Create a Self-Care Plan to Beat the Winter Blues

As the school year slows to a crawl through these dark, cold days of winter, it can be difficult to sustain the high energy required to accomplish the many daily tasks presented by our colleagues, our students, their parents, and the curriculum. Although it is wise to build daily practices in your life that give you a sense of wellness and fulfillment, it is especially important to do so when there may be little support to draw from others who, like you, may find themselves with fewer reserves.

This is a good time of year to apply practices designed to help you take good care of yourself. Below are some of my favorites. I encourage you to embrace at least one of these or something similar every day for the next two weeks and then recycle.

Just Move

We can often raise our spirits through simple physical actions. Try one or more of these:

Brighten Up Your Room

It can also help if we take action to improve our surroundings. A few ideas:

Take Stock of Your Emotions

And of course, if we want to improve our sense of well-being, it’s very helpful to pay attention to our feelings and to take steps to direct them in positive ways. Here are a couple of ideas to get you started:

And since you do deserve to take good care of yourself, make sure you actually do that. Enjoy at least one relaxing meal. If you love to cook and have the time, make the meal from scratch. If not, go to a restaurant you enjoy. Savor every bite and sip; let the food fill your mouth as you taste the flavor and feel the texture.

If you have any other favorite techniques for lifting your mood and fighting the winter blahs, please share them in the comments section.