Hey there! I know that I have said it once and I will say it again, everyone needs self care! We are in a time that to be honest, is chaos. It is so easy for us to lose sight of ourselves and our well being. However, I don’t want you to do that. I want you to take care of yourself. Sometimes self care gets a bad wrap. Many people think that it is a day at the spa and that’s it. However, did you know that there are 6 different types of self care? Let’s chat about them and you can see which best fits your lifestyle!
Emotional Self-Care
There are times when we feel really overwhelmed with our emotions. I know that there have been times that I have had all the feels. Often times when this happens our first instinct is to suppress all of them and hope that they go away. Rather than doing that, here are a few ways that you can give yourself some grace with emotional self care:
- Start a journal
- Cry it out
- Ask for help
- Accept compliments
Practical Self Care
This is the type of self care that we use to fulfill core aspects of our life in order to prevent future stressful situations. This is a great one that we can use in the classroom as well. This type of self care is going to help us be more organized and calm in the long run. A few ideas for practical self care are:
- Making a budget
- Organizing your files
- Cleaning your desk
- Finding PD that will help you be a better teacher
- Making a budget
- Organizing your files
- Cleaning your desk
- Finding PD that will help you be a better teacher
Physical Self Care
Physical self care is the one that many of us are very familiar with. This is the type of self care that gets us outside and moving our bodies. However, did you know that physical self care also refers to what we put into our body as well? Here are some examples of physical self care:
- Exercising
- Staying hydrated during the day
- Getting a full nights sleep
- Taking a walk during your lunch break
Mental Self Care
We need to ensure that our brain stays stimulated throughout our life. Mental self care helps us to stay focused and keep our brain strong. I know a lot of people struggle with this because it really does involve sitting down and doing something for yourself. Ways that you can bring mental self care into your routine are:
- Reading a book
- Doing a puzzle
- Working on word or number puzzles
- Learning a new language
Social Self Care
This is a big one for people and I know that it always falls by the wayside. Social self care helps us to stay connected with our family and friends. Honestly, I feel that social self care has been hurting in all of us with the pandemic. We have not been able to get out and see our friends, but there are still ways that we can have social self care even if we are at home:
- Zoom happy hour with your friends
- FaceTime instead of texting to ask how things are
- Make time to call your family
- Go on a walk with a friend or family member
Spiritual Self Care
Spiritual self care allows us to realize that there is something bigger than ourselves. This type of self care does not need to be religious however for myself, it is since I am a Catholic woman. Even if you do not want it to be religious there are still ways that everyone can practice:
- Going to church
- Meditation apps
- Yoga
- Going out to be in Nature
- Personal Reflection
How will you practice self care?
Self care can be tough for all of us. I hope that there are a few ideas in this blog post that you can use to help yourself get more in touch and make some healthy changes in your life. How do you practice self care? Please email me at classroomsandcats@gmail.com and let me know what you do! I would love to hear from you.
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