Components of Self-Care

• Relationship with yourself: Be connected to your own body and sensations. Notice signs of stress, fatigue, and burnout.
• Community: Find other teachers to connect with that are doing this work that you can connect with
• Boundaries: Cultivate the courage to say no.
• Downtime: Set aside time for hobbies and relaxation.
• Significant relationships: Do you have relationships where you feel supported?

Self-Care and Self-Compassion (from Dr. Kristin Neff, author of The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook)

A Self-Awareness Practice to Tune-In:

• Look around the room. Move your head to take in your environment, as if you have discovered a new place and you are curious about it. Track your body. Did you take a deep breath just by looking around? Tune into your body and notice what is there. You may close your eyes if you wish.
• What sensations do you feel? Are there areas that feel tight? What’s feeling good? Try to scan your sensations without placing judgment on them. Notice if there is a lack of sensation in any part.
• What emotions do you feel? Are you eager? Are you nervous? Try to scan your emotions without placing judgment on top of them. Just observe, notice yourself.
• Deliberately deepen your breath. Make a sound if you feel like it. Notice what happens as you do.

What we just practiced is called self-awareness.

Orienting and Grounding

Orienting: Sit comfortably in a chair with both feet on the ground. Slowly turn your head and look around at your environment. As you slowly check the room around you, try noticing objects that you find pleasant to look at.

Benefit: Re-orient you if you have a hypervigilant nervous system. Helps relax the body and is good to counteract anxiety, promotes mindfulness practice, and promotes self-regulation.

Grounding: You can do this either walking or sitting. If you are sitting, focus on the feeling of your feet on the floor and how your legs feel, without any judgement. If you are walking, focus on the feeling of your feet touching the ground and the feelings in your legs. This can help those who might feel dissociated to feel secure and empowered again.

Benefit: diminish states of activation in the nervous system, helps focus us back tow here we are instead of in our head space (helpful to people who are or have been impacted by trauma), helps counter dissociation. Research shows that regular grounding practice can help regulate strong emotions such as anger.