In this week before the 2020 elections, the LT 436/536 Language Teaching Planning class wrote this blog post together about self-care during challenging times. Each participant in the class wrote a suggestion or idea based on their own experiences. Most of them are about what we can do even when we don’t have access to much in-person contact with others. We hope this can give you some ideas for taking care of yourself now too. – Keli Yerian

Ideas that you can do spontaneously!

Reading helps me escape my problems in the real world. Especially with sci-fi or fantasy, I am able to escape for a little bit to a world that is different from mine. When I am feeling anxious, I like to take a good book and read in a cozy place. – Alexis

Walking around my neighborhood has been my go-to form of self care recently. It gives me a change of scenery, fresh air, and is easy to do safely with covid. Sometimes I will go by myself and listen to music, sometimes I walk my dog, and sometimes I invite a friend. This has been a good way for me to destress and take my mind off of everything that is going on. – Sydney

What I like to do to take care of myself to allow myself some time away from the world and escape into sleep. Whether I am physically tired, emotionally drained, or mentally maxed-out, sleep always helps me relax, reset, and refresh my mind. I have used sleep to organize my thoughts while studying or making a big decision (“sleep on it” is real for me!). I also use it as a way to escape the reality of a stressful time and allow my body to take care of what it needs to while it’s “turned off”. – Arika

You can do dancing self-care anywhere! Sometimes I dance around when I get ready for the day or need to get away from my workspace. My only priorities for that two minutes and thirty seconds are to get on my feet and elevate my heart rate. Consideration of looking foolish has to go out the window or you won’t get the full effect! Physical activity releases happy hormones in your body and it’s a good excuse to explore funky dance music like disco or musical theatre dance break songs. – Kyra

During these trying times of not being able to go outside, you could get into the hobby of playing video games. You can play single player games if you feel like a place to escape to, or to enjoy exploring the story and/or the world that the game has provided (ex. Zelda games). But if you want to interact with other people there is also the option of multiplayer games that are free as well (ex. Among us). – Ken

My topic is dancing. This specific self-care is great because it promotes a healthy lifestyle as well as stress relief. I mostly dance to kpop music because the songs come with set dances, so it’s fun to learn them plus you get exercise as well. I think this is better than some other self-care things like video games and whatnot, (which are still good self-care things, don’t get me wrong) dancing just has the added benefit of exercise. – Laurel

One of the most enjoyable things for me is taking a bubble bath. Personally, I would consider it as a useful aid for someone in need of self-care. You can purchase bubble bath bombs from cosmetic store like Lush, or you could DIY some personalized bath bombs by using your favorite colors and essential oils. There are many tutorial videos on YouTube. When you are done your work for the whole day, just imagine you lying in your bath surrounded with warm water and a nice scent, you will get relief immediately after that. I would highly recommend lavender scented bath bombs since this fragrance is commonly helps relieve anxiety, depression and stress. Beyond that, tea tree essential oils are another great choice if you like a more neutral scent and help to heal acne. – Ailsa

When it comes to self-care during this pandemic, one thing I do the most is listening to music.

Not only any type of music but BTS music. If you don’t know who BTS is, they’re a Korean boy group from South Korea who are currently the biggest band in the world. BTS’s music mostly revolves around social issues and mental issues. During this time, during the pandemic, I’ve always listened to their music as it helps me relax, release any feelings I have inside like sadness, and even gives me hope that life will be better after this or during this pandemic. As Dynamite has said, find your spark and light even though you are locked in one certain place. Their music really gives hope even though their lyrics are in Korean, and it also proves that music also transcends languages and people. – Yacki

 

Ideas that encourage some planning and commitment

Meal preparation has been one of the most delicious and efficient forms of self care that I have been using for several weeks now. Every Sunday I take a trip to the store and cash in my meager earnings for some decadent protein, carbohydrates and copious amounts of vegetables that will help me in fulfilling my weekly ritual. Upon returning home I tend to get violent with the salt and pepper, seasoning the hell out of all my ingredients and prepping them for their inevitable fate on the smoker. After all the work is done and my meals are ready for consumption I tend to indulge in an after meal-prep brew and plan out the rest of my week. Eating clean and healthy has given me the energy of Arnold Schwarzenegger (in his earlier films) along with the focus I need to barely hang on during grad school. Overall I can’t recommend meal prep enough and if you run out of ideas the internet has a plethora of recipes and indulgent entrees that will allow you to switch things up and keep your taste buds on their toes. – Andrew

