A few months ago, I shared my burnout story (catch up on that here if you missed it). The TL;DR is that I suffered burnout numerous times over 18 years of teaching. A forced leave of absence gave me the gift of time. I discovered that self-care is a necessity and not a nice-to-have. And now I’m much healthier and happier. 

I never thought much about self-care. Even when #selfcare was going viral, it was something that I didn't have the time or money for (I was too busy burning out at work 🤔).

And while on that forced leave of absence, it’s not like I decided to do a deep dive into self-care. I was going to look for an alternative source of income, but my partner encouraged me to enjoy the time off and pursue the things I loved (aka the things that I didn’t have much time for during the school year). 

It was only later that I realized “it was doing things that I enjoyed, alone or with the people I love, that nourished my mind, my body, and my soul.” And that sounded like a pretty good description of self-care to me!

Self-care includes everything you do to take care of your wellbeing in four core domains: the Heart (emotional), the Mind (mental/psychological), the Body (physical), and the Spirit (spiritual).

What did this mean looking back at my recovery journey?

So for me, spending quality time with loved ones, having fun (and laughing!), being affectionate and loving, and learning how to feel my feelings instead of ignoring them, meant that I was doing self-care for my emotional core, my Heart. 

Turns out many of those same activities are also science-backed ways you can avoid burnout. When I was teaching, I didn’t prioritize any of these activities that would have closed my stress response cycle and helped me avoid burning out. 

What activities do YOU do to support your emotional core? Make a list and then make the effort to do them regularly!

To support my mental self-care, I journalled what I was grateful for as well as positive affirmations every day. I cultivated greater self-awareness by reading and reflecting on personal development books and my own experiences. I became more mindful of my time on social media and decided to put the phone away and be present when I was with others. 

Continuing to talk to my doctor about how I was feeling throughout my forced leave of absence was also a key aspect of my mental self-care, as was seeking the guidance of a life coach to help me find some clarity going forward. 

How do YOU support your mental health and wellbeing? What are you doing to grow personally and professionally? How are you developing a greater sense of self-awareness? Write down 1-2 ideas you’ll commit to trying this week to support your mental core. 

If you read The #1 Way to Avoid Burnout, you know that physical activity is essential to closing the stress cycle. 

So daily physical movement is something I value and I definitely enjoyed having the time to run, bike, and hike more. Now as a family of four, we try to be active outside as much as we can—lots of walking, biking, and hiking together. 

The biggest challenge in the physical domain was learning to REST as I was someone who was always on the go, evenings and weekends included. Being able to truly rest the mind, the body, and the soul was a gift—I just didn’t realize its importance until later. 

Following a sleep routine when I was single and working was EASY and something I did naturally. Now that I’m a mom of a 15-month-old and a bonus mom to a 6-year-old, getting enough sleep is not that easy, although I do try to adhere to a bedtime before 10pm. I also know it’ll improve as the boys get older!

What are you doing to care for yourself physically? Are you nourishing yourself with healthy and nutrient-dense food? Are you moving your body? Drinking enough water? Getting enough sleep? Pick one you’re going to work on improving this week and make a plan. 

Every meal includes a protein source? Awesome. 

Drink a glass of water before having a cup of coffee? Good choice (one that I’m working on myself!). 

Spiritually I’ve always grounded myself in nature—I find time outside healing and never regret going on an outdoor adventure. I spent much of 2021 hiking various summits in the Canadian Rockies. There I find solace and my soul always feels comforted after a visit. 

How are YOU nurturing your spiritual side? What activity could you do this week to show some care for your spirit? Make time on the calendar and jot something down for this week. 

Self-care doesn’t have to be about expensive spa-like holidays with avocado toast and champagne in the bathtub (that sounds pretty incredible, but how many of us can afford to do something like that on a somewhat regular basis?). 

At its heart, self-care is about caring for yourself the best way you know how. 

It’s about nurturing your heart, mind, body, and spirit so that you are a healthy and happy human living a life you love. You only get one crack at life—might as well make it the most incredible experience you can!