Darcy Nendza, ILMEA Executive Director
As the school year races to a close, it can be easy for educators to ignore their own social-emotional needs. From final concerts to graduations to recommendation letters, you are constantly being pulled in multiple directions. It is very important to take a step back and remember to take at least a few minutes a day to practice self-care.
Here are six areas to try and explore as you wrap up this semester and head into summer!
Meditation & Wellness Apps
In a study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, teachers during the COVID-19 lockdowns who participated in an 8-week mindfulness-oriented meditation reported improved mental health. “(The authors) conclude that mindfulness-based training can effectively mitigate the psychological negative consequences of the Covid-19 outbreak, helping in particular to restore well-being in the most vulnerable individuals.”
With so many apps geared toward mental health, finding the right app for you can be overwhelming but here are five (free!) apps to get you started (from Parade Magazine):
Moodfit
Pointing out that mental health is just as important as physical health, this app helps you track your moods throughout each day, and across multiple days. It reinforces positive messages and allows you to examine such lifestyle choices as diet and exercise, practice gratitude, and much more. (iOS, Android, free with in-app purchases).
Breathe2Relax
Proper breathing is so important. It can help lower heart rate and blood pressure and get you through an actual panic attack. This app for anxiety teaches you how to use diaphragmatic breathing, which can combat the body’s stress responses—and leave you feeling much less freaked out. (iOS, Android, free).
Sleep Time
Our sleep habits can greatly impact our mood and well-being. This app is both a comprehensive sleep inducer and an alarm clock. It tracks your sleep time and sleep cycles, giving you a new understanding of how you rest best. (iOS, Android, free with in-app purchases).
Smiling Mind
This app contains mindfulness programs for every age group. The adult program offers 10 modules of mindfulness training and guided meditations that develop attentiveness and intuition. There are also programs for the classroom, the workplace, sleep and sports. iOS, Android, free)
MoodMission
MoodMission is all about “changing the way you feel.” Each time you open it, you’ll play different “missions” based on your mood. The missions can improve coping skills as well as your mood. (iOS, Android, free).
EXERCISE
The John W. Brick Foundation published their Move Your Mental Health report in May of 2021. This sweeping study found had following key findings:
89% of all published peer-reviewed research between 1990 and 2020 found a positive, statistically significant relationship between exercise/physical activity and mental health.
High-frequency exercise (3-5 times per week) is better for reducing depressive symptoms than low-frequency exercise (1 time per week) (Womack and Safranek, 2010).
Combining or alternating strength/resistance training with cardiovascular/aerobic exercise shows stronger benefits on mental health outcomes than either one alone.
Exercise is strongly associated with general mental and emotional well-being including reduced stress, and improved mood and quality of life.
While the pace of the spring semester does not lend itself to blocks of open time for exercise, getting out and moving a few times a week can help your mind and body. Taking walks on your lunch, heading to a forest preserve after school for a hike, taking a longer bike ride on the weekend or starting up a Couch to 5k program are all great places to start!
MUSIC
As the school year progresses, it is important to take time to remember your “why” of music. What about music and music education feeds your soul and adds to your life? The Global Council on Brain Health published a report in 2020 entitled, Music on Our Minds: The Rich Potential of Music to Promote Brain Health and Mental Well-Being, some of those findings and conclusions that can encourage us to embrace music for mental heath and wellness:
Playing music, singing, or dancing together is a good way to increase social connections with other people and reduce loneliness, which is good for brain health.
Try listening to new music. While listening to music that you know and like tends to cause the strongest brain response and dopamine release, unfamiliar melodies may stimulate your brain, while providing a new source of pleasure as you get used to hearing them.
Don’t think music making is limited to formal, in-person organizations. Facilitating connections with one or more people through virtual platforms and social media also can be beneficial.
NETWORKING & SOCIALIZING
As we get busier, we tend to isolate ourselves to get more done. It is incredibly important to fight that habit and continue to network and connect socially throughout the Spring. Zoom hangouts and Happy Hours that served us well during the COVID-19 lockdown can still be a source of connection when our schedules don’t let us get together in-person. In Online Social Connections as Surrogates of Face-to-Face Interactions: A Longitudinal Study Under Covid-19 Isolation, the authors found that “Offline and online connections interactively protected from psychological distress throughout Covid-19 lockdown.” While offline interactions provide a greater increase in mental health, the online options did help, so both options can be utilized to connect with friends, colleagues and family!
NATURE
The National Parks are a frequent summer vacation destination to recharge after a long school year. But you don’t have to limit yourself to just these parks or only the summer months! Throughout the year, it is just as important to get out into nature. In The Benefits of Nature Experience: Improved Affect and Cognition, the authors define these highlights:
Nature experience produced clear benefits for affect (e.g., decrease in anxiety and rumination).
Nature experience produced some benefits for cognition (complex working memory span task).
Exposure to natural greenspace can improve affect and cognition.
Even if the only time available is a quick outside walk around the building, it is important to take a nature break each day. And if you have a little more time, see what Illinois State Parks you want to explore or find a county park that’s close to home!
PODCASTS
Like the apps listed at the beginning of this article, there are many mental health podcasts that can turn your commute into a quick check-in.
The Hardcore Self-Help Podcast
This is a podcast dedicated to answering your questions about mental health, anxiety, depression, relationships, sex, and life WITHOUT psychobabble BS. I am Dr. Robert Duff, a psychologist from Southern California, but I'm also a regular dude who legitimately wants to help out. (Apple, Spotify)
You might think more money, a better job, or Instagram-worthy vacations would make you happy. You’re dead wrong. In "The Happiness Lab" podcast, Yale professor Dr. Laurie Santos will take you through the latest scientific research and share some surprising and inspiring stories that will forever alter the way you think about happiness. (Apple, Spotify)
The Positive Psychology podcast covers all sorts of topics such as passion, mindfulness, and strengths with a focus on positive psychology so you can cherry-pick the strategies that work best for you, regardless of what you are going through. (Apple, Spotify)
The COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted mental health for so many of us and it is continuing to affect educators in a uniquely difficult way. But we have also learned so much about how to be more mindful about how we approach our own wellness. During this busy time of year, it is important and even necessary to be intentional about taking care of you!
What routines and practices do you use to encourage your own mental health and wellness and make it part of your daily life?