Dear College of Education Community,
Self-care is an essential practice as we start a new academic year. As members of the higher education community, we know that there is compelling evidence for students, faculty, staff, and the community we serve to engage in regular self-care for overall success and well-being. A recent virtual article in Psychology Today titled “ 6 Science-Based Self-Care Tips” states that “self-care can have a positive impact on nearly every form of ill-health, making it an extremely valuable practice (Levin & Idler, 1983).” Below are 6 scientifically-based strategies recommended by this article for us to consider as educators, staff, students, or community members.
1. Get outdoors-Recent research tells us that daily contact with nature can help us reduce anxiety and depression while also helping us improve our health (Soga, Gaston, & Yamaura, 2017). Indeed, so many things about the outdoors can improve our health—the sun, the fresh air, the soil, the scent of trees. Exposing ourselves to these things regularly is one way to take better care of ourselves.
2. Listen to soothing music-Did you know that listening to relaxing music can reduce cortisol (an important stress hormone)? Well, research shows it can (Khalfa et al., 2003). More specifically, binaural beats (music with two tones played at slightly different frequencies in each ear) may be helpful for increasing focus (Garcia-Argibay, Santed, & Reales, 2019).
3. Practice deep breathing-By practicing deep breathing, we activate our parasympathetic nervous system—our calming "rest-and-digest" system. One simple breathing practice is box breathing. Box breathing involves breathing in for a count of four, holding for a count of four, breathing out for a count of four, and then holding for a count of four. Try this for a few rounds to see how it makes you feel.
4. Cultivate positive emotions-To generate positive emotions, we can try thinking positively, being more optimistic, savoring the good moments, or even doing loving-kindness meditation. Boosting positive emotions can fuel an upward spiral of positivity, helping us feel better, improve social interactions, and so on (Fredrickson, Mancuso, Branigan, & Tugade, 2000).
5. Try different self-care activities-Sometimes people get frustrated when they try a self-care activity—maybe an activity that tons of people have been raving about—and it doesn't really help them or feel like the right fit. If that sounds like you, then it can be helpful to try out some other strategies. For example, things like mindfulness meditation and eating vegan don't actually work for everyone. Try out some different self-care activities (I list some more below) to find what works for you.
6. Build self-awareness-Learning to pay attention to what is helpful and not helpful can take practice. For example, maybe you've been exercising every day but are starting to feel worn down. In that case, exercise might not be the type of self-care you need right now. In general, paying attention to how your thoughts and behaviors make you feel—in the short term and the longer term—can help you make the most of self-care.
References
Fredrickson, B. L., Mancuso, R. A., Branigan, C., & Tugade, M. M. (2000). The undoing effect of positive emotions. Motivation and emotion, 24(4), 237-258.
Garcia-Argibay, M., Santed, M. A., & Reales, J. M. (2019). Efficacy of binaural auditory beats in cognition, anxiety, and pain perception: a meta-analysis. Psychological Research, 83(2), 357-372.
Khalfa, S., BELLA, S. D., Roy, M., Peretz, I., & Lupien, S. J. (2003). Effects of relaxing music on salivary cortisol level after psychological stress. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 999(1), 374-376.
Levin, L. S., & Idler, E. L. (1983). Self-care in health. Annual review of public health, 4(1), 181-201.
Soga, M., Gaston, K. J., & Yamaura, Y. (2017). Gardening is beneficial for health: A meta-analysis. Preventive medicine reports, 5, 92-99.
To read more of this article go to
For a list of other self-care options, you can also go to our COE self-care website for resources for faculty, staff, students, and the community at
https://www.csun.edu/eisner-education/self-care
Please practice the self-care strategies that work for you as we begin this new academic year!
Warmly,
Shari