April
Self-Care
Self Care
She defined self-care as: “the practice of taking care of one’s own physical and emotional needs, with the goals of remaining healthy and resilient.”
Rethink self-care.
The first step to prioritizing self-care is to revise your views on it—to realize how powerful and vital it is. Taking care of ourselves is a “basic human need, it’s not weakness,” Michaelson said. It’s also not selfish. To the contrary, self-care makes us more available and open to others, she said.
Learn to pay attention to your needs.
This is a skill you can sharpen. Because, again, many of us weren’t taught to identify, acknowledge and respect our needs. Rather, unfortunately, we’re often taught to dismiss or judge them.
Take small action.
Michaelson noted that self-care is taking small actions that serve our well-being.
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"Self-care is giving the world the best of you, instead of what's left of you."
–Katie Reed
Sanford Harmony Buddy Up at Floresta Elementary
Saint Lucie West Centennial High School Students Raised Money for New Horizons
Teachers at Palm Pointe Participate in A Sanford Harmony Meet Up
School-Wide Self-Care Activity Ideas
Important Dates This Month
April 4th - School Librarian Day
April 5th - Child Abuse Prevention Day WEAR BLUE
April 7th - 13th- National Volunteer Week
April 10th- National Siblings Day
April 22nd - Earth Day
April 24th- Administrative Professionals Day
April 26th - WEAR BLUE
Parent Connection
In the midst of hectic schedules, remembering to take care of our emotional well-being sometimes falls to the bottom of our priority list. This is especially true for children, who aren’t yet aware of how important their mental health is. Since the concept of self-care is still too complicated for most children to understand, it’s important for parents and other adult caregivers to figure out ways to seamlessly incorporate it into their week. There are a variety of activities that you and your child can do that provide significant mind and body benefits without feeling like an intense, therapeutic routine.
1. Create a Winning Family Routine
Children crave structure and a successful family routine contributes to the well being of the entire household.
2. Focus on Sleep
Sleep is one of the most crucial ingredients for learning, performance and mental health and good sleep starts with a consistent and early bedtime.
3. Get Healthy Together
Kids have to eat everyday, so what easier way to integrate good self-care into their day than by serving them healthy foods. What kids eat has a profound impact on their mood, attention and brain development.
4. When in Doubt, Write it Out.
Journaling is an excellent practice to introduce to your child around the age of 6-7, as it provides a private space in which they can write out their thoughts and work through them.
5. Express Yourself (Creatively)
Make time for art, music, and dance.
6. Play to Promote Mental Health
Ample time for “play” is one of the most important ingredients in healthy child (and adult) development. Play provides opportunities to think creatively, engage with others, and regulate impulses.
7. Foster Social Skills
Just like adults, young people need to feel a sense of belonging in order to thrive. Some children may fill their cup by having a few close friends, whereas others will feel most alive when engaging regularly in larger group activities.
8. Collaborate on Screen Time
We often hear the adage to limit children’s time on screens, whether TV or computer. Current research shows that it’s a bit more nuanced, that it’s more about “monitoring” the impact, as all children are different and engage with devices in different ways.
For more from this article, click here.
Additional Resources:
Teach Your Kids the Value of Self-Care by Creating Healthy Habits
50 Self-Care Activities You Can Do with Kids
Coming Attractions:
Newsletter will be published on April 15th
Special Edition of the SEL Newsletter: Making Crunch Time Less Crunchy