As we rush headlong into the holidays, please remember to practice caring for yourself, or “self-care.” As the days grow darker, the demands of work and life pile up and the busyness of the holiday season approaches, it’s important to make time to care for ourselves. Self-care for adults can take many forms and building some time into your daily schedule (even if it’s just 5-10 minutes!) can make such a difference in our moods, how we engage in our relationships, and how we care for our kids. And not only is it good to make this time for ourselves but prioritizing our mental health is valuable for our children to see, too! If you’re looking for self-care ideas, I like this simple graphic that shows the 6 Components of Self-Care: mental, physical, emotional, practical, relationships, and spiritual. Finding one small thing each day that you can do to nourish your mind, body, or spirit can go a long way in sustaining ourselves. For additional resources, please visit my classroom page. As always, please feel free to contact me at cshaw@st-johnschool.org if I can help you in any way.
November Resources
- While there is a lot of excitement and hope with COVID-19 vaccinations being authorized for younger children, some kiddos may be nervous about getting their shots. If that’s the case for a child in your household, I have a couple of resources for you. First, I recommend listening to The Imagine Neighborhood’s podcast episode titled, Macho’s Shot, as a family. For grown-ups, check out this article with great tips to help prepare your child for their shot.
- Great Conversations is an excellent local organization that offers a variety of classes and presentations for preteens and parents on subjects such as feelings, friendships, puberty, sexuality, boundaries, and other topics relevant to children during these pivotal years. I highly recommend checking out their offerings!
- On November 15, PNW Parent Education is offering a free online workshop titled, Helping Kids Manage Life in a “Post” COVID World. This event will cover stress and anxiety and how parents can best support their children as we continue to live through this pandemic. Learn more and register here.
