College of Education Self-Care

  • Participants at the self-care drum session
  • Sunset over water
  • Blue lens flares
  • Zen garden with rocks
  • Sunset over hills
  • Spiral staircase
  • Path through trees with autumn leaves

SUN Program

Welcome to our College of Education Self-care Initiative, informally called Self-care for U at Northridge, the SUN Program.

It is so wonderful that you are considering self-care as an important way to care for yourself and keep balance and health in your life. Self-care means taking responsibility for yourself to maintain a healthy and balanced lifestyle at work and in your personal world through individually determined, proactive activities. You are at your best when you attend to yourself in equal measure to others in day-to-day living! 

Self-Care News

Self-care: "Surge Capacity" depletion and why we feel awful

September 28, 2020

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We have just past the sixth month mark in the pandemic, and this milestone is wearing heavily on many. The thought that we likely face at least another six months can be even more daunting. So how is this ongoing crisis affecting us, and what can we do to take care of ourselves? Tara Haelle, in the online periodical Elemental, has written an article called “Your ‘Surge Capacity’ Is Depleted-It’s Why You Feel So Awful.” According to Haelle, “Surge capacity is a collection of adaptive systems — mental and physical — that humans draw on for short-term survival in acutely stressful situations, such as natural disasters.” Like a pandemic. And it seems that there is a limit to how much surge capacity we can sustain before it begins to take a heavy toll. Haelle shares her own real life experience about how she has been affected and why managing this time of “ambiguous loss often requires a bit of creativity.” So what are some creative ways to power on and be well during this  time of “indefinite uncertainty?” One way is to “begin slowly building your resilience bank account.” To find out more, this is an article that you will want to read! Big thanks go to Kim Goldberg-Roth, Executive Director of Strength United,  for sharing this enlightening article. Read more

Self-care, Radical Inclusion and the Arts

September 21, 2020

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I am a fan of the arts, and I do get so much out of messages coming from the arts. So of course, I watched the Emmys last night. And I heard a message of radical inclusion, for the LBGTQIA community with the multiple wins for Schitt’s Creek, for anti-Black racism and equity for the Black community with the awards for The Watchman, and for the importance of supporting those with mental challenges with the recognition of I Know This Much Is True. I also heard a message about changing our world for the better, such a hopeful message that we all need right now. So if you enjoy the arts, and would like to relax at the end of your day watching television that sends an important message, check out one of these series if you have access to these programs. Or find you own way to be inspired by the creativity in your life. And then visualize how, in your own creative way, because we are all creative in some manner, you will make a difference for the better in this upside world we are in right now. Read more

Self-care at CSUN

September 14, 2020

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Looking for new ways to engage in self-care? There are so many wonderful virtual resources for self-care right here at CSUN! Here are a few great options available to you. Read more

Self-care on Labor Day

September 7, 2020

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This year with COVID, Labor Day has taken on even greater significance. We celebrate those on the frontlines doing whatever it takes, no matter the risk to keep our state & country afloat. And as we reflect on the meaning of work in all of our lives, it is important to remember that so many in this country are working less or not at all. Others are working in new and complex modes of virtual communication from home with the “always-on” culture that comes with digital hyper-communication. Read more

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