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I would say creating and tracking routines embedded in my day have been the most effective for me to ensure stability in my self-care, and in increasing my resiliency. We all wear a lot of hats, and for me, as a mom, active community member, student, and behavioral consultant working across multiple schools I often found myself, as we all tend to do, prioritizing getting all of the things done for everyone.

I set self-care goals aligned with my values and embedded them into my routines. Some of those self-care routines include: 4-6 workouts a week, calling a friend or family member while commuting, spending 20-min outside a day, reading 15-min a day. In addition, I try to include a hike, face masks or spa visit, and photography throughout the month. And, I love to plan to go places or try new things with friends and family - new restaurants, concerts, museums, and trips.

I am also really reinforced by tracking my habits to make sure I'm hitting the marks and prioritizing myself. The photography component of what I do reminds me of the "highlight reel" Courtney mentioned - I love putting memories into photo books or on social media as a way to reflect on all the fun I had during the last month. It's so easy to let a hard moment, day, week spiral and I find this reflective practices helps me remember it was a small dot on the wall - and not catastrophize everything.

All that to say, that prioritizing self-care in this way has improved my resiliency and my overall mental health. I can really notice a difference in the way I feel, respond and interact with others when I start to stray from them!

Picture: Early morning visit to one of our favorite ponds in Cape Cod, with cinnamon rolls and capitalizing on being the first folks there!

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I am a huge believer in the practice of self-care. I never really grasped the importance of it until becoming a mom and then starting my career as a school counselor. You have to take care of yourself before you can start to take care of others. For me, I know if I want to show up as the best version of myself I need to practice self-care. My self care practices include weekly therapy, gratitude journaling AM/PM, going for long walks, and spending time on the beach. Also doing things such as getting my hair + nails done, going for massages and remembering it's OK to take time for myself. At work, if I am having a rough day, I practice my deep breathing in my office or I go outside and talk a walk around the building. I also ASK FOR HELP, I realized that I cannot do everything and people actually want to help and there's no shame in saying "no" to some things.

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One thing I do to practice self-care is connect with family and friends regularly because just as the marquee says they are “what matters most.” I have also been trying to unplug from work in the evenings. One way that I do this is by moving all my work apps (email, slack,etc) to one page  on my phone and hide that page every evening and on weekends.

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I practice resiliency and self care by reading positive mantras every morning when I wake up and writing down my "highlight reel" at the end of each day. In the past, I have had students practice this with me by saying positive mantras in the morning and their highlights of the day at the end. I have classroom support staff participate as well which helps everyone feel more connected.

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I benefit from time with friends and colleagues to share my experience/gain perspective. I also take time in nature, whether it is a grounding exercise like taking in the environment with all my senses or going for long walks with my dogs. Both of these practices help me to process, reflect and reset as a practitioner.

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One practice I engage in daily is self reflection in both my personal and professional life. Additionally, I spend time speaking to family and friends who support me in this process. I believe reflecting helps guide your work to improve yourself.  I also have learned overtime that it's ok to ask for help when needed. I apply this to my personal and professional life as well. I found that when I did not ask for help my patience with  staff and family members was impacted in a negative way. 

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One practice I engage in daily is self reflection in both my personal and professional life. Additionally, I spend time speaking to family and friends who support me in this process. I believe reflecting helps guide your work to improve yourself.  I also have learned overtime that it's ok to ask for help when needed. I apply this to my personal and professional life as well. I found that when I did not ask for help my patience with  staff and family members was impacted in a negative way. 