Self-care Tips and Techniques

     If you are feeling overwhelmed and burned out, you are certainly not alone right now. Juggling our roles as educators along with our jobs as parents and community members is tough under normal circumstances, and all of those stressors are exacerbated during the pandemic. As they say when you get on a flight, remember to put your oxygen mask on first before helping others. Self-care is super important all the time, but especially now. While none of this is medical advice, here are some curated ideas for self-care as we move toward summer. 

• Nature can help! Scientists have known for quite some time that spending time in nature helps our bodies process stress. Try to get outside as much as you safely can. But, if you can't get out or if you just want more nature in your life, follow #ourgardensyourhome and fill your Instagram feed with flowers, trees, and nature from around the country! Arboretums and nature preserves around the country have been posting photos since many are closed to visitors. Also consider following usinterior to see breathtaking photos of all the country's national parks and protected lands. 
• Need a mindless, free distraction? The Google Doodles archive might be just what you need. You might be surprised how quickly the time slips by as you doodle away. 
• Get moving! We all know that exercise is vital to human health, but it often gets pushed aside, particularly now with gyms closed. If you have young children, maybe you can do some fun exercises with them. High school HPE teacher Ryan Stetler shared this awesome resource for families to do exercise at home. Your little ones can exercise along with Batman or Spiderman, and if you do the exercises along with your children, you'll get some self-care in at the same time. Win-win. 
• Quiet Time. If you have yet to check out the app Headspace, now is a great time to start using it! The district has paid for our subscription. Here is the code to join (GSEDQCSD1Y). There are some great sleep sounds and there are even meditations to help you fall back to sleep if you wake up at night. And although you can't share our code with friends and family outside the district, you can encourage others to check out the free trial Headspace is offering to those unemployed due to the pandemic.
• Listen to the experts. Here is a nice, concise overview from Mayo Clinic of some things you can start incorporating into your daily routine. 
• Laugh! If you haven't seen this hilarious song from Jimmy Fallon, wait no further! Laughter is some of the best medicine for stress. Play often when you need a chuckle. 
• Get some rest! Our immune systems rely on us to get good sleep. If you are not getting good rest these days, you are not alone. If you are struggling with sleep, Audible has released a series of free resources to help. Check them out here. 
• Compassion Fatigue. If you are feeling overly anxious and are still struggling to calm your busy mind, try some of these quicker fixes, gleaned from last week's Managing Compassion Fatigue workshop NOVA presented through the IU. Movement is key to releasing stress chemicals in your body. Make sure you are moving regularly throughout your day. Consider adding yoga, walking, dancing, or exercise into your routine. Ice packs across the face can also help very quickly calm your nervous system. A migraine ice pack that covers mid-forehead to your cheek bones can calm your nervous system. And, the presenters also talked about something called bilateral tapping. A blog post is too short to deep dive, but there is a ton of information on the web. The idea is a simple one and really just involves finding spots on your body to gently tap to help ground your mind. Here is a short YouTube video with a technique called the "butterfly hug."