The Summer of Self-Care

Self-care is always a challenge for those of us who work on issues we care deeply about. This month, we wanted to share three simple tips to boost your self-care at work and at home.

1. Use the start of summer to jump start a new self-care habit. Gretchen Rubin, the author of Better Than Before, says that ‘clean slates’ - like the start of a new season - are a great time to start a habit. Whether it is meditation, journaling, cooking healthy food, or getting to bed on time, the beginning of summer could be a good time for you restart your self-care strategies or even try something new.

2. Take advantage of down time. For many of us, summer months are a little slower. There are fewer events, colleagues are out on vacations, and it seems like our work happens at a slightly less frenzied pace. Use the opportunity to rebalance your at-work self-care activities. Maybe it’s time to start taking a walk at lunch, shut down your email for an hour or two during the middle of the day, or grab coffee with a colleague.

3. Get outside. Summer is the time to enjoy the sun, the shade, the woods, or the pool. If you are in the South like me, you may have to do it first thing in the morning, but find ways to be outside and soak in the vitamin D. I’ve tried to shift my schedule so that I have no meetings before 9 am and can take my dog for a long walk before it gets too hot for both of us. Spending time outside - especially in nature - has shown to counter illness and reduce stress.

Happy Summer!