I once went to a conference session about self-care and preventing burn-out (a huge percent of people in my field leave within five years of entering it). One of the things that really stuck with me from that session is that self-care is a regular occurrence. It's not getting a massage once every five years. It doesn't have to cost money. And ultimately, self care is different for every single person. And it can change over time to become whatever you need it to be.

I advocate for self-care a lot. Like, a lot a lot. It's the number one priority I stress when I chat with students. One of my favorite lines is something like "If you're not okay, you're not going to do okay in your courses." And I mean it. That doesn't mean we have to be happy all the time, or even pretend to be happy all the time. But it means, we have to try to listen to ourselves and go through some trial and error to attempt to take care of ourselves.

Here are five things that I've been doing lately to try and do just that. Again, I'm not perfect at it. I'm still moody and sad and happy and a whole combination of feelings, but I'm working on it.









Reading

Reading is my escape. Seriously. It's corny and cliche, but I mean it! It gives me time to relax, get comfy, and get away from real-life worries (usually). I'm very anxious, and when my mind isn't focused on something, it wanders to deep, dark crevices that make me moody and down. I've got a routine of times to read and those times are important to me.



Listening to Audiobooks 

I've always been kind of anti-audiobook. I lost 90% of my hearing when I was younger, and while tubes in my ears helped me gain some of that back, I still have a really difficult time hearing at times. So I worry that if I listen to an audiobook, I'm going to miss integral pieces of the story. But I noticed that listening to music on my way to work, I was having a lot of episodes of panic - I could literal feel it wash over my body like someone cracked an egg on my head, and it was terrifying. So I downloaded an app that works with my library and I can check out audiobooks for free. What I've been doing though, is only listening to audiobooks that I've already physically read. Lately I've been going through the Harry Potter series. It's the newest way for me to experience the stories I love so much, and it's been helping me find focus while I drive.



Closing My Office Door 

Okay, maybe this makes me sound like a jerk, but I've worked places before where I was required to always have my door open, and this has helped me so much during the work day. I know this isn't an option for everyone, but I've created quite a mood in the space that I spend so much time in. I typically keep my overhead fluorescent lights turned off with two lamps on as replacements, my door closed (yet unlocked), and some lofi music on. Folks can knock to come in if they need me, but it rids me off distractions and gives me space to breathe. It's been really beneficial these past two months.



Face Masks

Hi, this is corny, but I love a face mask and I do them regularly (alongside hair masks). Face masks are one of those things that just give me space to breathe - it means I'm not leaving the house for a bit, makes my skin feel great, and is just another opportunity to read. I particularly love a peel-off mask. I love the feel of it drying and getting tight on my skin. Then just actually peeling it off - it's seriously the best.



Taking Baths

 I truly take a bath at least twice a week (and let me just say I hate our miniature bathtub and would really like a garden tub, thanks). There's something about just relaxing in burning water that literally makes my entire body and being feel good. I also usually lay in there while reading, so it's a little slice of heaven that I couldn't go without.







 


 









This post is in collaboration with the #LoveBlog2020 link-up. Today's post is co-hosted by Brita from Belle Brita, Laura from Do Five Things a Day, and myself. Please visit my co-hosts and link-up below. You can find the prompts for the entire month here.

An InLinkz Link-up