentionally foster these areas in our lives either individually or by buddying up or forming an informal self-care support group with...
Description: One powerful mindfulness practice for noticing and meeting your needs is called “Knowing Your S.T.U.F.” This is an acronym that helps one notice four elements of emotions and move into constructive problem-solving. Taught by Psychologist Joel Minden, S.T.U.F. stands for Sensations, Thoughts, Urges, and Feelings. When you take a few minutes to step back and acknowledge these levels of your emotional experience in the present moment, you engage the executive brain and naturally develop...
Description: Early learning programs can play a key role in helping children, families, and staff commit to finding ways to reduce stress in their lives. Programs can also create wellness strategies that promote both physical and mental well-being. In the resources below, learn ways to promote a culture of wellness for young children and the adults who care for them.
Description: These notes can spread some positivity—self-adhesive and perforated—these notes can be peeled off one at a time and posted anywhere a grateful recipient will see them.
Description: The Northwest Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC) and the Northwest PBIS Network are collaborating to bring you a FREE, 3-part webinar series presented by WellEducator, LLC. NWPBIS is partnering with Dr. Renee VanNorman of WellEducator, LLC to bring you the most up to date research, suggestions, and exemplars on how to build wellness, and respond to life's challenging moments (in and out of the classroom) with self-compassion. Educator stress and...
Description: Are you stressed? Do you stress about things like, work, home, and family? If so, you’re not alone! Join this webinar and a community of like-minded ECE experts, teachers, and peers. Stress is not an event…..stress is our reaction to an event. Stress can motivate you to achieve great things! But in excess, stress can be overwhelming. Learn about the indicators and strategies to combat educator stress to help increase your engagement (both personally and professionally) while working...
Description: Early childhood educators strive to meet the needs of the children and families they serve and tend to neglect their own well-being. However, practicing self-care is important to provide high-quality programs to young children and their families. Join this webinar to rekindle your passion and to discover the red flags of burnout, strategies to develop a self-compassionate state-of-mind, and tips to prevent burnout. Objectives: Understand self-care and signs of burnout to establish protective...
Description: Practicing Self-Care and Professionalism People who take care of others often put their own needs last. Does that sound familiar? Caring for yourself is important for your health and wellness, and it is directly related to your ability to care for others and succeed at work. Although you can’t avoid all stress, too much stress can make it hard to provide care for others, especially infants and toddlers who depend on your physical and emotional availability. Taking care of yourself...
Description: The purpose of this brief is to provide recommendations to district and school leadership teams on how the components of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) can be used to prioritize staff health and wellbeing.
Description: NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Virginia provides YouTube videos with yoga instruction covering a variety of topics, including: Yoga Ed. x NAMI Virginia: Chair Yoga for Children: What Is Yoga? Yoga Ed. x NAMI Virginia: Chair Yoga for Children: Why Do We Do Yoga? Yoga Ed. x NAMI Virginia: Chair Yoga for Teens: What Is Yoga? Yoga Ed. x NAMI Virginia: Chair Yoga for Teens: Why Do We Do Yoga? And more...
Description: A recent study suggests that mindfulness education — lessons on techniques to calm the mind and body — can reduce the negative effects of stress and increase students’ ability to stay engaged, helping them stay on track academically and avoid behavior problems. While small, the study of sixth-graders at a Boston charter school adds to a still-growing body of research about a role for mindfulness in the classroom. In recent years, the topic has excited researchers and...
Description: This is a compilation of articles about the importance of self-care as well as helpful strategies for parents, family members and caregivers.
Description: Many of us are facing challenges that can be stressful and overwhelming. Learning to cope with stress in a healthy way will help you, the people you care about, and those around you become more resilient. Stress can cause the following: Feelings of fear, anger, sadness, worry, numbness, or frustration. Changes in appetite, energy, desires, and interests. Trouble concentrating and making decisions. Nightmares or problems sleeping. Physical reactions, such as headaches, body pains, stomach...
Description: This is a compilation of resources that focus on well-being and offer a myriad of tips and tools for taking care of yourself.
Description: The purpose of this brief is to provide recommendations to district and school leadership teams on how the components of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) can be used to prioritize staff health and wellbeing.
Description: In order to create conditions for students to engage in SEL, adults need to feel empowered, supported, and valued. This calls on districts to foster a supportive staff community that promotes adults’ own SEL. This focus area helps districts strengthen staff expertise and skills to lead SEL initiatives, as well as cultivate adults’ social, emotional and cultural competencies. Key Activities include: Central Office Expertise, Professional Learning, Adult SEL and Cultural Competence.
Description: Why Build Resilience? A focus on compassion resilience will guide all staff back to the core set of values and the drive for a sense of purpose that drew them to work in schools in the first place. It will do so by supporting the development of a strong set of skills to manage expectations, set professional and personal boundaries, build effective collegial relationships, and practice real-time and ongoing self-care. A focus on relational trust between teachers, students, families, colleagues,...