Cultivate Your Mind & Body Wellness
Be Kind to Yourself
February 2021
To be kind to yourself means to take care of yourself,
to be understanding with yourself when life does not go as planned and
to treat yourself like you want others to treat you.
Sometimes, it is more natural to be kind to others than it is to be kind to ourselves. Being kind to ourselves though is just as important and if not, more so. When we are kind to ourselves, we are more capable to be there for others and especially for ourselves to face life and the challenges it brings. Being kind to yourself makes a difference to you and your wellbeing.
February seemed to be the month of much needed kindness. I had reminded myself to be kind and to use kind words when I was not doing so. I did my best to be understanding with myself and accepted that I needed some time for creative & social energy. Using kind words allowed me to get my needs met and increase my energy that was needed to face my day!
Treat Yourself with Kindness
Treating yourself with kindness brings happiness and self confidence. It also shows others how you want them to treat you.
Shift to Being Kind
- The next time you’re being unkind to yourself take a pause.
- Think about how you are treating yourself.
- How do you want to treat yourself?
- How would someone who cares about you treat you?
Be Kind to your Mind
Our inner voice influences how we feel about ourselves and when our inner voice is being kind, we feel the positivity. When our inner voice is being unkind and a critic, it is more difficult to have positive self thoughts and feel good about yourself.
Be Kind to the Person You Are
- Think about yourself with kindness.
- Speak about yourself with kindness.
Attend to your Body
Attending to your body's needs should not be an after thought. Your body needs to be paid attention to with gentleness and care every day if you want to function well.
Just Eat
Focusing on eating helps you become aware of what your body needs. When eating, look at your food; smell it, notice how it feels in your mouth, really taste it, & how it feels in your body.
Deserved Rest
Music for Imagination & Creativity
Mental Rest: The ability to quiet cerebral chatter and focus on things that matter.
Creative Rest: The experience of allowing beauty to inspire awe and liberate wonder.
Show Kindness
Acts of kindness
- a smile
- giving honest compliments
- being helpful
- celebrating someone
- communicating your thanks
- sharing
Be Gentle on your Body
Yoga or Deep Stretching is one gentle way that allows muscles to relax and lengthen, which puts less strain on the skeletal system and reduces tension throughout the body. Being gentle on your body helps decrease injuries and improves sleep.
Allow your Purpose to Guide You
Social Purpose
Being a good friend. How to be a good friend: Fully listen, check in, appreciate, be respectful, be honest, spend quality time and so much more with a friend.
Past Monthly Wellness Newsletters
Be Well Butte Educators
A Monthly Wellness Newsletter for Butte County's Educators
Resources
ACSA Resource Hub
- Just For Kids: A Comic Exploring the New Coronavirus. Click here.
- Mindfulness for students and the adults that lead them. Click here.
- My name is Coronavirus. English. Spanish.
- GritX Personal Toolkit. Click here.
- Coronavirus: Information for students with special needs. Click here.
- CDC: Mental Health and coping during COVID-19. Click here.
- Student mental health and wellness. Click here.
- NASP/NASN: Helping students cope with COVID-19. Click here.
Kindness to Self
It can be difficult to be kind all the time to yourself and others especially, when life is unpleasant. Remind yourself though that you are doing the best you can with what you have!
Do your best in being understanding and forgiving with yourself when you struggle, no matter how big or small those struggles are. Sometimes though, we do need to reach out and ask for help if we are finding it difficult to cope with life's challenges. It is the kind thing to do!
So, be kind to yourself and care about your own wellbeing.