Self-Care: Therapy. I have been going to therapy for the past three years and it’s been the most successful self care I’ve ever experienced. It’s helped me not only with the maladaptive coping mechanisms I had, avoidance being a big one, but it also helped me manage everyday life. I also struggle with social anxiety, so restructuring my thought process when interacting with people has given me more self-confidence and has allowed me to pursue my goals. Having a therapist means being able to discuss these issues you have and work towards resolving them, without feeling like you’re burdening your friends or just ranting without actually seeking a solution. Therapy doesn’t just work for big issues, it’s for anything that you might want to work on in your life. – Ryane

I love to play golf when I need to escape. Sometimes I need to be alone and go by myself, sometimes I bring a partner to play alongside me. It is peaceful on the golf course. There are numerous trees and wide open spaces. There are few other individuals around at any given time. Birds can be heard chirping or water flowing. Smells of fresh cut grass fill the air. As long as I am out on the course it is difficult for me to focus on anything outside of my next shot and the world that is immediately at hand. Good shots come and poor ones follow, but that is the nature of the game. Even when my level of play is sub-par it is difficult for myself to become overly discouraged while I am on the golf course. – Willis

Sleep is very essential for all of us. Bad sleep can cause problems in energy, mood, shape, and everything else, you name it. I’ve been having sleep problems for years, and it got worse under the pandemic, which I think is the same to everybody. I tried every method and prescripted, unprescripted meds to help, but none of them worked, until recently I tried Natural Melatonin. It works like a charm, and even I fall asleep in 10 mins after taking it and wake up fresh without any hangover. Highly recommended to anyone who suffers from sleep problems. – William

During times of great stress it is easy to shut down, to want to numb ourselves to our stresses through watching tv and other mind numbing activities. While these are great in small instances, it is important to keep our mind active and keep our brains healthy. I have found that playing music is a fantastic way to do this. It is a creative output for our emotions and stresses that is still simple and relaxing. Playing music increases blood flow to the brain, reduces stress and depression, and strengthens the brains executive function among so many other things! So go down to that pawn shop and buy the $50 guitar you’ve had your eye on, start making EDM music with that free app, your mind and your brain will thank you for it! – Sarah

Gardening, whether cultivating a large vegetable or flower garden or growing a couple of plants in pots on a windowsill indoors, can be a way to help oneself slow down, connect to nature, and build new skills. Growing plants of all kinds is an act of looking towards the future optimistically, imagining the eventual flower or fruit that plant might produce in the weeks or months ahead. The planning and regular care required to nurture a plant from seed to flower or fruit requires one to build skills in noticing changes and problem solving as issues arise. Spending time with plants, both indoors and out, can be calming for the mind and a key reminder of the seasonal cycles of nature and our place, as humans, within those cycles. – Tigre

For my self-care I would like to expand my hobbies and get some more exercise by learning more about mushroom hunting. I have only been able to go out once so far, but the Pacific Northwest is an ideal mushroom hunting ground because it is warm and wet. Being out in the woods allows me the chance to breathe in fresh air, stretch my legs and see the beautiful countryside. The only thing that would make it better is finding beautiful, nutritious and delicious mushrooms to bring back with me! – Beka

Feeling overwhelmed and maybe sad? These are the things I personally did for my own self-care summer of 2019! Feel free to take them and try them for yourself! During a time that I considered very dark for me, I would start my week with going to therapy and literally crying it out. While I expressed with words, I would accept any emotions that came my way. After I was done, it felt incomplete to just go home so I walked into the building next door and scheduled a message. For the following two months I would schedule my weekly therapy appointments and my massage appointments back to back so that after I let out all the sad emotions in my body, I could feel my stress and anxiety literally go away. Although a little spendy, I did this because I liked walking out of my massage appointments with more relief than stress. After getting a massage, my masseuse recommended that I drink extra water because of all the muscles being squished around. For me, the crying out the negative feelings and washing my internal organs out with water truly represented a cleansing of my body, mind, and soul. I hope my experience motivates you to try it out for yourself too! – Vanessa

Do you do work that you find time-consuming, stressful, and/or unfulfilling? Schedule a time to not do that work. Scheduling is important because it helps create a routine, which creates a certain sense of security that is especially helpful given the current state of affaires. Try to aim for at least an hour of time of non-work, probably before your work or in the middle. Waiting until after your work could leave you too tired to benefit from disconnecting from work. – Jalin