This week’s teletherapy tip will focus on the importance of self-care.  Let’s face it, we all know that we should be taking care of ourselves all throughout the year.  Unfortunately, the reality is the demands of balancing work, our families, our kids, and everything in between rarely leaves time for focusing on ourselves.  I’m SO GUILTY of waiting for the summer, when the days are longer and the kids are out of school, to focus a little bit more on me.  Every year I tell myself that I’m going to continue with the routines that include putting me on the to do list, but every year life tends to happen, and I find myself waiting until the summer to practice self-care.

I feel very fortunate to have my summers off to spend quality with my family.  For those of you who work in the school setting, you can probably relate to putting true self-care off until schools out for summer. If you do wait until summer (like me), I think it is imperative that you make the summer count.  Give yourself a chance to truly relax and enjoy your down time.  Self-care looks different for everyone, and it should include the things that bring YOU joy.

For me, following the events of this past year, my joy comes from anything that brings me mental clarity.  I have always loved being outside and so my family has decided that we want to spend as much time outside this summer as possible.  This has taken us on explorations to Florida beaches, springs, and National parks.  The beach is by far my happy place, so anytime we can discover a new Florida beauty is a good day.  Although I’m a Florida native, there are so many beaches I have yet to see.  At this point, I think the Southwest Florida beaches are my favorite because the water is so crystal clear and calm.

I grew up near a spring (DeLeon Springs) and never truly appreciated the beauty of what we had right in our backyard.  Now that I’m an adult, I am loving the beauty and tranquility that our Florida Springs have to offer.  We recently stumbled upon Rainbow Springs, and I can’t get enough of how gorgeous this park is.  We have already been back twice and purchased a state park annual pass to keep the explorations going.  The summers in Florida are sweltering hot, so spending time outside (especially with the kiddos) requires staying hydrated and being close to the water.  Whenever we start to get too hot, taking a dip in the cool waters is necessary if you plan to be outside for extended periods.

I have also started back walking this summer and it really feels GOOD.  Movement is truly medicine. Starting my days off with a 2-3 mile walk is great for my mental clarity.  Not only does it make me feel good, it gives me a natural burst of energy and burns calories!  I gained over 20 pounds during the pandemic and want to get back moving to drop the weight.  I set a personal goal for myself to walk an average of 10 miles a week this summer.  I’m almost four weeks in and have come close to sticking with the goal.  I’ve walked about 35 miles so far and plan to keep at it!  If I can reach 100 miles this summer, I will be SO PROUD of myself.  This is definitely a part of my self-care regimen that I would love to continue with throughout the year.

Pleasure reading also brings me joy and helps me to relax.  I haven’t started a good book yet this summer, but I’m always open to suggestions.  If you have any, please leave them in the comments below or send me a quick email.  I also love to write, so this blog posts is a bit of self-care for me too! I’m actually sitting outside on our patio getting fresh air as I write this.  If I’m going to be in front of the screen this summer, it should only take place outside.

Limiting screen time is HUGE for my self-care and for my boys.  The idea of spending quality time outside does help with limiting the time in front of devices.  Particularly following a full year of distance learning from home.  We are all enjoying the time away from the screens.

I recently posed the question on my social media account to find out how a lot of you have been practicing self-care.  The responses were great!  I love those of you who have been taking naps this summer.  Such a great way to shut down and truly give your body the much-needed rest it has been longing for.  I will admit, it’s hard for me to take naps but I would like to squeeze a few in this summer.  I think because I tend to be a night owl, if I take a nap during the day, it really effects my ability to fall asleep at night.

A few of you reminded me of the joys of knitting!  I don’t knit but I do crochet and it is SO relaxing.  I haven’t crocheted in years but would like to start back.  The last time I crochet was when I was in the NICU with my oldest son…he’s now fifteen!  I still have all my supplies tucked away in a box in my closet.  It may be time to bring them back out.

Several of you mentioned family time.  This is definitely food for the soul.  Following the challenges of last year, my family and I have been making up for lost time.  There’s nothing like family dinners at my mom and dad’s.  When all my brothers and sisters get together with all of our kiddos, it truly is a joyful time.  I have two brothers and two sisters and we are a close-knit family. Unfortunately, we haven’t had a BIG family gathering with the extended family yet.  I do look forward to seeing my aunts, uncles, and cousins that I haven’t seen in over a year!

The big take away here is to do what brings you JOY this summer.  Take some time for yourself and make sure you decompress, recharge, and rejuvenate.  Ideally practicing self-care all throughout the year should be the focus.  I certainly plan to carve time out for taking care of ME more often and I hope you will too!

If you missed my previous post on how to make ocean themed sensory bottles, check it out HERE.  We attempted to bottle up the beach and took it home with us to enjoy everyday.  It’s a fun, low cost, engaging craft to do with your kiddos.  Crafting is another form of self-care for all the creatives out there, like me!

As always, I hope this information is helpful.   If you have any questions or if you have self-care recommendations you would like to share, please comment below or email me directly at belinda@bvgslp.com.

DISCLAIMER: Please note that the content of this and all previous/future blog posts are for informational purposes only.  Be sure to abide by and follow your company’s policies and procedures.  Before starting any exercise regimen consult with your physician.  The information contained within are tips that have worked well for me in my therapy/teletherapy room.