Take Good Care of Yourself: Week 5

We have two weeks of school left. It’s hard to believe that the 2019/2020 school year is coming to an end. As we wrap up this school year, let’s finish strong with taking good care of ourselves, so that we enter into the summer ready for the adventure it will bring. Below are some more tips you can add to your toolbox of “self-stewardship”.

Spiritual well-being: “Worship through Music”
Listening to music. Playing an instrument. Singing alone or with others. Music is a gift from the Lord, and one that invites us to worship Him and magnify His name. There are so many different genres of music, something for everyone. This week, find several songs that remind you of how great God is and that draw your attention to the hope we have in Jesus Christ. Create a playlist of hope-filled songs that reorient your mind and heart onto the Lord.

Relational well-being: “Laugh together”
“A cheerful heart is good medicine” (Proverbs17:22). Laughter, smiling, enjoying life with family and friends. This is medicine for our souls! Difficult times have a way of making us serious (with good reason) and we need the medicine of a cheerful heart. Cheerfulness and happy-hearted laughing are life-giving and builds friendship. Laughing together creates a host of positive benefits to well-being. Humor comes from our loving and life-giving God, who is the source of all that is “healthy and wholesome and purely hilarious”*. Find some ways this week to laugh with others.

Mental/Emotional well-being: “Develop a Hobby”
Hobbies are a great way to engage our mind in something positive, constructive, and motivating. They improve our mental and emotional well-being through involving parts of ourselves that otherwise are ignored due to busyness or stress. Since we have more time than we usually do, now is a great time to try out new interests and to develop a hobby. Not only will you grow as a person and learn healthy ways to process worry and sadness, you will become more interesting as a person and have more to offer in friendships!

Physical well-being: “Take 5”
There are many things in life we can’t control, but one thing we can learn to manage is the way we breathe. When we are stressed, our breathing becomes shallow and rapid. This is part of the fight or flight response meant to save us from danger. This response is why we feel jittery when we are stressed. To reduce the feeling of stress, one thing we can do is learn to deep breath using the “Take 5” method. This is a simple technique you can do anywhere. Simply trace your fingers on one hand with the your pointer finger of the other hand. Start with your thumb and end with your pinky. As you trace upward, take a deep belly breath in. Pause at the top, and then breath out as you trace your finger down. Repeat until you get to your pinky finger. Through doing this, you will slow down your breathing and reduce the feelings of stress.

Together we will get through this and come out stronger on the other side!

Take good care of yourself!

Mrs. Kirkland
Counselor