This is a blog series about mental health and online learning. Through this series, we are exploring the many challenges students face, whether learning online or not, the ways our online students can combat these issues, and the supports available for Smart Schools students when those problems grow too big to handle alone.
People talk a lot about self-care these days, and it’s easy to get caught up in the buzzwords without understanding the importance of the concept or how to practice it for yourself. Let’s dive into what self-care is, why you should be practicing it, and the tools and techniques you can employ to practice self-care and support your own mental health.
Self-Care: What Is It?
Simply put, self-care is taking actions to preserve and protect your own mental health. For each person, self-care can and should look differently because mental health and well-being are deeply personal. This is why some self-care tips might not resonate the same for all individuals. Recognize that these tips are highly dependent on the culture in which you operate and were raised, your personal preferences and needs, and the resources you have access to. However, there are some common tools that psychologists recommend, which are scientifically proven to support positive mental health.
Why Self-Care Matters
If you’ve ever experienced anxiety or depression, you know that it can feel like a slippery slope. It’s not as simple as waking up depressed one day. These feelings exist on a spectrum, with some days being better and others being worse. And as things worsen, many of the tools, habits, and coping mechanisms you might typically employ start to fall by the wayside. If you are experiencing intense depression and anxiety, expecting yourself to engage in self-care is like expecting a person who is drowning to ask for help. It may not be physically possible.
For some, self-care may seem selfish. After all, it’s the act of taking care of yourself and putting yourself first. Sacrificing your own needs may seem altruistic or well-intentioned, but it can really have a negative impact on your well-being. Just like an airline encourages you to put your own oxygen mask on before helping others, you need to take care of yourself and your own mental well-being before you can be of service to others.
But if you start to understand the early warning signs of depression and anxiety in yourself or learn to read your emotional well-being, you can begin to identify when self-care will benefit your emotional well-being.
Self-Care Techniques and Tools
As we’ve mentioned, self-care can be deeply personal, so every one of these tools may not benefit you. But thinking about the things that put your mind and your body at ease is a good place to start. Below we’ve collected an assortment of techniques and self-care tools that can support your mental health, whether more physical or mental.
Meditation
Grounding techniques
Journaling
Talk therapy
Cleaning your living space
Taking a daily walk
Connecting with friends
Group exercise classes
A personal exercise regimen
Getting enough sleep
These are just a couple techniques you can employ, but recognize that you know yourself best. When you are upset, what makes you feel best? What are things that make you feel most sad or out of control, and how can you mitigate them personally? Answering these questions will help you identify your best, most impactful self-care tools.
If you or someone you know is a member of the LGBTQIA+ community and is worried about receiving appropriate care, you can reach the Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386 or by texting 678-678.
For those individuals who are experiencing domestic violence and/or abuse, you can call 1-800-799-7233 to speak with someone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Similarly, you can contact RAINN if you have experienced rape, abuse, or incest at 1-800-656-4673.
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